Okay. I didn’t get out as much as I normally would. Not even close. But I did manage several trips this year, including visits to Switzerland, California and several cool spots in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Here’s a look at my annual Jimmy Awards for best travel experiences of the year. Today is focused on food and drinks; later I’ll write about hotels, experiences and attractions. Cheers, and here’s to a better 2022! Best U.S. Winery: Darcie Kent Vineyards in Livermore, California. Superb reds and great, friendly people. Best U.S. Salad: The Farmer’s Super Food Salad at Danville Harvest Read more

WestJet says the travel warning issued by the Canadian government on Wednesday is not based on science and could create holiday season chaos. “The WestJet Group today is expressing its strong opposition to the travel advisory issued by the Government of Canada,” the Calgary-based company said in a statement. “The targeted advice outlined today is not based on science and data and significantly undermines aviation’s proven safety record in response to COVID-19. “These measures are a setback in Canada’s progress and its successful transition from relying on blanket advisories and policies.” The Justin Trudeau government on Wednesday announced a four-week advisory Read more

The Justin Trudeau government has announced a four-week advisory for Canadians to avoid non-essential travel. The government today also suggested new testing rules could be coming. Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the federal government’s advisory will be posted in the next few hours. He also said Ottawa will continue to expand capacity “to test as many people as possible as quickly as possible,” and that the government “will more have to say on that in the very near future.” “There will certainly be other measures,” he said. “All actions are on the table.” “We must stand together,” the minister Read more

The pandemic has been anything but kind to Canada’s hotel industry. But a senior official at Canada’s Germain Hotels says they’re going to be okay. “One thing for sure is we’re out of the woods,” Marie Pier Germain, vice president sales and marketing for Germain Hotels, told me in a recent Zoom chat. “The company is going to be okay.” Germain said the company has kept communication lines open with its investors during the pandemic But it’s not been easy. And it hasn’t been a straight line. “Everything we’re used to relying on to forecast budget is gone,” she said. Read more

Air Canada today officially launched an expanded partnership with Uber Canada, which will give Aeroplan members new ways to earn points at home and on the road. With the new partnership, Aeroplan members will be able to link their Uber and Aeroplan accounts together so that earning points and other rewards are seamless, officials said. Aeroplan members based in Canada will be able to link their accounts to the Uber app and automatically earn Aeroplan points on food orders and certain types of rides, including:   1 Aeroplan point per $1 spent on eligible Uber Eats orders over $25 in Read more

Flair Airlines, a Canadian ultra-low-cost airline, continues its rapid growth with the announcement today that it intends to lease 14 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The ultra low-cost carrier’s fleet will grow to 30 aircraft by mid-2023.  The Edmonton-based airline has 12 aircraft in service and will have 20 aircraft in service by summer 2022. Additional aircraft will arrive in 2023 as Flair more than doubles its current fleet size as part of the airline’s vision to have a fleet of 50 aircraft by 2025. “We’re on a mission to deliver low fares to Canadians and flying a state-of-the-art Read more