OTTAWA, HALIFAX IN LINE FOR CUSTOMS BOOST
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) plans to launch a pilot for dedicated Verified Traveller screening lines at Ottawa International Airport and Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
UNITED APP TO OFFER REBOOKING OPTIONS
United Airlines says when flights are delayed or cancelled it will use its app to send customers options for rebooking and, in some cases, vouchers for meals and hotel rooms. The airline began testing the service on its app late last year and says it found that it reduced the number of people waiting in airports lines to speak to airline agents.
ACTA REVEALS KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FOR FALL SUMMITS
This year’s ACTA Fall Summits will feature Bruce Poon Tip, CEO of G Adventures (who was named an Officer of the Order of Canada this year) and Pam Hoffee, President, Avalon Waterways, as keynote speakers at the association’s events in Western and Eastern Canada respectively.
MORE PIE?: Florida Keys celebrates 200 years with dessert
Visitors and locals alike were invited to open their pie holes, literally, this week as the Florida Keys celebrated its bicentennial Monday with a world-recording breaking Key lime pie more than 4 metres in diameter.
IN GOOD COMPANY: Bruce Poon Tip appointed to Order of Canada
Bruce Poon Tip says he is truly “humbled” by being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his services to both Canada and humanity – endeavours the G Adventures founder calls his “calling.”
LONG WEEKEND EQUALS LONG DELAYS
Nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights – roughly half of all flights – were delayed or cancelled over the Canada Day long weekend. The figures from aviation tracker FlightAware included Rouge and regional partner Jazz Aviation for the period from Saturday through Monday.
DUTCH TREAT: WestJet bound for Bonaire this winter
WestJet has announced the addition of the B in ABC islands of the Dutch Caribbean ¬– Bonaire – to its roster of Caribbean destinations with non-stop seasonal weekly departures from Toronto starting Dec. 12.
FROM REVIVING TO THRIVING: Ottawa unveils new tourism strategy
Calling the post-pandemic surge in travel a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Canada’s visitor economy to push past reviving all the way to thriving and successfully competing on the global stage, Ottawa has unveiled a new tourism plan it says will help cement Canada as a top global destination while propelling the tourism industry to, “reach new heights for generations to come.”
MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL STRIKES A MAJOR CHORD
The current Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is showcasing some serious star power. Over the course of 10 days, world-renowned artists including Diana Krall, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant & Alison Krause, Melody Gardot, Herbie Hancock and George Benson will rub shoulders with jazz’s rising stars, sometimes even sharing the same stage. Many established artists are performing at the Festival for the first time and jazz is more prominent than ever on both indoor and outdoor Festival stages.
ALL ABOARD FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S AMAZING RIDE
It was simply time for the Golden Gate City to start playing ball again in Canada – literally, as a delegation from the San Francisco Tourism Association invited a select group of travel friends to attend a Blue Jays game against their own Giants at the Rogers Centre last week.
BLUNDERS AND BEHAVIOURS: The latest in post-pandemic travel
Longer vacations, less overpacking, more small ship cruising, and an uptick in bleisure travel are the post-pandemic behaviours the world’s most experienced travellers are revealing, according to a recent survey by Global Rescue.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: Canadians spending more on domestic travel
Tourism spending in Canada grew 2.6% in the first quarter, due to an increase of 3.5% in domestic tourism spending by Canadian residents, according to Statistics Canada. Tourism gross domestic product (GDP) (+2.3%) and jobs attributable to tourism (+2.7%) also rose in the first quarter.
UNREST EASES IN FRANCE
After almost a week, unrest in France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow, but fires and vandalism continued to target public buildings, cars, and municipal trash cans on Monday.
WHAT WAS HE THINKING?:
As United Airlines cancelled thousands of July 4th weekend flights, leaving passengers stranded in airports around the country for days, airline CEO Scott Kirby, with an inexplicable lack of judgement and no thought as to the optics or consequences, reportedly chartered a private jet from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver. He did this on Wednesday, the same day United cancelled 750 flights — one-quarter of the day’s schedule – not including flights on United Express. Kirby apologized Friday, saying “It was insensitive to our customers waiting to get home.” No kidding.
PRE-CLEARANCE ANNOUNCED FOR BILLY BISHOP AIRPORT
U.S. customs pre-clearance is coming to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ), but travellers bound for destinations south of the border will have to wait until 2025 to take advantage of the expedited serviced at the downtown (island) airport.
