In a ruling that should allow Flair Airlines to continue selling low-cost flights to Canadians and others, the Trudeau government has ruled that Flair qualifies as a Canadian airline. The Canadian Transportation Agency issued a statement on its website today, stating that the agency “issued its final determination and found that Flair is Canadian.” “It’s a fantastic day for team Flair,” president and CEO Stephen Jones said at a press conference today. “‘The question has been answered.” Global News reports that Jones said the Edmonton-based company “never doubted” that it was Canadian and the decision by the CTA is very clear: Read more
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Tourism is rebounding strongly in cities across Canada. But most tourism officials say they’re not quite back to pre-pandemic levels, and that labour shortages could limit their ability to recover as quickly as they’d like. A review of tourism officials in several major Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary, finds municipal leaders are generally in a positive mood as Tourism Week in Canada kicks off. “Right now … the occupancy is strong,” said Karen Soyka, Vice President, Strategy & Business Development at Destination Vancouver. “What we have (for figures) is really up to March, and what we’re seeing is Read more
Toronto business leaders say urgent action from the Trudeau government in Ottawa is needed to fix the mess at Toronto Pearson Airport. Representatives from the Toronto Region Board of Trade, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, AccorHotels, and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, came together today (May 12) to echo the Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s call to the federal government to urgently address government agency issues plaguing travellers at Toronto Pearson, Canada’s largest airport. The airport is facing mile-long lineups at customs and security the past couple weeks, and travellers are both frustrated and angry. Business leaders say the Read more
WestJet this week launched its long-awaited service from Calgary to Rome with the departure of WestJet flight 32 from YYC to Italy. This first scheduled connection between Calgary and Rome, operated on WestJet’s 320-seat 787 Dreamliner, marked a major milestone in the recovery of Alberta’s travel and tourism industry. “The launch of our highly anticipated Calgary-Rome service is an incredible milestone for both WestJet and our guests, as we’ve been looking forward to this moment, for more than two years,” said Angela Avery, WestJet, Executive Vice-President, External Affairs. “With its rich history and culture, it is no surprise that our Read more
With demand ramping up and COVID-19 travel restrictions dropping around the world, Air Canada will more than double its capacity this year. Canada’s largest airline said on Wednesday that capacity will jump 150% this year compared to 2021. That’s encouraging, but still represents about 75% of their 2019 levels. Officials said they expect capacity to reach 95% by 2024. “The overall recovery is indeed getting closer,” Air Canada’s chief commercial officer Lucie Guillemette said at the company’s annual investor day on Wednesday. Guillemette said new routes are being added out of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and that officials are encouraged Read more
