Air Transat and Porter Airlines are getting chummier by the day. Air Transat and Porter Airlines are extending their existing code-sharing agreement by creating a joint venture, transforming the current Canadian aviation competitive landscape. The alliance will help Toronto-based Porter and Montreal-based Transat better coordinate flight schedules and routes, which should benefit Canadian consumers and travellers. By combining both airlines’ complementary networks, this Alliance offers travellers significant benefits, officials said, including enhanced travel options across multiple regions. The Alliance expands services between North, Central and South America, Europe, North Africa, Mexico and the Caribbean, integrating Porter’s and Transat’s highly-complementary, Read more
Canada
Air Transat flight attendants could strike as early as January 3, 2024, a move that would throw the winter travel season into chaos. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced that its 2,100 flight attendant members at Air Transat approved a strike mandate by a nearly unanimous vote of 99.8%, by far the highest tally in the history of the Air Transat component of CUPE. Union officials said the vote reflects the flight attendants’ exceptionally high level of dissatisfaction with their working conditions, particularly with wages and purchasing power. Following a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall outlook Read more
It’s the time of year when travel publications like to list their top destinations for the following year. I quite enjoy these things, so I’ve compiled a list of some suggestions from top travel websites and magazines. I’ve also added my own Top 10 list, so here we go! JIM’S TOP TEN France Paris will host the Summer Olympics next year. They run July 23 to Aug. 10. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the Impressionism movement and the 80th anniversary of D-Day. San Francisco The city has been hit hard by poor publicity and the work-at-home trend, Read more
A violent car explosion at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York is causing major traffic headaches on one of the busiest travel days of the year. A car that was apparently carrying two people accelerated on the approach to the Rainbow Bridge, flew into the air and exploded earlier today. Multiple reports say both people were killed. Details were scarce but CNN reported the car had earlier been seen in the parking lot of a nearby U.S. casino. CNN at one point said Buffalo Niagara International Airport has closed to both international arriving and departing flights. But Buffalo Read more
The cost of air travel continues to fall for Canadians. And fall fast. In its latest consumer price index report, Statistics Canada says the price of air transportation in Canada dropped 19.4% in October. According to Canadian Press, that follows a year-over-year drop of 21% in September, and 20% in August. A massive spike in air travel demand following the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a huge increase in air fares, so one could argue a course correction was due to happen. While data shows that airfares in Canada overall have normalized from an exceptionally strong 2022, “pricing remains above pre-pandemic levels Read more
