When people started gravitating outdoors during the global pandemic, Canadian cities were inspired to reimagine their open air spaces to accommodate a new normal of socializing, exercising and dining. The result? Open, accessible and imaginative outdoor offerings, from parking lot patios and garden routes to parkland and open-air art galleries. This summer and beyond, it’s all about the great outdoors in the city. Taking the parties outside: Upcoming summer events include Pride Festival Weekend (June 24-26) in Toronto, Ontario, the Pride Festival and Parade (July 31) in Vancouver, BC, and Montreal Pride Festival (August 1-7) are all returning to in-person Read more

Tourism Ireland is celebrating travel agents across Canada for their continued support and partnership in highlighting the Island of Ireland in honour of Travel Agent Appreciation Day.  “Travel agents are undeniably important in our business, and we would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and express our gratitude to all our partners and travel agents across the country. Their continued engagement and passion for Ireland and urging travelers to press the Green Button and book their trip to Ireland in 2022, is hugely important for us and we could not do it without them,” said Sandra Moffatt, Manager, Tourism Read more

Tempers are running thin at Canadian airports this week as authorities deal with a surge in travel combined with a staffing shortage. And it may take weeks to fix things. Yours truly went through Toronto Pearson security around 4:30 p.m. today (May 2), and it was far more crowded than usual. It was also very crowded in the main check-in areas. Travellers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport are being asked to pack plenty of patience on Monday as longer than expected lineups and Canada-wide staffing shortages cause delays.  Matthew Green, the NDP MP for Hamilton Centre, reached Pearson airport about 90 minutes Read more

Swoop today will launch non-stop Charlottetown service from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport as it greatly expands its presence in Atlantic Canada. Swoop on Sunday launched its inaugural flight to Charlottetown Airport from Hamilton International Airport. Later Sunday, Swoop operated operate its first non-stop service between Edmonton and Halifax. Starting June 16, Swoop will begin non-stop service to Charlottetown from Edmonton International Airport.  In the coming weeks, Swoop, a subsidiary of WestJet, will be adding service to Moncton and Saint John, NB and Deer Lake and St. John’s, NL, as well as adding frequencies on existing routes to Halifax “As Canada’s Read more

Australia’s national carrier today confirmed an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000s to conquer the final frontier of long-haul travel and enable non-stop flights to Australia from any other city, including New York and London from late 2025. Codenamed Project Sunrise for the airline’s long history of endurance flying, Qantas has also shared preliminary concepts for its A350 cabin of the future that will offer a new level of comfort for all passengers on these direct flights that will cut up to four hours off total travel time compared with one-stop options today. Customers onboard Qantas’ new fleet of A350 aircraft Read more

Canadians have new ways to get around the country this summer, and more ways to get to other parts of the world. Air Transat has announced an enhanced domestic flight program to answer the popular demand for travel within Canada. Starting this weekend, the airline will relaunch its domestic flight program between Montreal, Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver. These flights will also provide many Canadians with access to international destinations via connections in Toronto and Montreal. Until the end of October, the airline will operate its flights to Western Canada with its new-generation Airbus A321neoLR aircraft.   Route Starting Flight # Read more