Airlines
Responsible Travel: Industry needs to do more
A newly released survey reports that the global travel and tourism industry could do more for responsible and sustainable tourism. Conducted by SustainIt during the 2011 World Travel Market in London, the survey found that more than 7 out of 10 industry professionals -- including hoteliers, airlines, resorts and tourist attractions -- believed the industry could do more to reduce poverty and support sustainable local economic development in destination communities. It also found that only 18% of companies questioned had sustainable supply chains and procurement policies in place. The survey...
Etihad sets record passenger numbers in 2011
Etihad Airways carried a record 8.29 million passengers in 2011, a 17% increase on the previous year. The jump represented an extra 1.197 million passengers on the carrier's global network covering 82 passenger and cargo destinations. "This result, achieved while much of the world was still very much in the economic doldrums and oil prices remained high, is testament to our emergence as a formidable force in the international aviation arena,"said Etihad Airways president and CEO James Hogan. "It also reflects our commitment to sensible, strategic expansion which is why we launched eight new...
LAN boosts Bogota service
South American carrier LAN reports it will have seven weekly Bogota-Miami flights starting in February, with connections to more than 20 destinations in Colombia. LAN recently announced it was starting a Colombian operation. B767s and A320s will be used. LAN is represented in Canada by Airbridge International....
Trio of tourism conferences offer quite a buzz
At the beginning of March, hoteliers, tourism marketers, travel technology types and other industry professionals will head to Toronto for a trio of conferences that have been creating quite a buzz in the tourism business in the last couple of years. From March 5-6, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) will hold its annual conference which, in 2012, features Dr. David Suzuki and Joie de Vivre's founder, Chip Conley as the headline speakers. HAC's incoming chairman, Hank Stackhouse will not only give delegates the inside scoop on what's coming in the next 12 months for the association, he'll...
WestJet looks at regional launch
WestJet has confirmed that it's considering the launch of a new short-haul, regional airline as early as 2013 using a fleet of approximately 40 smaller, turboprop aircraft. Gregg Saretsky, the carrier's president and CEO, said the company was meeting with its staff this month "to get their input on this watershed decision." "One of the cornerstones of our success is engaging with employees early on in key decisions and I am confident they will see the strategic value of this initiative. Once our employees have had the opportunity to share their input, we will be in a better position to make a...
Lufthansa Group ends 2011 with record numbers
The airlines that make up the Lufthansa Group carried a record number of passengers in 2011. A total of 106.3 million passengers chose to fly with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, bmi and Germanwings. This is equivalent to growth of 7.5% compared to the previous year. The Group increased its capacity by 9.8% overall in 2011, while its revenue seat kilometres rose by 7%. The average passenger load factor for the aircraft correspondingly fell by two percentage points to 77.2%. The trend of decreasing sales that emerged this past fall, continued in the remaining months of the year....
Porter off to Timmins
Porter Airlines celebrated the start of service to Timmins, Ont., with a reception today (Jan. 16) at Timmins Victor M. Power Airport for the inaugural flight from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The new schedule consists of three daily roundtrip flights between Timmins and Toronto....
Earn a free flight with WestJet Eastern Triangle bookings
WestJet has launched an "Eastern Triangle promotion"in which agents will earn one round-trip flight for two to a select WestJet sun destination for every 20 round-trip bookings made between Toronto and Montreal or Toronto and Ottawa. To participate, simply submit your clients' bookings made between Jan. 9 and Feb. 29 for travel through April 30 http://www.westjet.com/agentpromotion . As well, clients will earn double the WestJet dollars on all flights flown between Toronto and Montreal or Toronto and Ottawa from Jan. 9 to March 31. Agents are advised to be sure to include their client's...