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New Sun Destinations From Toronto Pearson This Winter; Air Canada Vacations and Aeroplan Bonus

Folks in Southern Ontario have some great new options for sun vacations, and a new way to reach a cool part of Canada.

Toronto Pearson Airport put out a note on social media the other day to point out several new routes to great destinations. Here’s a short list, along with the airlines that are flying there.

 

  • Fort Myers, Florida — Lynx Air
  • Montego Bay, Jamaica — Canada Jetlines
  • Bonaire, Netherlands — WestJet
  • Miami, Florida — Porter Airlines
  • Fort-de-France, Martinique — Air Canada
  • Kingston, Jamaica — Flair Airlines
  • Lima, Peru — Air Transat
  • Yellowknife, Northwest Territories — Air Canada
  • Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — Saudia (formerly Saudi Arabian Airlines)
The Sanibel Island Lighthouse near Fort Myers, Florida. JESSE ADAIR/UNSPLASH PHOTO

The Sanibel Island Lighthouse near Fort Myers, Florida. JESSE ADAIR/UNSPLASH PHOTO

‘I’m supposed to be visiting both Miami and Fort Myers a month from now and am very much looking forward to it. Miami has fabulous hotels and great food, and Fort Myers is a super-relaxed spot on the Gulf Coast that also has some hotels I want to check out.

I’ve never to Bonaire, but I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Jamaica over the years and love the coastline around Montego Bay, as well as Ocho Rios and Portland Parish in the east, including Port Antonio. I was in Martinique for four days in November and had a great time.

EARN MORE AEROPLAN POINTS WITH AIR CANADA VACATIONS

Air Canada Vacations today announced a new way to earn that will allow Aeroplan Members to earn extra points on their entire vacation packages to Europe and the U.S., in addition to the Caribbean and Mexico. 

Initially launched in October 2023, Aeroplan Members can earn extra points when booking a minimum 7-night stay on select vacation packages to Mexico and the Caribbean. Now, with the addition of 88 new packages to Europe, Las Vegas, Orlando, Hawaii, Miami, Mexico & the Caribbean, Aeroplan Members will have even more opportunities to earn on their next dream escape with Air Canada Vacations.  

Committed to creating unforgettable vacation experiences for everyone, today we give Canadians the ability to explore more of what Air Canada Vacations has to offer, said Nino Montagnese, Vice President at Air Canada Vacations. We’re excited to expand our program and give Aeroplan Members the opportunity to earn more with new destinations.”  

Slieve League is a magical spot in northwest Ireland, with the highest sea cliffs in Europe and no crowds. JIM BYERS PHOTO

Slieve League is a magical spot in northwest Ireland, with the highest sea cliffs in Europe and no crowds. JIM BYERS PHOTO

In addition to accumulating points on the flight portion of their trip, Aeroplan Members can earn up to 12,000 extra points on select vacation packages, including  

  • Europe: Members can earn 4,000 extra points on tour packages to Spain, Ireland and Venice. 

  • Las Vegas: Members can earn 4,000 extra points on select packages, with a minimum 4-night stay. 

  • U.S.: Members can earn up to 12,000 extra points on select packages to Orlando, Hawaii and Miami, with a minimum 7-night stay. 

  • Caribbean & Mexico: With the addition of new hotels to the program, members can also earn up to 12,000 extra points from a selection of more than 260 vacation packages, with a minimum 7-night stay. 

For complete terms and conditions, please visit the Air Canada Vacations website 

For those looking to elevate their next European, U.S. or Caribbean vacation, Aeroplan members can enjoy an exclusive 10 per cent discount provided by Air Canada Vacations on their next booking for activities or excursions with GetYourGuide. To make a reservation, members can log into their Aeroplan account on aircanadavacations.com and click the “Activities” section using the search bar on the homepage. 

Aeroplan Members who want to accelerate their journey to achieving Aeroplan EliteTM Status faster, are reminded they can accumulate all three Aeroplan status qualifying currencies including Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) with Air Canada Vacations, which can provide benefits such as enhanced access to the Maple Leaf Lounge, priority seat selection, cabin upgrades and other priority services. SQD are earned at 25% of the total cost per Aeroplan Member including all taxes and fees of the eligible vacation package.  

