All Aboard The UP Express
In a record short fam trip, PATA Canada, the Canadian chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, hosted travel trade on a ride aboard the Union Pearson Express yesterday (July 21).
Industry personnel were led on an excursion from Union Station to Toronto Pearson International Airport and back by Michael Brown, manager of business development at UP Express, who highlighted the daily service, which departs every 15 minutes between 5:30 a.m. and 1 a.m., and connects passengers on either end within 25 minutes.
“The idea around hosting this fam with PATA Canada was to show how forward thinking and engaged we are with all things transportation, specifically for Canadians travelling to Asia, to South Pacific, and to show suppliers and members this fantastic new service for Toronto, even if they don’t live here,” says Barbara Dirnberger, executive director of PATA Canada. “So we could have first hand accounts and that people then can realize it’s very comfortable and efficient.”
Brown also guided the group throughout Terminal 1, as he showcased the ease of transferring between the train and the arrivals and departures sections for international and domestic travellers, as well as between other terminals.
Depending on the time of day, each UP Express train can transport between 120 to 180 passengers. Graduated pricing is available depending on whether passengers are travelling the whole route or connected at one of the two stops along the away, at Bloor and Dundas West or at Weston.
Brown says the company works with travel agents and offers a 10% commission structure. Group and corporate rates are also available.
Pictured outside the UP Express, are: (Back row) Douglas Sum, Silk Holidays; Dawn Martin, Journey the Globe; Bruce Slade, Huntington Travel; Jing Hong Liu, China National Tourist Office. (Middle row) Jennifer Backus, Air Canada; Nadya Phelan, Tourism Australia; MaryAnn Stojkiewicz, Air Canada; Jessica Chu, GLP; Angela Chen, Nexus Holidays; Barbara Huang, China National Tourist Office; Julie Hoffarth, TIC Insurance. (Front row) Avril Tellis, LOT; Nancy Liu, GLP; Dirnberger.
