Another winter storm is wreaking havoc on air travel in southern Ontario and in Montreal, with more than 420 flights cancelled today at four major airports. There are also a number of cancellations in Boston and Washington, D.C. After being walloped by snow storms over the last couple days, another 25 centimeters of snow or more was expected overnight and on into Sunday in parts of the Greater Toronto/Golden Horsehoe region tonight and tomorrow. The Weather Network says the storm is expected to move east and crush Montreal with 25 to 40 centimeters of white stuff on Sunday and Monday. Read more
Toronto Pearson
Leisure travel is booming in Canada. The loyalty program is going strong. And there are new Marriott hotels coming across the country. I recently sat down with Paul Cahill, the Senior Vice-President for Canada Operations for Marriott International Inc., to talk about Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of hotels in Canada. There are currently 275 Marriott properties in Canada, and 90 more are in the pipeline. Cahill said Marriott is especially focused on lifestyle, upper-midscale and extended stay brands. Ninety new hotels is a lot, but Cahill noted that Marriott saw leisure revenue in Canada increase by a remarkable 36% in 2023, Read more
Eastern Canadians are about to get vastly improved service to Europe, while Western Canadians are gaining an easy flight to Iceland. WestJet today said it is bringing back some of its Europe flights from Eastern Canada for next year, including Toronto-Dublin and Halifax to Edinburgh, Dublin and London Gatwick. They’re also instituting flights from Calgary to Reykjavik, Iceland and from St. John’s, Newfoundland to London Gatwick. As WestJet continues to strengthen its presence in Western Canada, the airline said it is also enhancing its 787 Dreamliner hub, increasing frequencies for international routes and adding daily exclusive service to Japan. “Today’s Read more
Toronto Pearson Airport is nearly back to pre-pandemic traffic. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (“GTAA”) today said passenger activity in the third quarter of the year was up 11.9% compared to the same period in 2022, rising from 11.2 million to 12.5 million. For the first nine months of 2023, passenger traffic rose 31.6% from 2022 levels, increasing to 33.8 million. Officials said passenger activity increased due to the strong travel demand and the travel industry partners’ ability to deliver more consistent levels of services following the pandemic, which created labour and supply challenges. During the third quarter and first nine Read more
Toronto Pearson Airport officials say a number of improvements should make this summer a much more enjoyable experience at Canada’s busiest, and most maligned, airport. Deborah Flint , the President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (“GTAA”), today announced the comprehensive measures that Toronto Pearson is implementing to support a seamless, predictable, and enjoyable passenger experience during the summer travel rush. “Last summer was challenging for passengers, and we have responded with a full suite of process improvements and practices with our partners to deliver a more customer-centric and reliable experience ,” said Flint. “Our new approaches include Read more
