Air Canada says better times are ahead. Meanwhile, WestJet adding Calgary-Amsterdam flights, Israel tourism soars, and Orlando launches a new tourism camapaign. BETTER TIMES AHEAD Air Canada this week said it’s expecting stubborn light and baggage delays at Canadian airports to subside through the rest of this year and next as staffing levels improve. In a report from Reuters that ran on the Global News website, Air Canada Chief Financial Officer Amos Kazzaz said he expects to see an uptick in business travel after the Labour Day holiday, Chief Financial Officer Amos Kazzaz said at an investor conference organized by Read more
travel news
Montreal-based Air Transat said it posted its first profitable month in two years this summer, and that it expects to match pre-pandemic traffic levels this coming winter. Transat A.T. today (September 8) released its third quarter financial results. The airline and travel company posted revenues of $4508.3 million and reported an adjusted operating loss of $57.8 million. “The recovery emerging at the end of the last quarter has been confirmed in recent months. With our prudent planning and our teams’ exceptionally high quality execution, we were able to deploy virtually all of our programs, with continuously improving load factors,” said Read more
Canadians have more ways to fly to sun destinations this winter. My travel notebook for today also looks at how the Toronto International Film Festival might impact the city’s tourism, how Canadian airports are faring with delays, and more mixed news about world business travel recovery. SWOOP ADDS MORE SUN Swoop, which bills itself as Canada’s leading ultra-low-cost airline, today announced that it’s expanding its winter sun-flying offering from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport with new non-stop service to Fort Lauderdale and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Swoop will begin its ultra-affordable flying to Fort Lauderdale on December Read more
Is ArriveCAN Killing Canadian Tourism? Also, Airport Delays Continue + Porter Expansion Edges Closer
Is the ArriveCAN app killing Canadian tourism? A new CBC story quotes a border city tourism operator and the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario as saying the app has done tremendous damage to a region that relies heavily on American visitation to keep people employed. “When you talk to any businesses in town, they’ll tell you there’s a very small amount of American dollars coming in,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati. “It’s been hurtful, especially after two years of COVID.” Anna Pierce, vice president of Niagara Helicopters, told the network that she’s had several calls from potential U.S. visitors Read more
A new study finds that one of Canada’s most attractive destinations still faces a bit of an uphill struggle when it comes to tourism. And, quite frankly, I don’t get it. A survey of Canadian travel habits and desires by Tourism Nova Scotia found that 37% of Canadian travellers who aim to take a holiday in the next 12 months will be heading to Ontario. The next choices were Quebec (24%), British Columbia (23%), the U.S.A. (18), International (17) and Alberta (15, which is a lower percentage than I would’ve expected given the grandeur of the Rockies). Atlantic Canada, which Read more
