Airlines
AC, Turkish Airlines sign codeshare deal
Air Canada and Turkish Airlines have signed a reciprocal code sharing agreement that take effect at the beginning of the second quarter of 2013 and will leverage Air Canada's planned Toronto-Istanbul route launching this summer pending receipt of government approval. Calin Rovinescu, president and Chief Executive of Air Canada, who signed a letter of intent for the agreement at ceremony during a Star Alliance chief executive meeting in Shenzhen, China this week, commented, "Air Canada is delighted by this code share agreement with our Star Alliance partner Turkish Airlines as it will ensure...
Aeroplan welcomes Shenzhen Airlines as newest partner
Aeroplan has announced the addition of Shenzhen Airlines to its roster of airline travel partners. Starting today, Aeroplan members can accumulate and redeem Aeroplan miles for travel with Shenzhen Airlines of China, bringing the total number of airline partners to 34. "Bringing Shenzhen Airlines into the program is a great addition as we'll provide our members with more flight options for the international traveller,"said David Houston, vice-president, Partnerships, Aeroplan. "We're very excited for this partnership as Shenzhen Airlines will help us to grow our member offer with more...
TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
Air Canada has unveiled details of a major expansion of its international services for the summer of 2013, with plans for the launch of a new non-stop route between Toronto and Seoul; introduction of service to Istanbul subject to government approval; the addition of seven weekly departures to Beijing from Toronto and Vancouver; and the upgrading of its Calgary-Tokyo Narita route to provide daily service. Ben Smith, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, said that: "Air Canada is seizing the opportunities of the Pacific Century with the most far-reaching international...
Sandy adds to industry challenges: IATA
IATA reports that global traffic results for October show a persistent softening of passenger traffic growth and a significant deterioration in freight demand. The industry association said that passenger demand rose 2.8% compared to October 2011, but declined 0.5% compared to September. Capacity increased by 2.3% over the year-ago period, and load factor rose 0.4 percentage points to 78.8% October freight demand was 3.5% below the previous year level and declined 2.2% compared to September. The freight load factor weakened to 46.1% from 46.7% a year ago. Tony Tyler, IATA's director general...
Alaska Airlines partners with Travelport
Travelport and Alaska Airlines have launched a new global full content agreement. The new multi-year deal will provide Travelport-connected travel agencies worldwide with full access to Alaska Airlines published fares, seat availability and schedules. "Through this partnership, we are pleased to provide our customers with full access to Alaska Airlines fares and inventory through our Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan distribution channels,"says Dan Westbrook, vice-president, Supplier Services, Travelport. "As a global marketplace, we bring Alaska Airlines together with over 67,000 online and...
Emirates launches network wide deals
Emirates is taking off with a network wide offer that follows its recent announcement of half year profits of approximately CDN$573 million. The special network-wide promotion runs from now to Dec. 2, 2012 for travel between Jan. 13, 2013 through May 9, 2013. Customers are being encouraged to plan ahead and book early to enjoy the greatest reductions. Thierry Antinori, Emirates' executive vice-president, passenger sales worldwide, said: "Emirates is already known for providing superb value for money. This network-wide initiative pushes the value bar a notch higher, making it even more...
EL AL expands Economy Class Plus program
With the success of its Economy Class Plus on its fleet of 747-400s, EL AL is expanding that class of service to other aircraft types in its fleet in order to offer the upgraded flight experience to more of its customers. The carrier is preparing to upgrade its 767-300 planes, investing $4 million in the program and introducing Economy Class Plus on this fleet in addition to the 747-400 fleet on which it has been available since July 2012. EL AL's 767 planes are in use mainly on the Toronto, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Beijing and Mumbai routes. The upgrade will include a general renovation of the...
An Unexpected Journey with Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand, the official airline of Middle-earth, unveiled its "stunning" 777-300 aircraft which is set to become a flying billboard for the soon-to-be-released movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Unveiled in Auckland, New Zealand recently, the aircraft's exterior depicts characters from the upcoming fantasy adventure The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM) production, which is the first in a trilogy of films from Kiwi director Sir Peter Jackson. Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe says the imagery, which extends the full length of the 73...