A report from Christopher Reynolds of Canadian Press lays out some startling information on the reduction of flight options for Canadians, and the increased cost. In a story that appeared in the Toronto Star, Reynolds wrote that prices on flights between Halifax and Montreal rose 69% after WestJet cancelled the route. He also noted that fares between Winnipeg and Regina umped 39% after Air Canada left the route for WestJet. Quoting the airline website Hopper, Reynolds said that, since 2019, roundtrip air fares for Canadians for trips to Europe have risen 32%, while those to the U.S. have gone Read more
Europe
Travel + Leisure has come out with its annual “It List” of the top 100 new hotels in the world. The only Canadian property to make the list was The Ace in Toronto. “Canada’s first Ace property ticks many of the brand’s familiar boxes: a bustling lobby with people on laptops working by day and drinking by night; in-room acoustic guitars and curated vinyl; and walls hung with works by Toronto artists. It’s also one of the city’s boldest buildings,” the magazine said. The Ace in Sydney, Australia also made the list. New York City had seven hotels in Read more
My travel notebook today touches on a major anniversary for a big-time Hollywood studio, a potential WestJet pilots strike vote and a call for more tourism workers in Canada. I also have some thoughts about whether popular places such as Niagara Falls should be called “tourist traps.” THAT’S NOT ALL FOLKS: WARNER BROS. CELEBRATES A HUNDRED YEARS The studio that brought us Bugs Bunny, Casablanca, Batman, Friends, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz and Big Bang Theory is celebrating a special anniversary TODAY. It was on April 4, 1923 that a group of four brothers, Harry, Albert, Read more
Porter Airlines has launched three new routes between Ottawa International Airport and Boston, New York-Newark and Thunder Bay today, providing convenient travel links for the region. The new routes are part of Porter’s broader expansion plan in Ottawa and its commitment to the region, including new maintenance hangars that are currently under construction at YOW. These will serve as a primary maintenance facility for the airline’s new E195-E2 fleet. Porter is the only airline providing year-round daily direct flights to Boston and Thunder Bay from Ottawa. “This builds on our already extensive network in Eastern Canada and substantially increases the Read more
Here are some new travel bits from today’s news, as well as a recap of some items from earlier this week that you might have missed. Canada’s Travel Guy, at your service. PORTER AIRLINES TRIMS SCHEDULE The Globe and Mail today reports that Toronto-based Porter Airlines has made “extensive” cuts to its flight schedule. The airline in the last couple months has with great fanfare announced a series of new routes on its new Embraer jets, including Toronto-Calgary and Toronto-Vancouver. I spotted airline founder Bob Deluce at Toronto Pearson a few weeks ago and he said more big announcements Read more
