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 WestJet.com 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 sunwing.ca 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 sunwing.ca.
SOURCE Sunwing Vacations Inc.
View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2025/29/c2337.html
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
28 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Bank of Canada head Tiff Macklem says mandate should evolve in a ‘shock-prone' world
OTTAWA - Tiff Macklem is wearing an Edmonton Oilers pin as he reflects on coming very close to beating big odds. It's a significant day for the governor of the Bank of Canada: he's just laid out his reasons to the entire country and a global audience for keeping the central bank's benchmark interest rate steady for a second straight time. That night is also Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals; Macklem ends his press conference with a hearty 'Go Oilers!' It's a rematch from last year's heartbreak, when the Oilers came oh-so-close to mounting a seemingly impossible four-game comeback against the Florida Panthers, only to fall short by a single goal in Game 7. Macklem, too, was almost safe to declare victory last year. He had just about secured a coveted 'soft landing' for Canada's economy — a rare feat that sees restrictive monetary policy bring down surging levels of inflation without tipping the economy into a prolonged downturn. 'We got inflation down. We didn't cause a recession,' Macklem said in an interview with The Canadian Press after the rate announcement Wednesday. 'And, to be frank, until President (Donald) Trump started threatening the economy with new tariffs, we were actually seeing growth pick up.' Fresh out of one crisis, the central bank now must contend with another in U.S. tariffs. Five years into his tenure as head of the Bank of Canada, Macklem said he sees the central bank's role in stickhandling the economy — as well as Canada's role on the world stage — evolving. Many Canadians have become more familiar with the Bank of Canada in recent years. After the COVID-19 pandemic recovery ignited inflation, the central bank's rapid tightening cycle and subsequent rate cuts were top-line news for anxious Canadians stressed about rising prices and borrowing costs. That was all in pursuit of meeting the central bank's inflation target of two per cent, part of a mandate from the federal government that's up for review next year. Macklem said the past few years have led the Bank of Canada to scrutinize some of its metrics, like core inflation and how it responds to supply shocks in the economy. But he defends keeping the bank's inflation target, particularly at a time of global upheaval. 'Our flexible inflation targeting framework has just been through the biggest test it's ever had in the 30 years since we announced the inflation target,' he said. 'I'm not going to pretend it's been an easy few years for anybody. But I think the framework has performed well.' Macklem said, however, that he sees room to build out the mandate to address other areas of concern from Canadians, such as housing affordability. Whether it's the high cost of rent or a mortgage, or surging prices for groceries and vehicles, Macklem said the past few years have been eye-opening to Canadians who weren't around the last time inflation hit double digits in the 1980s. 'Unfortunately, a whole new generation of Canadians now know what inflation feels like, and they didn't like it one bit,' he said. Monetary policy itself can't make homes more affordable, he noted — in a nutshell, high interest rates make mortgages more expensive while low rates can push up the price of housing itself because they stoke demand. But Macklem said one of the things he's reflecting on is that inflation can get worse when the economy isn't operating at its potential or when it's facing great disruption. 'There is a role for monetary policy to smooth out some of that adjustment — support the economy while ensuring that inflation is well-controlled.' He didn't offer suggestions on how the mandate might expand to address housing affordability specifically, but said 'the work is ongoing' and will be settled in meetings with the federal government next year. Right now, he's trying to make sure that the economic impacts from Canada's tariff dispute with the United States don't result in prolonged inflation. The Bank of Canada is not alone in debating how monetary policy ought to respond in what Macklem called a more 'shock-prone' world. The G7 Finance Ministers' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., last month also featured roundtables with the bloc's central bankers. Conversations at the summit were 'candid,' Macklem said, and though the nations issued a joint statement at the close of the event, that doesn't mean they agreed on everything. 'International co-operation, to be honest, has never been easy. It is particularly difficult right now, but that doesn't make it less important. That makes it more important,' he said. 