CHINESE CANADIAN MUSEUM: New Vancouver venue casts light on overlooked past
After more than six year’s of planning, Canada’s newest museum opened the doors to its permanent location in Vancouver’s Chinatown on July 1 – a date that museum executives say serves as a poignant reminder of a part of Canada’s history that has often been overlooked.
CALIFORNIA HOTEL STRIKE ‘BIGGEST IN HISTORY’
Thousands of hotel workers in Southern California walked off the job on Sunday, demanding higher pay and better benefits in what the union is calling the largest strike in its history.
ROUND-UP: June 26-30, 2023
While there was more air travel disruptions in US last week, and smoke got in our eyes here at home, emerging Canadian travel stats continued to be positive, while car rental rates news was less so. Also in the news: A welcome new flight to Ottawa, launch news for Porter, and a surprise departure from Lynx.
LYNX AIR CEO RESIGNS
Lynx Air has announced the resignation of its President and CEO, Merren McArthur, who is leaving for personal reasons. McArthur is the founding CEO of Lynx Air, having joined the airline in June 2021, leading the airline to its first flight launch in April 2022. She will continue in the role until the end of September, allowing time for the selection and appointment of a new CEO.
PONANT WINTER CRUISES A ‘TURNING POINT’ FOR QUEBEC
For the first time, an international cruise ship will sail the waters of the Saint Lawrence in the heart of winter when PONANT’s Commandant Charcot, with some 200 winter activity enthusiasts aboard, will make four 12-night sailings between late January and early March 2025.
SHINING A LIGHT ON CANADIAN FAVOURITES
As Canadians gear up to celebrate Canada Day on Saturday, CheapOair.ca got to thinking about the most unique Canadian attractions that have earned worldwide attention. And with its self-declared mission to “educate and aid consumers and travel professionals in planning their travel accommodations,” the online travel agency asked its staff to select their most iconic Canadian attractions from the north to the south, east to west and all points in between.
A DISH BEST SERVED IN CANADA
The Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), a trailblazer of Canada’s culinary tourism industry, is set to serve up the “Great Taste of Canada,” an ultimate field guide to mouthwatering eats, hands-on food experiences, and unique tastes across the nation. “More than just maple syrup and poutine (though there certainly is that), Canada’s food scene is a true smorgasbord of gastronomic journeys, shaped by the rich history, heritage, and cultures across the country,” says CTA.
MONTREAL TO WELCOME WORLD-CLASS AQUARIUM
A new world-class aquarium will open in Montreal in 2024 with the aim of educating visitors and “inspiring future generations to become advocates for our wildlife and wild places.”
PUBS, PATIOS & BARS: Mellow yellow on Granville Island
Vancouver is certainly known for its bridges, but the one we’re most enamoured of is Bridges restaurant and patio, found on Granville Island, overlooking fabulous False Creek, the city skyline, and the mountains of the north shore.
LISTENING IN: The Stampeders – Bon c’est, bon!
As we get set to turn the volume to 11 on Canada Day, it’s only fitting that we offer a little classic Canadiana for your listening/viewing pleasure. And who can forget the Calgary-based trio The Stampeders – perhaps the only band that could use the word macaroons in a song and get away with it?
THE STORM BEFORE THE STORM: Travel chaos in US sparks long weekend fears
Travellers south of the border got hit with delays at US airports again Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers.
CANADA JETLINES SETS SIGHTS ON EUROPE, JAMAICA
Canada Jetlines says it is on schedule to add another aircraft that will allow it to fly to Europe next summer, but not before it operates “numerous charters” to Greenland this summer.
AIR FRANCE ARRIVES IN OTTAWA
Air France has inaugurated its new non-stop flight between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Ottawa, making the carrier the only company to operate direct flights between the Canadian capital and Europe.
FORT WORTH – TEXAS TILL THE COWS COME HOME
A place where “cowboy boots and hats come together,” Fort Worth exudes a real Texas vibe, yet with a “modern west” ambiance befitting America’s 12th largest city.
ON THE ROAM AGAIN: TRAVELSAVERS shares summer travel trends
After years of restraint and missed travel, Canadians are on the roam again this summer, says TRAVELSAVERS Canada, citing a study by Narrative Research, which says that more than one-half of Canadians (56%) intend to travel in 2023.