The Omicron variant and travel slowdown is forcing WestJet to cancel 20% of their flights through the end of February. The airline issued the following statement today (Tuesday, Feb. 18): “In response to the Omicron variant affecting staffing levels and the prolonged impact of government barriers on our business, WestJet has made the difficult decision to consolidate 20% of its scheduled flights from February 1 through to February 28, 2022. These reductions are in addition to WestJet’s January flight consolidation announcement,” which saw 15% of flights cancelled for the month. “As we continue to navigate the unpredictability of the Omicron Read more
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There are more positive signs pointing to a travel rebound this year and in the coming years, both for leisure and business travel. According to a report from Reuters, Spanish tourism officials expect the country’s tourism gross domestic product to reach $186 billion CAD in 2022. That would be 88% of pre-pandemic levels, versus just 57% for last year. Officials said they expect to return to full pre-pandemic activity by 2023. It’s not just Spain that’s painting a rosy tourism picture. The Global Business Travel Association this week said global business travel spending is expected to surge in 2022. The Read more
The Omicron variant is wreaking havoc with Canadian airlines. A day after Air Canada Vacations said it was trimming flights and packages to a dozen or so sun destinations, Transat A.T. said it’s slashing its winter routes by 30%, and Porter Airlines said they’ll likely have to make cuts of their own. A Canadian Press story on the Global News site today said Transat blamed “the ongoing impact of the Omicron variant and the federal government’s Dec. 15 recommendation against non-essential travel abroad have triggered a wave of trip cancellations.” The cuts are due to stay in place until February Read more
The U.S. has been plagued by holiday cancellations, but Canada’s two largest airlines say things are much smoother north of the border. Multiple reports out of the United States this weekend point to major cancellation issues, blamed on both staffing shortages and weather issues. The website flightaware.com, which tracks planes around the world, reported 690 cancellations for flights within or into/out of the U.S. on Christmas Eve, followed by 996 on Christmas Day. As of 1 p.m. Eastern Time today, the site was reporting 774 cancellations for flights within or into/out of the U.S. Delta was looking at 131 cancellations 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
