Air Canada today announced the strategic expansion of its winter sun network, including four new routes from Toronto and Montreal to Monterrey and Los Cabos in Mexico and, La Romana and Fort-de-France in the Caribbean. The airline is also deploying a substantial increase in capacity from its Vancouver hub to sought after sun destinations such as Mexico, Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego, and additional flights from coast to coast to popular winter vacation destinations in Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean. Seats are available for purchase now at aircanada.com, via the Air Canada App, Air Canada’s Contact Centres, and Read more

We’re crazy about New York and L.A., but also booking trips to the Philippines, Europe and Toronto. Online travel agency CheapOair.ca is sharing insights into the top Canadian, U.S. and international destinations booked by Canadians for the upcoming summer season. Through its comprehensive travel trend monitoring of web site bookings between June 1 and August 31, 2023, CheapOair.ca has highlighted key insights that show Canadians are ready to make the most out of their summer vacation time. Key Insights – Backyard travel to domestic destinations continue to lead the charge, possibly driven by the high international currency conversion and more cost-effective Read more

  Hawke’s Bay in New Zeaand today was named a Great Wine Capital of the world, setting it alongside eleven other prestigious wine regions such as Bordeaux, Napa Valley California and Adelaide, Australia. Admission to the Great Wine Capitals program (Hawkes Bay is the 12th Capital worldwide) comes after a stringent selection process that looks at a region’s winegrowing industry, its history, its wine tourism, educational opportunities, business, and travel, as well as the cities and region itself. In announcing the news, Hawke’s Bay Tourism CEO Hamish Saxton said the significance of being named a Great Wine Capital of the Read more

The Trudeau government says the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) will soon launch a new Verified Traveller program that will offer a faster and more efficient screening experience for eligible travellers at select airports across Canada.  The news was quickly welcomed by a lobby group of Canadian business people, which called it a “forward-thinking” plan that will “improve the security screening experience for eligible travellers.” Ottawa said the new Verified Traveller program will replace the current Trusted Traveller program. By June 21, 2023, dedicated Verified Traveller screening lines will be available at select domestic and international checkpoints in the Read more

Air Canada today reported a strong operational performance to begin the summer travel season. Approximately 540,000 customers flew with the carrier between May 19 and 22, the May long weekend in Canada that traditionally marks the start of the summer travel season. “I am very pleased by the performance of our airline during the first long weekend of the summer, said Kevin O’Connor, Senior Vice President, Global Airports and Operational Control at Air Canada. “We carried heavy loads, with 540,000 customers and our mainline aircraft 95% full on Friday, yet we achieved a flight completion ratio of 98.7% and a Read more

This was originally published in 2018. I’m back in San Antonio for a U.S. Travel Association meeting and thought I’d re-post this blog, with a bit of added information. SAN ANTONIO – Judith Ely is showing me around the San Antonio Museum of Art, a surprising spot with treasured art from around the world. She points to a mosaic on the floor in the ancient Italian/Greek section of the museum. “Look at this one,” she says. “It’s a rendering of an Italian wedding but there’s a lot of shenanigans going on. People are having sex and disrupting things. But then Read more