Lower airline costs will foster national unity, WestJet CEO says
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech is calling for the federal government to reduce costs imposed on Canada's airline industry, adding that air travel should not be treated as a luxury in a country as big as Canada. Nivrita Ganguly has more on this and other top business stories in Business Matters for Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
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5 days ago
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Business Matters: Canada-U.S. travel drops again in April
April was a busy month overall for Canadian airports but fewer passengers chose to fly to the United States for the third month in a row, according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada. Anne Gaviola has this story and more in Business Matters for Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Airline traffic in Canada is up — just not to the United States
Traffic was up for both domestic and international flights at Canada's largest airports in April, with the exception of trips to the United States, according to Statistics Canada's monthly data on air passenger travel. Trans-border traffic to the U.S. dropped for the third month in a row to 1.1 millon, 5.8 per cent lower than in April 2024. Statistics Canada said trans-border passenger counts were also significantly lower (down 12.5 per cent) than the pre-pandemic level recorded in April 2019. Passengers travelling to the U.S. accounted for 25.5 per cent of the total number of screened passengers in April, down from the 28.1 per cent recorded in 2024. For the third straight month, all four of the largest airports recorded year-over-year decreases in screened passenger counts for flights to the United States. Outside of the U.S., however, the number of Canadians travelling internationally by air was 1.4 million in April — up 7.1 per cent over the same month in 2024, and sharply higher (up 19 per cent) than the pre-pandemic level posted in April 2019. Meanwhile, Canadians are also choosing to travel within the country. Domestic passenger traffic was up by 7.4 per cent to two million in April compared to the previous year. This modestly surpasses the 2019 pre-pandemic level by 1.5 per cent, said StatCan. Canada's eight largest airports, which includes Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International, Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International and Vancouver International, posted higher volumes of passenger traffic year over year in April. Overall, 4.5 million passengers were screened at the eight airports, up 3.6 per cent over 2024 and up 1.9 per cent over 2019. Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International posted the largest year-over-year increase, at 8.6 per cent. The decline in trans-border travel as Canadians forgo visits to the United States led major airline Air Canada to lower its financial forecast for the year. Early last month, Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau said the noise around tariffs and trade disputes 'definitely had an impact' on the widely reported decline in interest among Canadians for travel to the U.S. And in late May, WestJet Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech, speaking at a Calgary Chamber of Commerce event, said summer bookings were down by the 'mid-to-high teens' (percentage wise) from the same period last year. 'When all the rhetoric started around 51st state and tariffs and so on, we could see in our bookings how angry Canadians became,' he said. Preliminary April data released by Statcan last month showed that Canadians' air travel to and from the U.S. had dropped 19.9 per cent from 2024, while return trips via land were down 35.2 per cent. Air Canada lowers 2025 outlook as U.S. travel declines Canadians' return travel from U.S. plunges as Trump tariffs hit By the end of April, combined return trips from the U.S. (via air and road) had fallen 22 per cent from a year ago. • Email: dpaglinawan@
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Yahoo
Summer is in full swing at Sunwing Vacations, as all customers travel on board WestJet-operated flights starting today, with vacation packages to 13 popular sun destinations
All Sunwing Airlines aircraft have fully transitioned over to WestJet's fleet, bringing an enhanced airport and onboard experience for vacation customers TORONTO, May 29, 2025 /CNW/ - Sunwing Vacations is pleased to share that, effective today, all vacation package customers will travel on board WestJet-operated flights. This follows on the heels of the final Sunwing Airlines flights taking off yesterday, May 28th, and the last aircraft being fully integrated into WestJet's fleet, bringing a unified airport and onboard experience for all Sunwing Vacations customers. Key changes to the customer journey take effect today, in alignment with WestJet policies and ancillaries, as noted in Sunwing's initial 2025 summer schedule announcement. These changes include: Sunwing Vacations package customers will now check in at the WestJet airport counter, or online on or the WestJet App (online and App check-in available 24 hours before departure); WestJet reservation codes (required for flight check-in) will be available via Sunwing's Manage My Booking five days before departure; Customers will be entitled to one free personal item and one free carry-on item; An Early Booking Baggage Incentive is available for Sunwing Vacations customers, where the first checked bag will be free when booking a qualified vacation package at least two months before departure (specific booking and travel windows apply); Checked bags are also available for purchase for last-minute bookings, starting from $35 per bag; Customers can select Standard Economy or Exit Row seating starting from $15, with limited Extended Comfort seating available for an additional cost on select flight routes; Ancillaries including baggage, seat selection and excursions will be available through Sunwing's Manage My Booking or the Sunwing Sales Centre up to 24 hours before departure. "Today marks a significant milestone, as all Sunwing Vacations package customers will travel on board WestJet flights now that the final Sunwing Airlines aircraft have been integrated into WestJet. This transition is important because it will deliver a unified experience to our guests, both at the airport and in the sky, in addition to enhancing connectivity and allowing us to provide more vacation packages to our valued customers on a year-round basis," said Andrew Dawson, President of Sunwing Vacations Group. "I would also like to personally thank everyone at Sunwing Airlines for their incredible service and contributions. As our primary airline partner for more than 19 years, we would not be here today without the dedication of the airline employees who helped us make vacation dreams come true for so many Canadians from coast-to-coast. Thank you for all you have done for our mutual customers. As we look ahead to this next phase of Sunwing Vacations' growth, I am confident our customers will experience the tremendous value of a Sunwing vacation alongside the enhanced benefits of travelling on WestJet flights, including caring crew, a friendly onboard experience and reliable service." This summer, customers can look forward to vacation packages to a variety of trending sun destinations including St. Maarten, Freeport and Panama, as well as longtime favourites such as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Montego Bay, Varadero and more. Sunwing Vacations customers can find helpful information to prepare for their travel journey by visiting the Airline Information section on Sunwing's website. Plus, travellers can book their summer vacation packages on or by connecting with their local travel advisor. About Sunwing Vacations As the leading vacation provider in Canada, Sunwing Vacations offers more vacation packages to the south than any other vacation provider with convenient direct service from cities across Canada to popular sun destinations across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing Vacations to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations. Sunwing Vacations customers benefit from the assistance of our trusted partner in destination, NexusTours, whose representatives greet customers upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. For more information, please visit SOURCE Sunwing Vacations Inc. View original content to download multimedia:
