Aotearoa (New Zealand) is in celebration mode with the arrival of Matariki, a significant time in the New Zealand cultural calendar marking the beginning of Māori New Year. Each year the Matariki cluster of stars – known to astronomers as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters – rises in New Zealand skies. Believed to have formed more than 100 million years ago the cluster plays a pivotal role in modern and ancient Māori mythology. The Matariki celebration is essentially based around 3 major principles: Remembrance: Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki Celebrating the present: Gathering together Read more

Swoop is celebrating four years in the air with two great new destinations; New York City and Deer Lake, Newfoundland. The ultra-low-cost airline kicked off festivities today with two inaugural flights departing from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Swoop flight WO370 arrived in Deer Lake, NL at 11:40 a.m. local time, and Swoop flight WO750 landed for the very first time in the Big Apple, at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, at 10:15 a.m. local time. Since the airline’s first flight on June 20, 2018, Swoop has proudly served over four million travellers, connected Canadians to 33 destinations in Read more

/     Air Canada announced today the expansion of its international network with the addition of Bangkok, Thailand, the carrier’s first non-stop service to South-East Asia. The airline will also be resuming flights to Mumbai, its second destination in the strategic India market. Air Canada’s seasonal service to Bangkok will operate from its trans-Pacific hub at Vancouver International Airport, while the carrier’s Mumbai flights will operate from Toronto via London-Heathrow. Both routes are subject to receiving final government approvals. Officials say they expect to operate at 81% of their 2019 international capacity this winter. “We are extremely pleased to Read more

Mandatory vaccination rules for Canadians travelling domestically on airplanes and trains are no longer in effect. As today, June 20, Canadians can board a plane in Canada and not have to show proof of vaccination. Departing international passengers also can skip the vaccination proof display. But foreign travellers still need to show proof of vaccination to enter Canada, while unvaccinated Canadians returning home are still be required to quarantine. Depending on what destination they’re visiting, Canadians also might need proof of vaccination to enter another country. Other entry requirements are staying in place, including the requirement to fill out the Read more

WestJet says it will shift resources to concentrate on Western Canada, and also is scaling back its Dreamliner plans in order to focus on narrowbody planes. WestJet this week brought together leaders, representing all parts of the operations and business, to hear directly from Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alexis von Hoensbroech, as he shared plans for growth into the COVID recovery, and the airline’s commitment to embracing its cost-conscious roots in service of affordable air travel for Canadians.  “The immediate priority is to ensure we are ready for the high volume of pent-up travel demand this summer,” said Alexis von Read more

Following the renovation of the 43rd-floor Club Lounge in October 2021, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel has completed the latest phase of its extensive transformation. This summer, the hotel will welcome travellers and locals to its fully reimagined lobby level which includes two new food and beverage offerings, private collaboration Studios and soundproof Booths, upgraded porte cochère, and an outdoor pool garden. Marking the largest renovation of the hotel’s almost 50-year history, the modernized look exemplifies Sheraton’s new design as part of its global transformation journey, drawing on the brand’s roots as a community hub for locals and guests to create Read more