Toronto Pearson is hoping to be on Santa’s “good” list this winter. Ahead of the 2023-2024 winter travel and holiday season, Toronto Pearson International Airport today announced a number of operational improvements designed to meet and maintain its readiness throughout the winter season. These initiatives include increased staffing, expanded deicing capacity, newly commissioned advanced snowplows, and the implementation of cutting-edge predictive technologies for weather and delay forecasting. An innovative AI system has also been put into place for more efficient baggage handling through the proactive identification and resolution of common, potential issues that may otherwise interrupt the flow of operations. Read more

A couple weeks ago I published my list of top 10 places to go in 2024. It seems the people at AFAR magazine and I think a lot alike. I put Toronto, Paris and Detroit in my top 10, and both cities are in the AFAR top 24. I also am high on, and have written in the past about, several other destinations on the AFAR list, including Sydney, Los Angeles, Texas Hill Country, Valencia, Manchester (England) and St. Kitts. Here is the top 24 from AFAR: Fiji Sydney, Australia Tangier, Morocco Texas Hill Country Rome Macchu Picchu Martha’s Vineyard, Read more

Air Transat and Porter Airlines are getting chummier by the day. Air Transat and Porter Airlines are extending their existing code-sharing agreement by creating a joint venture, transforming the current Canadian aviation competitive landscape. The alliance will help Toronto-based Porter and Montreal-based Transat better coordinate flight schedules and routes, which should benefit Canadian consumers and travellers.   By combining both airlines’ complementary networks, this Alliance offers travellers significant benefits, officials said, including enhanced travel options across multiple regions. The Alliance expands services between North, Central and South America, Europe, North Africa, Mexico and the Caribbean, integrating Porter’s and Transat’s highly-complementary, Read more

Air Transat flight attendants could strike as early as January 3, 2024, a move that would throw the winter travel season into chaos. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)  announced that its 2,100 flight attendant members at Air Transat approved a strike mandate by a nearly unanimous vote of 99.8%, by far the highest tally in the history of the Air Transat component of CUPE. Union officials said the vote reflects the flight attendants’ exceptionally high level of dissatisfaction with their working conditions, particularly with wages and purchasing power. Following a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall outlook Read more

WestJet’s chief executive says Canadians should find plenty of good travel deals this winter and on into summer. Speaking to Yahoo Finance Canada, CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said travel demand is resilient and that he expects a strong winter season. But he also said capacity is up and that there are more options for travellers. “There are markets that have seen strong pent-up demand that drove pricing, because there was an imbalance between supply and demand, the most prominent being on (transatlantic routes) over the summer,” von Hoensbroech said. Demand is now more in line with capacity, which has helped Read more

Detroit is the best city to visit for a National Football League game, a new study says. Michigan’s biggest city won the title thanks to the prestige of its stadium and the city’s wide array of game day activities, according to BonusFinder.com. Motor City took the top spot with a score of 81.7 out of 100, thanks to the high number of bars within walking distance, with 129 bars located within a 1-mile radius from the stadium, and the affordability of the Lions’ home stadium. Sharing first place with three other stadiums, Ford Field was among the most affordable stadiums Read more