For more information, visit:aircanadavacations.com/aeroplan

TOP TOURISM GROWTH DESTINATIONS FOR 2024

The Hong Kong skyline from Victoria Peak. JIM BYERS

The Hong Kong skyline from Victoria Peak. JIM BYERS PHOTO

I found a cool chart the other day looking at what cities/destinations will have the strongest tourism growth this year. Tops is Hong Kong, at a projected growth rate of 32%. Next was Jakarta at 24% and Osaka at 23%.

Here’s the full top 10:

Hong Kong, 32%

Jakarata, 24%

Osaka, 23%

Toky0, 23%

Buenos Aires, 20%

Kuala Lumpur, 20%

Jeddah, 18%

Ho Chi Minh City, 17%

Bangkok, 16%

Lagos, 16%

AIR CANADA REPORTS STRONG HOLIDAY NUMBERS

Air Canada plane over the western U.S. JIM BYERS PHOTO

Air Canada plane over the western U.S. JIM BYERS PHOTO

Air Canada today reported a strong operational performance for the year-end holiday travel period, during which nearly 2.6 million customers were transported safely. The airline achieved some of its best operational results in a decade, including completing 98 per cent of scheduled flights, with an on-time performance of 70 per cent.

“We thank our customers for entrusting their travel to Air Canada and I am proud that we delivered on our promise to transport them safely and conveniently,” said Craig Landry, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Air Canada. “Over the holidays we carried about 2.6 million customers on more than 20,000 flights, with an on-time performance of 70 per cent.”

A recent study found Air Canada had a 2023 on-time performance of 63% for the year, last among leading North American airlines. 

“Our success was the result of extensive advance preparations and the hard work of our people, helped by moderate winter weather. With a clear focus on our customers and on improving the stability and resilience of our operation, we have implemented a range of initiatives to ensure we continue to improve our operational performance into 2024 and beyond,” Landry said.

This holiday season, the peak travel period for Air Canada occurred between December 18, 2023, and January 6, 2024. Operational highlights include:

Approximately 2.6 million customers flew on Air Canada, about 10 per cent more customers than in the same period in 2022. This is equivalent to moving nearly the entire combined population of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, or everyone in Canada’s Atlantic provinces.

On-time-performance (OTP), measured by the industry standard of arrival within 15 minutes of scheduled time, was 70 per cent. This is a dramatic increase from 40 per cent in 2022, when severe winter weather disrupted travel, and well above the last pre-pandemic holiday period in 2019, when OTP was 54 per cent.

The average delay, when one occurred, was 37 minutes, which is a 43% reduction from 2022 and 10% better than the last pre-pandemic holiday period in 2019. There were 20,075 flights operated, with a completion rate of 98 per cent. This resulted in a 80% reduction in cancelled flights as compared to 2022, and an 71% reduction as compared to the last pre-pandemic holiday period in 2019.

The volume of delayed or mishandled bags dropped by a sharp 58 per cent as compared to the prior year, translating into a baggage handling success rate of 98.6 per cent. This year, customers travelling domestically benefitted from a new tracking feature on the Air Canada Mobile App that lets them monitor the progress of their bag at key points in the journey.

For the period, excluding the peak pandemic year of 2020, Air Canada achieved its best results in a decade for flight arrivals within 15 minutes, flight completion, fewest cancelled flights and for baggage delivery.

Operational Improvements

Air Canada is committed to operational improvement, as demonstrated by a 19.1 percentage point improvement in OTP in the second half of 2023. Significant efforts are underway, not only to address the lingering challenges the pandemic created, but to ensure that operational performance will consistently exceed pre-pandemic levels. A few examples of such measures include:

Stable staffing levels that exceed those from 2019, with continually increased experience levels reinforced through additional training programs.

Improvements in schedule design that allow for additional flexibility in ground time and connecting time for customers.