The Trudeau government says it’s making progress on passport and airport delays, but it admits there’s a lot of work to do. Federal government ministers put out a statement today saying that it’s hired more than 700 new staff for passport offices and hired 1,800 more security screening officers at airports. It also said it’s decreasing flight delays,cancellations and baggage woes, and that the average wait times at the passport call centre have significantly decreased from a peak of 108 minutes earlier this spring to 24 minutes as of August 21. “With this surge in passport requests and significant delays Read more

This winter, Sunwing customers can return to the dream vacation destination of Freeport, Grand Bahama, the second largest city in the Bahamas. Service starts December 17, 2022, with weekly direct flights from Toronto and Montréal on board Sunwing Airlines. Experiences of a lifetime await sun-seekers in this Bahamian paradise with beautiful weather, pristine beaches, underwater adventures, charming all inclusive stays and a variety of cultural and historical sites. Situated off the coast of Florida in the northwest region of the Bahamas, Freeport offers travellers of all ages a tropical playground with comfortable temperatures year-round where they can discover the depths Read more

Things don’t seem to be improving a whole lot at Toronto Pearson. With the summer travel season winding down and kids heading back to school, it seems Canadians are still flying a great deal. And still getting delayed. Using stats from flightaware.com, I tracked outbound delays at Toronto Pearson for five consecutive days, August 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. I found cancellations are quite low, which is good news. But delays remain stubbornly high. Here’s what I found for OUTBOUND flights, courtesy of Flight Aware. August 24: 12 cancelled (1%). 168 delayed (27%) August 25: 7 cancelled (1%), 223 Read more

Canadian hotels are pretty much back to 2019 occupancy levels, and Google searches for Canada are higher than they were prior to the pandemic. Destination Canada’s quarterly report, issued today, finds that travel has strongly rebounded in the country. “Buoyed by hotel occupancy in regions exceeding their 2019 levels and lifts in urban areas closing in on their pre-pandemic performance, average hotel occupancy in June 2022 for Canada stood 1% below its 2019 level,” the report said. “Travel to Canada is in demand, with Google search from international markets exceeding 2019 levels.” Destination Canada said domestic air connectivity has improved Read more

Canada Jetlines will begin flights between Toronto and Calgary next month. Set for its debut on September 22, 2022, Canada Jetlines will begin operations with biweekly flights operating Thursdays and Sundays out of Toronto (YYZ) to Calgary (YYC). Flights will depart Toronto at 7:55 a.m. and then leave Calgary for the return flight at 11:40 MST. Frequency will increase to three flights per week, Thursdays through Sundays, starting October 13. This route will be the first operated by Canada Jetlines, with more routes to be announced soon. “Canada Jetlines is proud to launch our initial flights between Toronto to Calgary Read more

One of rock and roll’s biggest names will make a grand entry into the Ontario wine market next month. Jon Bon Jovi and his son, Jesse Bongiovi, are partners with renowned French winemaker Gérard Bertrand in a highly rated rosé wine called Hampton Water. It’s been selling around the world for several years, and will make its entry into the Canadian market on Sept. 10, when it will go on sale at Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores. The three wine amigos gathered at the stylish Toronto Beach Club on Thursday night for a media event, chatting about wine, food Read more