At least 1.1 million people protested on the streets of Paris and other French cities Thursday amid nationwide strikes against plans to raise the retirement age. The events affected travel across the country and closed tourist attractions in Paris, with fears that the disruptions will continue.
The US Department of Transportation has fined the British airline Virgin Atlantic US $1.05 million for operating flights carrying the Delta Airlines flight code (DL) in prohibited airspace over Iraq. The Federal Aviation Authority has banned US carriers from operating at certain altitudes over Iraq.
Canada’s surge of low-cost airlines is exacerbating an already existing pilot shortage that could become an even bigger problem for this country’s aviation industry in the years to come, claim industry experts.
Airport operators should get back to basics and focus their attention on getting people onto their flights rather than trying to get them to go shopping, reveals new consumer research. The strongest demand by survey respondents was for better and faster check-in options, identified by more than 30% of the sample as the top priority.
Far from Bali’s beaches and hotels, farmer I Ketut Jata stands on a mountainside, staring at terraced land that is too dry to grow the rice his family has long relied on for food and income. “It is no longer possible to work in the fields as a farmer,” he says.
Donut and UFO capers are eclipsed by a creative use of the 911 emergency system that could only happen in Florida in this week’s ever-amusing, ever-disturbing tales of the weird and wacky.
Oh, you poor puppy. I’m going to miss you! Don’t you wish you could actually take your sad-eyed pooch or pouting pussycat along with you as you pack up for a cruise?
The late great Mac Rebbenack, aka Dr. John, was the epitome of a New Orleans artist, combining, blues, jazz, funk, and R&B into that irrepressible, inimitable blend of music that could only come from the Big Easy.
The snowstorms that iced many people out of their holiday season travel plans continue to leave airline and railway executives and politicians on the hot seat, however almost as many Canadians simply blame the weather, and nearly a third says travellers themselves are at fault for putting themselves in the situation in the first place.
The Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce is asking the federal competition regulator to investigate Air Canada’s decision to end its flights between Saskatoon and Calgary and between Regina and Calgary.
With an onboard toast of ceremonial (and symbolic) Gatorade, plus pre-flight goodies for passengers, Swoop launched inaugural no-frills service to Cuba with a full complement of passengers (including Travel Industry Today) headed for sunny Varadero, departing chilly Toronto on W0652.
A Qantas flight travelling from New Zealand to Sydney landed safely on a single engine after it issued a mayday call over the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday.
Phil Sproul, a long-time veteran of the travel industry, has joined Huntington Travel Group as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), taking control of the Consolidator and Tours arm, Escapades by Huntington. Sproul will oversee further development of the Canadian market while expanding the existing business in the United States.
After listening to park-goers, The Walt Disney Co. is making several changes at its US theme parks, including some easier reservations, in order to improve the public perception of its business, which suffered during the pandemic.
Mexico has banned smoking in all public places and tourists caught contravening the law – which went into effect this week – could be fined up to US$300 and be jailed for up to 36 hours.
After stronger than expected recovery in 2022, the United Nations World Tourism Organization says this year could see international tourism arrivals return to pre-pandemic levels in Europe and the Middle East.
Travellers whose package tours were ruined by the imposition of restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may be entitled to at least a partial refund, the European Union’s highest court says. The European Court of Justice weighed in after being asked for its opinion by a court in Germany.
With the spotlight set to fall on Brazil again in February as the nation’s raucous carnival season kicks off, Embratur is looking north with the hopes of inspiring Canadians to travel to the South American country in 2023.
US airline executives bristled last year when American government officials, led by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, blamed the carriers for causing thousands of flight cancellations and mistreating their customers. The shoe is on the other foot now after the technology outage at the Federal Aviation Administration, which grounded planes for a time last week.
Restricting personal vehicles to Moraine Lake – one of the most popular tourist destinations in Banff National Park and an iconic symbol of Canadian tourism – is a necessary move to reduce frustrating and ecologically harmful over-tourism, says a Parks Canada official.
California’s weather was calmer, and skies cleared yesterday after the state’s ninth atmospheric river in a three-week series of major winter storms churned through the state on Monday, leaving mountain driving dangerous and the flooding risk high near swollen rivers even as the sun came out in some areas. And mud. Lots of mud.
IHG Hotels and Resorts (IHG) says it sees a “robust future” for its popular luxury and lifestyle Hotel Indigo brand and plans to expand by at least 65 properties over the next two years, bringing the total number locations to more than 200.
Officials are investigating a close call at New York’s Kennedy International Airport Friday night in which an American Airlines plane crossed a runway in front of an oncoming Delta Air Lines plane appeared to have occurred when the American Airlines pilots misconstrued directions from air traffic controllers.
Nepalese authorities on Tuesday began returning to families the bodies of victims of a flight that crashed Sunday, and said they were sending the aircraft’s data recorder to France for analysis as they try to determine what caused the country’s deadliest plane accident in 30 years.
It’s not only green washing that is holding back progress on responsible tourism but “green hushing” – when companies making good progress are scared to shout about less than perfect sustainability credentials for fear of a backlash – the so-called “tall poppy syndrome.”
Global air passenger traffic will reach pre-pandemic levels by June. Asia, led by China, will drive growth in 2023 as one in every two seats of airline capacity now being added is in Asia, according to aircraft leasing company Avolon’s 2023 Outlook.
The World Economic Forum is back with its first winter meetup since 2020 in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos, where leaders are seeking to bridge political divisions in a polarized world, buttress a hobbling economy and address concerns about a climate change – among many other things.
Greater Fort Lauderdale is set to welcome the first Pride of the Americas Festival presented by Visit Lauderdale Feb. 10-12. After several years of cancellations, the multi-faceted festival will bring concerts – including headliner Boy George – a Pride of the Americas Festival Parade, hundreds of vendors, and a two-day beach party.
As travel rebuilds into 2023, G Adventures, has announced the formation of a new holding company to bring its existing and new brand acquisitions under the same parent brand, to be named G Travel Community (GTC). The purpose of GTC is to create a community of travel companies that have ‘community-led growth’ at the core of their strategies, and a shared belief in the power of changing peoples’ lives through travel.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging passengers wear masks on long haul flights. The recommendation, made last week, follows the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 in the US.