Airlines

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...

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...

Self-serve US bag tagging from WestJet

WestJet has introduced self-serve baggage tagging for its guests flying to the United States from Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal. The carrier launched the same service Nov. 7, 2012, in Calgary -- becoming the first Canadian airline to introduce self-serve baggage tagging on non-stop transborder flights. Self-serve baggage tagging allows WestJet guests to use mobile, web or kiosk check-in to check in for their flight and print their own baggage tags when they arrive at the airport. Guests checking in via kiosk may print their boarding passes and baggage tags at the same...

Emirates celebrates a million

Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing airlines, is on the runway to Facebook fame after reaching one million fans globally. The airline, now flying under the banner of "Hello Tomorrow,"launched its Facebook page on March 25 and attracted 300,000 fans in just three weeks. Within only a few more weeks, it was the number one airline on Facebook in the MENA region. Two months later, the page reached half a million fans and today, within only eight months of launching in the social media space, Emirates has reached one million Facebook fans. Fresh from its Facebook success, Emirates has...

WestJet adds more flights for Grey Cup

WestJet has announced it will add flights between Calgary and Toronto to accommodate demand from football fans to huddle up for Grey Cup celebrations in Toronto this weekend. The Calgary Stampeders will play the Toronto Argonauts for CFL supremacy at Rogers Centre on Sunday. WestJet will add one flight on Friday from Calgary to Toronto and one flight on Monday from Toronto to Calgary, plus return flights in the opposite direction each day, in addition to the seven flights it offers each weekday. Travellers wishing to travel to and from Toronto for Grey Cup weekend are urged to book quickly,...

PAL set to launch Toronto, Manila service

Philippine Airlines (PAL) will launch a new service between Manila and Toronto on Nov. 30, giving the carrier a direct link to Canada's largest city and its first gateway on the East Coast of North America in 15 years. "We are always keen on developing new markets and Toronto, with its diverse population, booming economy and status as one of the world's top financial centres, presents us a major opportunity to do so,"said PAL president Ramon S. Ang. The new service will trigger a revamp of PAL's Canadian operation. From Nov. 30, the current daily service between Manila and Vancouver will be...