New Hotels.com search data shows Canadians are already planning where to go for spring and summer travel at home. The biggest demand spikes are being driven by three standout Canadian moments: Toronto Blue Jays: The hometown love continues for the Toronto Blue Jays with demand up 120% YOY for the Jays’ June 5-14 homestand. Their second homestand – June 22-July 1 – shows a 50% increase in demand YOY. Montreal Grand Prix: Most popular is the Grand Prix in Montreal on May 22-24. With its global prestige, limited ticket inventory and the influx of international fans to the city, travel demand is up 165% YOY. Ottawa’s Tulip Festival: Domestic demand for travel Read more
Boeing
The 2024 travel year started with a literal bang, when the door of a Boeing 737 Max blew off in mid-flight. Things got arguably worse from then on, with two Canadian airlines going under, a surprise WestJet mechanics strike, massive computer glitches that grounded aircraft, and, now, talk of a potential Air Canada pilots strike. Here’s a brief look at the year of travelling dangerously. JANUARY: On Jan. 5, on a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, an unused exit door on A Boeing 737 Max 9 jet unexpectedly blew off at about 16,000 feet. The jet was forced Read more
The latest high-profile problem for Boeing probably won’t hurt the company too badly, an aviation expert says. An external panel flew off on a 25-year-old Boeing 737-800 aircraft travelling from California to Oregon last Friday. No one was injured, but the incident garnered headlines around the world as the latest in a series of Boeing mishaps. The biggest blow to Boeing lately came when a large “door plug” fell off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane over Oregon in January, subjecting passengers to fierce winds inside the cabin. “I don’t think this panel issue will harm Boeing’s reputation Read more
You can set your watch by it. Every time an Olympic Games year rolls around, out come the stories about over-priced tickets and soaring hotel prices. I was the main Olympics reporter for the Toronto Star for 15 years or so, and I’ve seen it happen time and time again, from Vancouver to Athens and Sydney to Salt Lake City. Now it’s Paris’s turn to take the brunt of the criticism. The New York Times reports that tickets for the Opening Ceremonies, which will feature a flotilla of barges carrying athletes down the River Seine to the foot of the 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
