Airlines
WestJet wings its way to Whitehorse
WestJet has launched new, non-stop seasonal service between Vancouver and Whitehorse. John MacLeod, WestJet vice-president, network management and alliances, said of the new service: "We are pleased to expand our domestic network as part of this year's summer schedule. This new service to Whitehorse will allow guests travelling through our network the opportunity to experience the beauty of Yukon and the adventure opportunities that await. For the people of the Yukon, we're pleased to welcome them into our network where they can enjoy what our 75 other destinations have to offer." The service...
A 24-hour deal from Etihad
Etihad Airways will be offering up to 20% off return Coral Economy Class air fares from Toronto as part of a 24-hour sale available exclusively on http://www.Etihad.com . The return fare deals are applicable only for bookings made on May 20, 2012, valid on travel to select destinations between Sept. 11 and Sept. 30, 2012. Promotional destinations include Doha starting from CDN$1,460; Bahrain starting from CDN$1,323; Muscat starting from CDN$1,322; Jeddah starting from CDN$1,594; Islamabad starting from CDN$1,436; Lahore starting from CDN$1,436; Dhaka starting from CDN$1,534; Delhi starting...
Canadian tourism: an industry in crisis
In a letter to its members, Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) president, Tony Pollard says that "plain and simple," Canada's tourism industry is in crisis. HAC's president points out that funding for the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has declined from $100 million in 2001 to $72 million in 2012 and will drop further in 2013 to $58.5 million. Observes Pollard: "The cuts come when Canada faces increasing competition from international competitors including the new $200 million [Brand USA] program - $20 million of which is being spent in Canada." The result, says HAC's boss is that a decade...
AC re-launches St. John’s-Heathrow flights
Air Canada has re-launched seasonal service between St. John's, NL and London Heathrow. The daily, non-stop flights are now operating and will continue until Sept. 30, 2012. Marcel Forget, vice-president, network planning for Air Canada, noted that: "This year, we are starting service almost two weeks earlier than last year due to strong performance and support from the St John's community." At London Heathrow, passengers will be able to connect to other points in Europe through AC's Star Alliance partners. As well, the St. John's service is timed to offer connections to and from Deer Lake,...
LAN will increase New York-Ecuador service
LAN Ecuador will be adding two extra flights per week from New York City's JFK airport to Guayaquil, Ecuador, with continuing service to Quito, this summer. The seasonal flights join LAN Ecuador's existing daily non-stop flights from JFK to Ecuador. Two extra seasonal flights per week will be available from July 20 to Aug. 13, leaving New York on Mondays and Saturdays and heading north on Fridays and Sundays. LAN is represented in Canada by Airbridge International....
Amadeus, OAG have skeds for agents
Amadeus and OAG have teamed up to launch a new enhancement to provide best-in-class airline schedule information. Under the agreement, OAG now provides to Amadeus a daily transmission of schedule data files. OAG's data is used globally by Amadeus-served travel management companies, travel web sites and agencies. John Grant, executive vice-president networks for UBM Aviation, parent company of OAG, said: "Amadeus is the first global distribution system to use a daily OAG schedule feed. This enables travel agents and their customers to access more accurate information when they're looking to...
Aircalin has South Pacific pass
Aircalin has launched a Discover South Pacific Pass designed to enable travellers to the South Pacific to discover more than one destination. The pass is valid for flight coupons on four participating airlines: Aircalin, Air Vanuatu, Air Niugini and flysolomons. It must be purchased before departure in conjunction with an international long-haul flight to the South Pacific on one of the participating airlines. The pass allows for unlimited sectors with a minimum of three. There is no minimum stay and maximum stay is six months. Children pay 75% of adult fare and infants pay 10%. All sectors...
Star Alliance celebrates a milestone
The Star Alliance launched celebrations of its 15th anniversary this week, thanking its customers for their loyalty and offering them a chance to win some great prizes as part of the celebrations. Participating in the four-week competition is easy and doesn't require any travel. The only prerequisites are online access to http://www.staralliance.com/en/15th-anniversary and membership in any of the Star Alliance member carrier Frequent Flyer Programs (FFP). For those not already enrolled in one of the FFPs, this can be done as part of the registration process. Once completed, participants then...