'I do think Canada, as the chair of the G7, has a leadership role to play.' The Bank of Canada is also changing the way it has conversations with Canadians and the kind of data it considers. A day after the June interest rate decision, deputy governor Sharon Kozicki told a Toronto business crowd how the central bank is using data more nimbly, relying heavily on surveys and more granular information to make monetary policy decisions in an uncertain time. These sources offer a faster way to see what's happening on the ground in the economy than traditional statistical models allow. Macklem said the central bank would previously have dismissed most supply shocks as transitory — likely to pass without the need for central bank adjustments, such as rising and falling oil prices. But he said the Bank of Canada needs to be running a more 'nuanced playbook' now to respond to some increasingly common shocks: supply chain disruptions, trade conflicts and extreme weather to name a few. An overheating economy running up against a supply disruption is the kind of inflationary fire Macklem is trying to avoid in this latest crisis. 'The economy does not work well when inflation is high,' he said. 'And the primary role of the Bank of Canada is to ensure that Canadians maintain confidence in price stability. That's all we can do for the Canadian economy. That's what we can do for Canadians. And that's what we're focused on.' Later in the day on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Canadian team was down but roared back to win 4-3 in overtime. It's still early in the Bank of Canada's response to the latest global shock. But with any luck, Macklem's team might also get a leg up with lessons learned the last time they faced big odds. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bank of Canada head Tiff Macklem says mandate should evolve in a 'shock-prone' world
OTTAWA — Tiff Macklem is wearing an Edmonton Oilers pin as he reflects on coming very close to beating big odds. It's a significant day for the governor of the Bank of Canada: he's just laid out his reasons to the entire country and a global audience for keeping the central bank's benchmark interest rate steady for a second straight time. That night is also Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals; Macklem ends his press conference with a hearty "Go Oilers!" It's a rematch from last year's heartbreak, when the Oilers came oh-so-close to mounting a seemingly impossible four-game comeback against the Florida Panthers, only to fall short by a single goal in Game 7. Macklem, too, was almost safe to declare victory last year. He had just about secured a coveted "soft landing" for Canada's economy — a rare feat that sees restrictive monetary policy bring down surging levels of inflation without tipping the economy into a prolonged downturn. "We got inflation down. We didn't cause a recession," Macklem said in an interview with The Canadian Press after the rate announcement Wednesday. "And, to be frank, until President (Donald) Trump started threatening the economy with new tariffs, we were actually seeing growth pick up." Fresh out of one crisis, the central bank now must contend with another in U.S. tariffs. Five years into his tenure as head of the Bank of Canada, Macklem said he sees the central bank's role in stickhandling the economy — as well as Canada's role on the world stage — evolving. Many Canadians have become more familiar with the Bank of Canada in recent years. After the COVID-19 pandemic recovery ignited inflation, the central bank's rapid tightening cycle and subsequent rate cuts were top-line news for anxious Canadians stressed about rising prices and borrowing costs. That was all in pursuit of meeting the central bank's inflation target of two per cent, part of a mandate from the federal government that's up for review next year. Macklem said the past few years have led the Bank of Canada to scrutinize some of its metrics, like core inflation and how it responds to supply shocks in the economy. But he defends keeping the bank's inflation target, particularly at a time of global upheaval. "Our flexible inflation targeting framework has just been through the biggest test it's ever had in the 30 years since we announced the inflation target," he said. "I'm not going to pretend it's been an easy few years for anybody. But I think the framework has performed well." Macklem said, however, that he sees room to build out the mandate to address other areas of concern from Canadians, such as housing affordability. Whether it's the high cost of rent or a mortgage, or surging prices for groceries and vehicles, Macklem said the past few years have been eye-opening to Canadians who weren't around the last time inflation hit double digits in the 1980s. "Unfortunately, a whole new generation of Canadians now know what inflation feels like, and they didn't like it one bit," he said. Monetary policy itself can't make homes more affordable, he noted — in a nutshell, high interest rates make mortgages more expensive while low rates can push up the price of housing itself because they stoke demand. But Macklem said one of the