NOV 04 2018: In case you missed it, and even if you didn’t, here’s a quick look at some of last week’s need-to-know travel news:

AIR

Air Canada has resumed seasonal non-stop Saturday flights from Toronto to St. Kitts (SKB), providing an additional seven operations for 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017. The carrier has also started year-round weekly flights (on Thursdays) to St. Vincent & the Grenadines, which will double seasonally for the winter in December.

Starting March 3, 2019, WestJet will fly six times weekly between Calgary and Atlanta, moving to daily on April 7. A week later (March 11), the carrier starts seasonal service (to May 13) to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from St. John’s. And in summer, WestJet is bound for Barcelona, Spain, from Toronto, with service starting May 24 through to Oct. 21.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Qantas are now codeshare partners. The agreement, which went into effect on Oct. 31, allows both airlines to expand their networks by placing their codes on the other’s flights.

Thrice-weekly service between Montreal and Martinique has been inaugurated by Norwegian Air. Flights go Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with prices starting at $219 including tax.

TOURS

Helping clients find the perfect destination match is behind Air Transat’s new Click a Vacation online quiz. Users answer a few fun questions to help shape their ideal choice based on interests and travel goals, and at the same time, qualify to win a free trip.

TravelBrands’ annual USA brochure, dubbed “find your USA,” is out, featuring flights, hotels, car rentals, attractions and tours in multiple American destinations, including new entries Louisiana and Palm Springs, California. A host of agent bonuses and a chance to win a trip to the US are being offered in November to promote the guide.

Two new tours in the Yukon promise to give a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the Northern Lights on a private chartered 737 jet on what is described as the only flight in the world to take off in the Aurora Oval. The full Aurora | 360 Experience, Feb. 7-11, 2019, includes not only high-altitude views of the spectacular Aurora Borealis after take-off from Whitehorse, but also three distinctive Yukon-flare dinners, cultural activities, entry to Takhini Hot Springs, and a guided tour of Yukon Wildlife preserve. Only 80 seats are available for the tour, which is priced at $2,939 (tax included). Flight only is $1,045. For more info, click HERE.

DEALS & DISCOUNTS

Families planning a Florida escape this winter with Sunwing can save when booking by Friday (Nov. 9). The tour company’s Kids Fly & Stay FREE sale applies to vacation packages on several winter dates to Orlando, St. Pete/Clearwater, Miami and Daytona Beach, departing from Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, and enables up to two children aged between two and 12 years to fly and stay free when accompanied by two paying adults. All packages include a mid-size car rental.

The ‘Our Best Offer’ promotion from Uniworld river cruises and U by Uniworld gives travellers up to 30% off on over 200 voyages across 40 itineraries in Europe and Asia in 2019. Bookings must be made by Dec. 31.

Eager to remind agents and clients that it offers ski packages at 13 top-rated resorts in Western Canada and Quebec, Air Canada Vacations is offering up to $400 off and other amenities such as free seat selection, future travel credit and bonus Aeroplan miles when booking by Nov. 11.

HOTELS

Choice Hotels International continues to expand its international footprint with 40 hotel openings planned this year in Latin America and Spain. This includes introducing the first Choice Hotels brands in Spain and Colombia, as well as opening hotels in Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and Panama, adding nearly 5,000 rooms.

The Philippines’ first Hilton hotel is now open. The Hilton Manila is located across from terminal 3 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and represents a strategic milestone for Hilton in a key southeast Asian market, which is experiencing record tourism growth in 2018.

Marriott International says it expects to have 11 new properties in the United Arab Emirates by the end of the year, bringing its total in the UAE’s six Emirates to 59 with 17,000 rooms. Six hotels, including an Elements in Dubai, have already opened, with five more to come.

RESORTS

The Caribbean’s newest Relais & Châteaux property, the ultra-luxury Quintessence Hotel Anguilla, is now open. Set on a 1.5-km white sand beach and with amenities such as round-the-clock butler and a 1,600-bottle wine cellar, the boutique hotel combines French chateaux comfort with island-infused luxury. Rates start at US$750/night and can be made at Reservations@QHotelAnguilla.com.

A stunning location, 29 overwater villas, marine-inspired décor that provides guests with “a link to the region’s exceptional enchantment,” and an overall resort design in the shape of a fish are some of the key take-aways from Westin Hotels & Resorts first hotel in the Maldives. Located on the Baa Atoll in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka, the newly opened 70 villa/suite Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort promises a “visionary approach to sustainability,” reflecting its setting in a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

CRUISE

Following more than four years of planning and 23 months of construction, Celebrity Cruises has taken delivery of its newest ship, the Celebrity Edge, which repositions from France to Florida this week ahead of its inaugural season in the Caribbean starting Dec. 9. The Edge will be joined by her sister ship, Celebrity Apex, in 2020, and two additional ships in the Edge Series will follow in 2021 and 2022.

