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

It’s the time of year when travel publications like to list their top destinations for the following year. I quite enjoy these things, so I’ve compiled a list of some suggestions from top travel websites and magazines. I’ve also added my own Top 10 list, so here we go! JIM’S TOP TEN France Paris will host the Summer Olympics next year. They run July 23 to Aug. 10. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the Impressionism movement and the 80th anniversary of D-Day. San Francisco The city has been hit hard by poor publicity and the work-at-home trend, Read more

A violent car explosion at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York is causing major traffic headaches on one of the busiest travel days of the year. A car that was apparently carrying two people accelerated on the approach to the Rainbow Bridge, flew into the air and exploded earlier today. Multiple reports say both people were killed. Details were scarce but CNN reported the car had earlier been seen in the parking lot of a nearby U.S. casino. CNN at one point said Buffalo Niagara International Airport has closed to both international arriving and departing flights. But Buffalo Read more

The cost of air travel continues to fall for Canadians. And fall fast. In its latest consumer price index report, Statistics Canada says the price of air transportation in Canada dropped 19.4% in October. According to Canadian Press, that follows a year-over-year drop of 21% in September, and 20% in August. A massive spike in air travel demand following the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a huge increase in air fares, so one could argue a course correction was due to happen. While data shows that airfares in Canada overall have normalized from an exceptionally strong 2022, “pricing remains above pre-pandemic levels Read more