The federal government plans to quadruple to $1 million the maximum fine for airlines that repeatedly violate passengers’ rights. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says fining airlines is a last resort, but the current system isn’t working.
Spirit Airlines, an impish upstart that shook the industry with its irreverent ads and deep discount fares, announced Saturday that it has gone out of business after 34 years.
Booking.com’s 11th annual research report into consumer attitudes and understanding of the social and environmental impact of travel reveals an unexpected generational paradox.
Porter Airlines is flying south next winter to four new destinations. In addition to new sun routes from Eastern Canada, the carrier will introduce its first international flights from Alberta. This includes over 40 warm-weather routes for the 2026-27 season.
News nuggets, airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.
After weeks of delay, the U.S. House voted Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security and send the bipartisan package to President Donald Trump to sign, ending the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history. The funding will notably pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency airport personnel.
The federal government aims to outsource the air passenger complaints process to a third party in a bid to clear the massive backlog – nearly 100,000 complaints – at the country’s transport regulator.
Officers with bomb-sniffing dogs circled cars and searched bags of tourists filing into historic Teotihuacan pyramids outside of Mexico City just days after a lone gunman opened fire on tourists, killing one Canadian and injuring a dozen more.
Please fasten your seatbelt, make sure your tray table is in an upright and locked position, and prepare for delivery.
By WALLACE IMMEN/ Victory Cruise Line is seeing a spike in new bookings for its Great Lakes cruises and owner John Waggoner knows why: “I hear it every day: There’s a stalemate in Middle East and the airlines are raising fares and cutting flights…”
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ The Gunter hotel in San Antonio, Texas, wears its musical heritage on its sleeve. So much so that every room in the 116-year-old property (part of the Marriott portfolio since 2018) is furnished with its own turntable and copy of a record album by Robert Johnson, “King of the Delta Blues.”
Five decades after entering a cruise business that operated on manual, paper-driven processes and communications, Micky Arison, the longtime chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, says the fundamental formula for success remains strikingly simple: deliver a great experience that makes guests happy without breaking their budgets.
Air Canada reports that its Flight Operations Crew Schedulers and its In-Flight Crew Schedulers have approved a new collective agreement between the airline and the Unifor union. The four-year collective agreements are in effect until May 22, 2029.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Nexion’s first dedicated Canadian conference was a big hit this week – literally – as many of the approximately 125 attendees concluded the two-day event at the Toronto Airport Marriott by busing to the ballpark to see the Jays beat the Red Sox on Tuesday night.
TravelBrands has announced a new partnership with Intrepid Travel, strengthening its specialty tour offering through Exotik Journeys (a TravelBrands company) to bring premium, small-group travel experiences to Canadian advisors.
WestJet and Air India have announced a new interline partnership to boost connectivity between India and North America beyond Toronto and Vancouver.
Grenada may be known for its beaches, but the island’s natural side is what makes it unforgettable. Travellers can step away from the coast and discover a greener landscape where waterfalls tumble into natural pools, crater lakes sit quietly in the hills and hiking trails lead you to sweeping rainforest views.
Who will control travel 20 years from now: artificial intelligence, governments, or the travellers themselves? What will determine value in an AI-driven industry? And will travel remain accessible to all, or become a privilege?
By MIKE FOSTER/ Few topics create as much quiet discomfort among travel advisors as fees. It’s not because advisors don’t believe their work has value. Most do. The discomfort comes from something subtler: uncertainty about how to describe that value in a world where information feels free, tools feel powerful, and clients sometimes arrive convinced they already know the answers.
Statistics Canada has confirmed what most of us already know: that airfares are rising. Triggered by energy shocks resulting from the warn in Iran, the agency says ticket prices not only rose 2.9% compared with March 2025, but marked a reversal in the nearly two-year trend of annual decreases in airfares.
Canadian travel industry veteran and, until recently, president of Sunwing Vacations Group Andrew Dawson, has joined Royalton Hotels International as Chief Financial Officer. The Canadian-based all-inclusive hospitality brand operates more than two dozen luxury properties across the Caribbean and Mexico.
This week: 2026 ACTA Awards nominations are open; Uniglobe Travel top performed convened in Cancun; Ensemble takes stock ahead of its Horizon event next week; TRAVELSAVERS founder Rick Mazza received a prestigious CLIA award; Virtuoso held its annual Symposium in Seoul; Saint Lucia’s agents months return; and Utah is offering Canadian travel advisors a chance for a FAM.
United Airlines’ CEO confirmed Monday that he approached rival American Airlines about a potential merger – his first public acknowledgment of his proposal – saying it would benefit travellers despite American’s refusal to engage in talks.
Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade on the country and an end to the war, while proposing that discussions on the larger question of its nuclear program would come in a later phase, two regional officials said Monday.
Flight Attendants at WestJet, represented by CUPE 8125, have issued a formal notice of dispute following more than seven months of ongoing negotiations that the union says has not produced sufficient progress on key issues.
In a complex global political and economic climate, the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance is calling on airlines to adopt a more transparent and collaborative approach to airline-imposed surcharges – especially as it pertains to travel professionals, who are increasingly relied upon as travellers face fluctuating costs and disruption.
By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Air Canada has wrapped up its first season of flying to Guadeloupe from Toronto, but that hasn’t stopped us dreaming about returning when the flights resume next winter. But what we’d really like is to be there right now. Enjoy this photo essay:
Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts has refreshed its visual identity and brand architecture with the aim of strengthening its position in the all-inclusive segment and enhancing the booking experience. The new customer-centric structure simplifies the experience by organizing sub-brands into clearly defined adults-only and all-ages categories.
Milan has added the title of Olympic city to its long-held monikers as Italy’s fashion and finance capital, a legacy that crowns two decades of growth that reshaped the skyline and boosted investment, tourism and cultural life.
A small army of Secret Service agents are mandated by Congress to keep the American president, his family, cabinet members and various dignitaries safe. The American president is arguably the world’s most protected person, but the job is proving to be tricky. “I can’t imagine that there’s any profession that is more dangerous,” Trump said of his job, just hours after the incident.