Air Canada is getting into the electric airplane business. Canada’s largest airline today announced a purchase agreement for 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace of Sweden. The revolutionary regional aircraft, expected to enter service in 2028, will generate zero emissions flying on battery power and yield significant operational savings and benefits. Under the agreement, Air Canada has also acquired a US$5 million equity stake in Heart Aerospace. Saab also is buying a stake, according to published reports. “Air Canada has taken a leadership position in the industry to address climate change. The introduction into our fleet of Read more
cruise ships
After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first cruise ship has arrived in Victoria. CHEK reports Holland America’s Koningsdam ship arrived shortly after 10 a.m. local time at Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C. on Saturday with 1,200 passengers on board. It’s the first cruise ship to dock in Canadian waters in more than two years. “We know that cruise ship passengers enjoy everything our communities have to offer, helping support thousands of jobs in the maritime, tourism, hospitality, and agricultural sectors across the province,” Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, said in a release from Read more
Forbes has a great item today about what countries in Europe are open for visitors. I’ve also got items on the resumption of cruise ship travel in Canada, passengers behaving badly, the resumption of Transat flights to Italy, a nice story on Ottawa and news about suspended flights between Vancouver and India. WHAT COUNTRIES ARE OPEN IN EUROPE Many European Union countries, including the UK and Ireland, have entirely done away with COVID-19 travel restrictions for non-EU travelers. Others, however, still have restrictions in place. Continue reading the Forbes story here. AND WHAT’S OPEN IN THE CARIBBEAN, TOO Travelweek has Read more
Consumers are optimistic about their 2022 cruise travel plans. That’s the overall sentiment from a recent survey conducted by arrivia, a leading travel loyalty and cruise booking technology platform that works with consumer-facing companies worldwide. The company surveyed 1,453 Americans between November 3, 2021, and January 10, 2022, all of whom are members of a travel club or travel benefits program, about their attitudes and preferences around cruise travel. Initial responses were collected just a few weeks before the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, with responses also being recorded into January 2022 as it became the dominant strain worldwide. Read more
In a move that took some observers by surprise, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped its notice of risk for cruise travel. After more than two years of warning would-be cruisers about how dangerous cruise travel could be during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlanta-based CDC today dropped its warning entirely. “CDC is removing the COVID-19 Cruise Ship Travel Health Notice,” spokesperson Dave Daigle, spokesperson for the health agency, told USA TODAY. The CDC issues travel health notices to let travellers know about current health issues that could impact their plans. The group had cruise at Read more
