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.
NEWS
After half a century in limbo, the federal government says it will scrap plans to build an airport on thousands of acres in Pickering, Ont., and instead look to transfer the land to Parks Canada.
The government acquired the land northeast of Toronto for an airport in 1972 but put those plans on hold three years later in favour of expanding Ontario’s already-built airports. In the past decade, the government has transferred more than half the land to Parks Canada for the creation and then the expansion of Rouge National Urban Park, but about 3,500 hectares of the land was retained for a potential future airport.
Britain’s government is backing a contentious third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport. Treasury chief Rachel Reeves says another runway at the UK’s main airport will bolster the country’s long-term economic growth potential. A third runway at Heathrow has been discussed since 1946 in the aftermath of World War II, but has never got off the ground because of many reasons, including changes of government as well as legal challenges. Meanwhile, other European hub airports, have grown: Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport has four runways, while Amsterdam’s Schiphol has six.
With the addition of American Airlines’ seasonal weekly direct flight from Calgary to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), YYC Calgary International Airport reached a milestone offering of 100 non-stop routes. In 2024, there were non-stop flights to 94 destinations from YYC. In 2019 there were 82. The New York route is the first non-stop route to LGA in Western Canada.
BY THE NUMBERS
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports that it intercepted a total of 6,678 firearms at airport security checkpoints south of the border in 2024, equating to 7.4 firearms per million people. And 94% of them were loaded. Based on screening 904 million travellers in 2024, the total number of gun interceptions did represent a “minor decrease” from 7.8 firearms per million people in 2023.
AIR
Porter Airlines is expanding its footprint in New York with the launch of new year-round service, which starting May 1, will see up to three daily roundtrip flights operating between Toronto Pearson International Airport and LaGuardia Terminal B, which has recently undergone a US $5.1 billion redevelopment. Additionally, Porter’s interline partnership with JetBlue will offer passengers numerous onward connections at LGA across the southern US. The complements Porter’s existing operations at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
Dominican Republic-based Arajet is now available in the Sabre global distribution system.
Beginning May 14, WestJet will operate five weekly flights between Calgary and Mexico City (MEX) – a route last served in 2018. With the addition of Mexico City, The WestJet Group, including Sunwing Airlines, will serve 13 cities in Mexico from 24 Canadian cities in 2025 with more than 200 flights per week during peak travel periods.
DEALS
For Air Canada Vacations Europe tour and flight/hotel packages bookings made by Feb. 16 (for travel between April 1 and Dec. 31) ACV is offering agents a $50 Amazon gift card. All qualifying bookings will be tracked, and Amazon gift cards will be issued at the end of February.
The annual ‘Sail of the Year’ event by Seabourn features savings and benefits on select 2025 and 2026 worldwide ocean and expedition voyages on the line’s fleet of ultra-luxury ships. Available through Feb. 18, the promotional initiative offers savings of up to 15% on select ocean and expedition voyages; 15%reduced deposits; and up to US$1,000 in shipboard credit per suite.
HOTELS & RESORTS
Building on the success of UNICO 20°87° Riviera Maya, AIC Hotel Group is planning to debut UNICO 20°105° Hotel Puerto Vallarta this fall, followed by UNICO 18°77° Montego Bay in the future. The new adult-only resorts, part of the new UNICO Hotel Collection, will offer the same all-inclusive experience focused on personalized service, world-class cuisine, curated local adventures, and enhanced wellness offerings. Each property will be dedicated to immersing guests in the unique culture and natural beauty of their destinations while providing an atmosphere of refined yet relaxed luxury.
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts is continuing its strategy of growth in beach destinations with the openings in April Iberostar Selection Mirage Hammamet in Tunisia and Iberostar Selection Es Trenc in Mallorca, Spain. They follow the introduction of JOIA Aruba by Iberostar in December and two new properties in Miami: Iberostar Waves Berkeley Shore and Iberostar Waves Miami Beach.
TOURS
With 83% of respondents aged 18-35 saying they’d be interested in a completely sober travel experience in the tour company’s 2024 Voice of a Generation Survey, Contiki is launching its first trips curated for the “sober curious” – including six departures across Britain and Ireland now open for booking for travel in August 2025. Travellers can still have a glass if they want to, but Contiki says the tours “prioritize the buzz of travel over anything else.”
GO Airport Shuttle, (GOWithUs.com) a leading provider of airport ground transportation services, is now offering airport transportation at Tulum International Airport (TQO). GO already serves Cancun International Airport making Tulum the second airport the company serves in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.
CRUISE
MSC Cruises’ newest World Class ship, MSC World Asia, is now open for booking. Commencing on Dec. 11, 2026, for the winter 2026/27 season, the ship will offer seven-night sailings to destinations in the Western Mediterranean – Barcelona (Spain), Marseille (France), Genoa, Civitavecchia for Rome, Messina (Italy) and Valletta (Malta) with accessible embarkation in every ports. For the summer 2027 season, the ship will offer a seven-night itinerary serving Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina and Valletta.
Celebrity Cruises is aiming to shake up European river cruising with a plan to build 10 new ships with Edge Class features and service “The Celebrity Way.” Celebrity River Cruises announced it will open bookings soon for cruises due to start in Europe in 2027. Details on the ship design have not been unveiled other than promising touches from the ocean-going Celebrity Edge class ships and “panoramic 360-degree views.” The Edge class of ocean ships feature what are known as infinite balconies, with windows that lower to become a veranda. And the ships are likely to accommodate between 100 and 200 guests, which is the standard for European river cruising.
ATTRACTIONS & THEME PARKS
Beginning May 16, and continuing through summer 2026, the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration will honour seven decades at the Anaheim, Ca., theme park (photo above). Highlights include the return of the fan-favourite “Paint the Night” parade and “Wondrous Journeys” nighttime spectacular at Disneyland Park, plus the all-new “World of Color Happiness!” and return of “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” parade at Disney California Adventure Park. Guests will “celebrate happy” with special décor, food and beverages, merchandise and more.
DESTINATIONS
Mont Tremblant, Que., will kick off the summer season in 2025 with a new open-air music festival. On May 9 and 10, 2025 BLOOMFEST Tremblant will take over the pedestrian village at the mountain resort with a weekend of stage performances by musicians such as Charlotte Cardin, Patrick Watson, TALK, Elisapie, Jay Scott and Claudia Bouvette. Tickets for BLOOMAFEST Tremblant are on sale now, with a two-day pass priced at $130 or daily tickets for $99.
Toronto Maple Leaf great Borje Salming’s hometown of Kiruna, Sweden, has been named one of the two European Capitals of Culture for 2029, a prestigious title that celebrates the city’s cultural creativity, breathtaking Arctic landscapes, and deep-rooted rich traditions. As the first city in Swedish Lapland and the third in Sweden to receive the designation, Kiruna plans spotlight the region’s unique cultural identity, from its mining heritage and collective wisdom to its natural surroundings and ambitious aspirations for the future of space exploration. In 2029, Kiruna will share the honour with Lublin in Poland. Sweden has previously been represented by Stockholm in 1998 and Umeå in 2014
LAST WEEK IN TRAVEL HISTORY
In 1953, the “Empress of Canada,” a luxury liner of the Canadian Pacific fleet, was destroyed in a dockside fire at Liverpool, England. The ship sailed between Canada and Britain for years and was used as a troop ship during the Second World War.
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