Airlines

Minister names arbitrators for AC negotiations

Air Canada reports that it has been advised by Labour minister, Lisa Raitt that she has appointed arbitrators in accordance with Bill C-33, Protecting Air Service Act. Raitt has named Douglas Stanley to act as arbitrator between Air Canada and the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA), which represents the airline's 3,000 pilots. Michel Picher has been appointed by Raitt to act as arbitrator between Air Canada and the IAMAW, which represents the carrier's 8,600 mechanics, baggage handlers and cargo agents. Both appointments take effect immediately. On April 19, 2012, Air Canada announced it...

Oil prices hurting demand

IATA reports that global traffic results for March show that total passenger demand grew by 7.6% compared to the same month in 2011. However, the airline industry association points out that comparisons with March last year are affected by events that depressed passenger demand in 2011, including the Arab Spring, which disrupted travel in the Middle East and North Africa beginning in February 2011 and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 that impacted air travel across the Asia-Pacific region. IATA estimates that the year-on-year rise in air travel in March was about two...

Air Transat, pilots reach a deal

Air Transat and its pilots -- represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) -- have reached a deal that amends the last collective agreement that was ratified on Oct. 5, 2010. In the wake of initiatives adopted by Transat last fall in order to get back to profitability, the agreement calls for a deferment of planned wage increases in exchange for a lump-sum payment due upon expiry of the collective agreement. That lump-sum payment is conditional on the attainment of certain financial targets and amounts payable as part of the incentive plan will be deducted. In addition, the...

US Airways joins BAR Canada

The Board of Airlines Representatives in Canada (BAR Canada) has welcomed US Airways as its newest member. US Airways operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. The airline employs more than 32,000 aviation professionals, operates the world's largest fleet of Airbus aircraft and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers its customers more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 airports in 189 countries. In March, US Airways began service between Ottawa and...

Etihad invests in Aer Lingus

Etihad Airways has acquired a 2.987% stake in Aer Lingus, forging a commercial partnership with the Irish national carrier. According to Etihad officials, a possible partnership could produce significant commercial benefits for both airlines. Etihad Airways operates 10 flights a week from Abu Dhabi to Dublin and has carried more than 750,000 passengers between the two capitals since it began flying the route in July 2007. The airline has a premium lounge at Dublin Airport, an engineering maintenance facility and has conducted recruitment drives across the country. It also recently renewed its...

WestJet selects Bombardier Q400 for new regional airline

WestJet has selected Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. to supply aircraft for its new regional airline, expected to launch in the second half of 2013. The airline will fly the Bombardier Q400 NextGen to new cities, existing destinations not currently connected by WestJet, and will allow for schedule improvements on certain routes where a smaller aircraft can efficiently provide greater frequency. "We are very impressed with the Q400,"commented WestJet president Gregg Saretsky. "Both ATR and Bombardier put forward excellent proposals and ultimately we believe the Bombardier Q400's combination of...

Air Canada expands seatback entertainment options

Air Canada has expanded the selection on its In-flight Entertainment System, now offering passengers twice as many movies to choose from. The enriched personalized seatback system will give each customer free access to a menu of up to 150 movies designed to suit every taste, ranging from the latest Hollywood blockbuster to classic art house and international films. Highlights of the expansion include doubling the number of available movie titles to 150 from 72 on international flights and to 63 titles from 31 on North American flights; broadening the selection of movies in all categories,...

Lufthansa’s new Boeing 747-8 available for booking

Passengers can now book flights on Lufthansa's first Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which has just been delivered in Seattle. Beginning June 1, Lufthansa will operate six flights per week with the "Queen of the Skies"on the Frankfurt-Washington route. Over the next few months, as four more new Jumbo jets join the fleet, the number of destinations served by the aircraft will gradually increase. By late summer, 747-8 flights will be offered to Chicago, Los Angeles, Delhi and Bangalore. Once the 747-8 enters scheduled service, passengers will also have the opportunity to enjoy Lufthansa's revamped...

WestJet launches new service to Kingston

WestJet has launched new, non-stop service between Toronto and Kingston, Jamaica, with the inaugural flight taking off from Toronto Pearson International this morning. WestJet will fly between Toronto and Kingston three times per week: each Monday, Friday and Sunday. Flights depart Toronto at 9 a.m., arriving in Kingston at 12:11 p.m. On the return, flights leaving Kingston at 1:05 p.m., arriving back in Toronto at 6:14 p.m. Full schedule details and introductory one-way fares from $149 (plus applicable taxes and fees) are available at http://www.westjet.com...