Flight bookings are taking off in Canada and around the world. A study from the Mastercard Economics Institute found that flight bookings around the world show an impressive 33% year-over-year growth. It also found that leisure flight bookings in Canada were up 45.1% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year. New insights from Mastercard reveal that consumers are prioritizing leisure travel and pioneering new corridors around the world. Released today, Travel Industry Trends 2023 delivers key insights about the global state of travel, punctuated by shifting economic landscapes, persistent consumer demands, and a reopening of mainland Read more
May 2023
A new airline satisfaction poll puts Southwest, JetBlue and Delta at the top of the charts. But Canadian airlines came away with below average scores. The annual J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study 2023 finds Southwest on top among Economy/Basic Economy airlines with a score of 827. Delta was number one for Premium Economy, totaling 848 points. For First Class/Business Class, JetBlue scored the best mark with 893 points. Air Canada was fifth out of six airlines in First/Business, with a mark of 830. That’s below the average score of 846 in the category. For Premium Economy, Air Canada Read more
The Canadian government has unveiled a new, more secure, high-tech passport. Officials also promise Canadians can renew their passports online starting later this year. “The new passport has been redesigned from cover to cover with state-of-the-art security features and new artwork, maintaining its status as one of the most secure and universally accepted travel documents in the world for all Canadians,” officials said today at a press conference at Ottawa International Airport. “The new passport includes state-of-the-art security features designed to keep Canadians’ identities safe, such as a polycarbonate data page—a technology similar to Canada’s driver’s licences. Passport holders’ personal Read more
Toronto Pearson Airport passenger traffic nearly doubled in the first quarter of this year. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority Passenger activity significantly increased by 4.8 million or 90.4 per cent to 10.0 million during the first quarter of 2023, when compared to the same period of 2022. Passenger activity increased due to the pent-up travel demand and the removal of pandemic-related government travel restrictions that existed during the first quarter of 2022. During the first quarter of 2023, passenger activity recovered to 86.0 per cent of the first quarter of 2019 passenger activity. “Strong growth in passenger traffic continuing into Read more
World tourism and travel is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, and 2024 should see travel numbers surpassing 2019 levels. The World Travel & Tourism Council’s Economic Impact Research shows the Travel & Tourism sector has reached more than 95% of its 2019 peak. In 2023, the sector is forecast to reach $9.5 trillion (USD) in spending, just five per cent below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, when travel was at its highest. Thirty four countries around the world have already exceeded 2019 levels. In 2021 the global sector grew 24.7% year-on-year, and last year it grew a further 22% to reach a GDP Read more
