The shakeup continues in the Canadian airline industry. Air Transat and Porter Airlines, two major Canadian carriers, have concluded a code-sharing agreement to be implemented for the 2022 summer season. The first phase of the agreement will focus on connecting Porter’s bases at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Halifax-Stanfield (YHZ) to Air Transat’s hub at Montreal-Trudeau (YUL), providing customers of both carriers with a greater selection of connecting flights in Canada, the U.S. and internationally. “We are very excited to team up with Porter in an important partnership that will contribute to the strengthening of our network and Read more
aviation
Two of Canada’s largest travel companies are proposing a major merger. WestJet and Sunwing announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement under which the WestJet Group of companies will acquire Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines. “The transaction will bring together two distinctly Canadian travel and tourism success stories to deliver new travel options and greater value for travellers in the rapidly expanding leisure and work-from-anywhere travel markets,” officials said. “The combination will enable both companies to protect and create jobs and rebuild strength in the Canadian travel industry at a critical time.” Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based AirTrav, Read more
International airline traffic could surpass pre-COVID levels by 2024, a new study says. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is projecting that overall traveller numbers will hit 4 billion in 2024, which would put it at 103% of 2019’s total. “The trajectory for the recovery in passenger numbers from COVID-19 was not changed by the omicron variant,” said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh. “People want to travel. And when travel restrictions are lifted, they return to the skies. “There is still a long way to go to reach a normal state of affairs, but the forecast for the evolution in Read more
Flair Airlines, Canada’s everyday low fare airline, today announced the expansion of its base at Region of Waterloo International Airport in southern Ontario. Flair announced service from Waterloo to Charlottetown and Saint John, both beginning in June. Charlottetown will be flown two times per week on Thursdays and Sundays, while St. John will be flown three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Service to Charlottetown Airport begins on June 9, with service to Saint John beginning on June 8. One-way fares to Charlottetown and Saint John, including taxes and fees, begin at $29. There are limited seats and Read more
Porter Airlines’ service to Muskoka, Ontario, returns just in time for your summer plans. Flights begin June 24, 2022, and conclude September 6, 2022. Service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Muskoka Airport will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays. Connecting flights are also available via Toronto from various Porter destinations. I had the pleasure of flying from Muskoka to Toronto a couple years ago and found it to be a great service; not only easy and convenient (beats the heck out of Highway 400) but beautiful. “We look forward to bringing our passengers back to Muskoka after Read more
