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
Toronto Pearson
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
Porter Airlines is launching its summer schedule at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), with additional flexibility when travelling between YYZ and Ottawa (YOW), Montreal (YUL), Halifax (YHZ), Vancouver (YVR), Edmonton (YEG) and Calgary (YYC). The new schedule comes into effect on June 1, adding more desirable flight times that are well-distributed throughout the day. Certain routes will see a further increase in flights by August. A greater number of coast-to-coast connecting flight options via Porter’s YYZ hub are also created with this new schedule. Porter says it will fly from Toronto Pearson Montreal Trudeau four times a week in Read more
