Tremendous food and wine. Super comfortable seats. And, best of all, some of the nicest crew I’ve ever spent time in the air with. My wife and I recently flew from San Francisco to Auckland and then on to Sydney with Air New Zealand. We got upgraded from Premium Economy to Business Premier about a half-hour before boarding, and were understandably thrilled. Business Premier for long-haul flights  features wide, comfortable seats. We were flying at night so there was soft, purple-pink mood lighting that was very relaxing. We were given a glass of sparkling wine (I could’ve had water or Read more

A new study of downtown Toronto commerce shows the tourism industry has bounced back nicely from the pandemic. But we’re not out of the woods yet. The Toronto Star on Thursday ran a story that talked about a University of Toronto School of Cities study that looked at cellphone usage in the city centre to determine the number of daily visitors to various types of buildings. Looking at 2019 levels versus 2023, the study found that Toronto’s hospitality buildings had a 100% recovery rate in terms of visitors. The recovery rate for office buildings was only 69%, and for retail Read more

With hot new openings and under-the-radar surprises to cultural icons and globally held accolades, the reasons to jet off to Los Angeles in 2024 are endless. Beckoning travelers to discover a place where magic happens and dreams come true, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board is spotlighting the most significant milestones and must-visit spots from the Eastside to the Westside in the year ahead.   “The city of Los Angeles is undergoing transformational change that visitors and Angelenos will experience across every touchpoint in 2024, especially travelers who haven’t visited in recent years, from world-renowned dining to major developments in sports, Read more

Here’s a new way for a tourism board to reach a key audience. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation has solidified a multi-year partnership with the Dallas Cowboys to tap into the U.S. Southwest market. The collaboration aims to reach Dallas Cowboys fans across the United States. As part of this multi-year agreement, The Islands of The Bahamas branding will prominently feature at AT&T Stadium home games in Arlington, Texas, along with TV and radio ads, Bahamian-themed promotions, and on-site activities. Cowboys fans will have the chance to win social media sweepstakes for a home game or an Read more

Folks in Southern Ontario have some great new options for sun vacations, and a new way to reach a cool part of Canada. Toronto Pearson Airport put out a note on social media the other day to point out several new routes to great destinations. Here’s a short list, along with the airlines that are flying there.   Fort Myers, Florida — Lynx Air Montego Bay, Jamaica — Canada Jetlines Bonaire, Netherlands — WestJet Miami, Florida — Porter Airlines Fort-de-France, Martinique — Air Canada Kingston, Jamaica — Flair Airlines Lima, Peru — Air Transat Yellowknife, Northwest Territories — Air Canada Read more

U.S. authorities are demanding the inspection of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets following an Alaska Airlines incident on Friday that saw a gaping hole blow in the fuselage of a MAX 9 plane at 16,000 feet. The Federal Aviation Administration in Washington D.C. said the move requires airlines to inspect aircraft before further flights take place. Required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft. Both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines earlier said they were both grounding their 737 MAX 9 jets for safety checks. Alaska has 65 MAX 9 jets, while United has 79. Reuters reports Read more