THEME PARKS

Universal Orlando Resort has launched Mobile Express Pick Up, a new in-park food ordering service that allows guests to place and purchase food and drink orders from their mobile device via The Official Universal Orlando Resort App. Mobile Express Pick Up is now available at select dining locations in Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. This new feature helps guests save time and order food wherever they may be in the park – including when waiting to ride an attraction.

After more than a year in design and development, World of Disney has reopened in the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort and at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. The shopping experience in both locations was given a complete makeover that touched every feature and function in the stores, from the exteriors to open, loft-style interiors with both new and classic Disney flourishes.

FAMS & INCENTIVES

Agents booking Royalton Luxury Resorts, Planet Hollywood Resorts, Grand Memories Resorts, Hideaway at Royalton Resorts and Grand Lido resort during November will earn 4X STAR Agent Reward Points with Sunwing. Departures are through April 30. Each booking also qualifies the agent for a weekly trip contest.

Until Nov. 30, travel agents will earn 17% commission on Trafalgar Guided Vacations in Europe packages booked through Air Canada Vacations for travel between March 27 and Dec. 21, 2019. For example, April 10, 17, 24 Best of Britain – Trafalgar Guided Vacation departures from Toronto are priced at $ 4,208 p.p. (plus tax), which will earn agents $715 in commission.

Two percent bonus commission is on tap for agents booking Air Canada Vacations packages to St. Lucia through Nov. 11 for travel to Dec. 12.

Making a car rental through TravelBrands in November will earn agents 17% commission. Participating suppliers include Avis Rent a Car, Budget Rent a Car, The Hertz Corporation, Dollar Rent a Car, Thrifty, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent a Car and National Car Rental.

EVENTS

For the ninth consecutive year, Trafalgar is inviting travel counsellors and their prospective clients to talk travel at a series of events being held nationwide this month. “Attendees will have the opportunity to meet like-minded travellers and get inspired with a world of destinations and have their questions answered by one of their passionate and dedicated Trafalgar experts,” the tour company says of the Let’s Talk Travel evenings. Snacks and wine will be served and prizes offered. Click HERE for dates and venues.

The Jamaica Tourist Board is hosting seminars for the Ontario trade this week in London, Ajax and Etobicoke. In each location, attendees will have the option to attend one of two sessions, 12:30 p.m.-4p.m. or 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m., which include local supplier partners. For full details, click HERE.

PEOPLE

UNIGLOBE Travel (Eastern Canada) held its 2018 Regional Fall Conference recently in Ottawa, attended by more than 120 franchise owners, managers and staff from UNIGLOBE agencies in Ontario and Quebec, along with 40 preferred supplier partners. In addition to business sessions and gala awards dinner, the organization named its top agency, Montreal’s UNIGLOBE Voyages Lexus, and partner agency of the year, Sportscorp Travel of Bolton, Ont.

Vaneeta Michie is the newest member of Goway’s res team. Dedicated to wholesale South Pacific, Fiji-born Michie has over 20 years experience in the travel industry. She can be reached at vaneeta@goway.com.

Travel industry veteran Christian Roussin has been named Business Development Manager of Quebec and Atlantic Canada for Playa Hotels & Resorts. Most recently with WestJet, Roussin joins the expanding Canadian team of Playa, which mirrors the company’s rapid growth, including a recently announced strategic partnership with Hilton.

BY THE NUMBERS

Can you count to 8.2 billion? That’s how may air passengers there are forecast to be in 2037 by IATA with 3.7% growth annually for the next two decades. Over half of that growth will come from the Asia-Pacific region.

As airlines across the world (including WestJet) gradually incorporate new state-of-the-art Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft into their fleets, consider the following: the efficient planes can fly up to 14,140 km and reduce fuel use and emissions by 20 to 25% compared to older airplanes. Built with lightweight composite materials and powered by advanced GEnx engines from General Electric (GE) Aviation, the 787 Dreamliner family also lowers operating costs by more than 20% compared to previous airplanes, and nearly 10% compared to today’s competing jets.

DESTINATIONS

Istanbul’s new airport officially opened on Oct. 29 to coincide with the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. When fully operational in 2028, Istanbul Airport will be the largest airport in the world, welcoming 200 million passengers a year. All operations at Istanbul Atatürk Airport will move to Istanbul Airport on Dec. 31, including hub facilities for Turkish Airlines. Travel Industry Today offered a more in-depth report last week that can be found HERE.

To help Molokai visitors arriving on the Hawaiian Island, the Destination Molokai Visitors Bureau has set up a new visitor kiosk at the Molokai Airport near the baggage claim. Travellers are now greeted by DMVB representatives with aloha upon arrival and are assisted with dining recommendations, travel logistics, and activities.

2019 will be a great time to take a ride on The Ghan as the iconic Australian train, which spans the continent’s red centre from Adelaide to Darwin, will celebrate 90 years since the Afghan Express made its inaugural journey to Alice Springs. Festivities will take place all year, highlighted by 90 days of celebrations June through August, culminating in a special 90th Anniversary Train, departing Adelaide on Aug. 4. More INFO.

Send your news to baginski@travelindustrytoday.com