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.

Among other air carriers, this has been a difficult week for Sunwing. The airline said in a statement,that there were, “tremendous operational challenges for air carriers across the country.” The problems began, “with the extreme winter weather events experienced in cities across Canada which broadly affected airport operations, both locally and in destination, and air carriers’ flight plans.”

After firing hundreds of FAA air traffic controllers and personnel earlier this week – and as protests south of the border grow – the Trump administration has set its sites on the US National Park Service, dismissing about 1,000 permanent employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions – a move critics says will hurt tourism.

Delays at Toronto’s Pearson airport continued Wednesday as investigators worked to determine the cause of the fiery crash landing of a Delta Air Lines plane. Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Tuesday they had recovered the plane’s black box and sent it off for analysis, but it was too soon to say what led to the crash. 

The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

A group of tourism companies have collectively pledged over $5.5 million to help the community of Jasper recover from last summer’s wildfire. Stuart Back, chief operating officer of the Banff Jasper Collection by Pursuit, said this initiative had been months in the making and required coordination between various stakeholders and organizations.

This week: Travel Leaders Network, Virtuoso, Carnival Cruise Line, Globus Family of Brands, TTC Tour Brands, and Brazil’s tourist board, Embratur.

Tapping into what it says is enormous growth in wellness travel, Goway has introduced a new product line designed to help travellers “renew, refresh, and recharge.” Channeling the “three Rs” of travel, Goway’s Ultimate Wellness packages also offer authentic ways for travellers to relax and reconnect, the tour company says.

An internal government report warned a year ago that allowing “the trend of negative rhetoric” about the security of the Canada-US border could lead to a thickening of the 49th parallel, adversely affecting trade and travel. The report, written by a diplomat at Canada’s embassy in Washington, said that failing to refute US claims about a “crisis at the northern border” would lead to the erosion of Canada’s image as a secure neighbour.

Canadians are prioritizing travel in 2025, with total projected vacation spending reaching $25.5 billion. Despite inflationary pressures, the anticipated average vacation budget remains steady at $4,012 ($4,028 in 2024), showing a continued commitment to leisure travel.