The March Break school vacation period begins today in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada, and airports will likely be a mess. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), operator of Toronto Pearson, held a media day today to provide travel tips for passengers ahead of March Break. March Break has always been one of the busiest times at Pearson, and this year the GTAA expects up to 125,000 passengers per day during the peak travel weekend, starting today. This represents approximately 85% of pre-pandemic volume seen during March Break 2019. (It certainly doesn’t help that Toronto is expecting a Read more
March break
WestJet’s controversial takeover of Sunwing is set to be approved today by the Trudeau government. WestJet also has been given federal licenses for flights to Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. The Globe and Mail this morning (March 10) reported that the announcement will be made today, providing WestJet with a huge increase in its share of the packaged vacation business. Calgary-based WestJet and Toronto-based Sunwing announced the proposed merger in March, 2022. The federal Competition Bureau later stated that the takeover would lead to fewer choices for Canadian travellers, and higher prices. The Globe story said the Trudeau Read more
The economy is a bit of a mess, but young Canadians remain eager to travel. A new Scotiabank study says 61% of Canadian Gen Z’ers and a third of Canadian Millennials (32%) plan to travel this spring. Overall, nearly one-in-four Canadians (23%) say they’re planning to vacation this spring, with another 17% considering travel. Among those officially planning a trip, the majority want to venture internationally (53%), while 42% plan to stay within Canada’s borders. What’s more, younger Canadians (aged 18-34) are mostly looking to travel domestically (53%), while Canadians aged 35-54 (58%) and 55+ (70%) are looking at an international destination. Read more
March Break is a great time for Canadian families to get away. But airports, especially busy ones such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, can be a huge hassle. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reminding travellers of what to expect when crossing the border during the coming spring travel season and offering some March Break tips. I’ve got a few of my own suggestions on how to avoid hassles at the airport, listed in bold face. Plan ahead and check border wait times and alternate ports of entry. Travellers crossing the border by land are encouraged to cross during Read more
The good news is we’re having a travel rebound in Canada. The bad news is that means crowds for March Break this weekend. Preparations are well underway at Toronto Pearson for the traditionally busy March Break travel season. The busiest day of the period is expected to be on March 11, when approximately 85,000 passengers will arrive or depart at Pearson. (Of course, this is when I’ll arrive home from L.A., but I suspect it will be a lot worse for departures). This will mark the busiest travel day at the airport since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic two Read more