things he's reflecting on is that inflation can get worse when the economy isn't operating at its potential or when it's facing great disruption. "There is a role for monetary policy to smooth out some of that adjustment — support the economy while ensuring that inflation is well-controlled." He didn't offer suggestions on how the mandate might expand to address housing affordability specifically, but said "the work is ongoing" and will be settled in meetings with the federal government next year. Right now, he's trying to make sure that the economic impacts from Canada's tariff dispute with the United States don't result in prolonged inflation. The Bank of Canada is not alone in debating how monetary policy ought to respond in what Macklem called a more "shock-prone" world. The G7 Finance Ministers' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., last month also featured roundtables with the bloc's central bankers. Conversations at the summit were "candid," Macklem said, and though the nations issued a joint statement at the close of the event, that doesn't mean they agreed on everything. "International co-operation, to be honest, has never been easy. It is particularly difficult right now, but that doesn't make it less important. That makes it more important," he said. "I do think Canada, as the chair of the G7, has a leadership role to play." The Bank of Canada is also changing the way it has conversations with Canadians and the kind of data it considers. A day after the June interest rate decision, deputy governor Sharon Kozicki told a Toronto business crowd how the central bank is using data more nimbly, relying heavily on surveys and more granular information to make monetary policy decisions in an uncertain time. These sources offer a faster way to see what's happening on the ground in the economy than traditional statistical models allow. Macklem said the central bank would previously have dismissed most supply shocks as transitory — likely to pass without the need for central bank adjustments, such as rising and falling oil prices. But he said the Bank of Canada needs to be running a more "nuanced playbook" now to respond to some increasingly common shocks: supply chain disruptions, trade conflicts and extreme weather to name a few. An overheating economy running up against a supply disruption is the kind of inflationary fire Macklem is trying to avoid in this latest crisis. 'The economy does not work well when inflation is high," he said. "And the primary role of the Bank of Canada is to ensure that Canadians maintain confidence in price stability. That's all we can do for the Canadian economy. That's what we can do for Canadians. And that's what we're focused on." Later in the day on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Canadian team was down but roared back to win 4-3 in overtime. It's still early in the Bank of Canada's response to the latest global shock. But with any luck, Macklem's team might also get a leg up with lessons learned the last time they faced big odds. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025. Craig Lord, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Beef prices surge as barbecue season approaches
Canadians looking to grill some burgers and steaks as the summer barbecue season heats up may find themselves paying much more for beef, prompting one food expert to call for an investigation. Prices for striploin steak are 34.2 per cent higher since January, while top sirloin is up 33.7 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. Pork ribs and chicken breasts are each up 5.9 per cent during the same period. 'For many Canadian families, a summer steak on the grill is starting to feel more like a splurge than a staple,' Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, said in a recent report. 'Consumers will continue to enjoy beef, but with moderation and on occasions that justify the cost.' He pointed to several factors behind the jump in beef prices, including transportation costs, the carbon tax, the number of licensed beef processors and labour costs. Canadian inventory is also an issue since it has fallen to 3.38 million head, the lowest level since 1989. 'Many cattle producers are exiting the industry while prices are favourable, opting to reinvest in less volatile sectors or shift entirely to crop production,' Charlebois said. 'In short, the Canadian beef industry is retreating and becoming increasingly risk-averse.' Canadians are already taking notice of the price hikes in the past few years. Per capita beef consumption fell 7.1 per cent in 2023 and another 2.1 per cent in 2024, according to IBISWorld data. 'This is no longer just a matter of shifting dietary preferences; it's a structural shift in consumer behaviour,' Charlebois said. 'Beef is increasingly seen as a luxury item, with ground beef becoming the primary choice for budget-conscious households still committed to red meat.' He also wonders if producers in Canada are taking advantage of the situation. In the United States, former president Joe Biden tried to crack down on anticompetitive practices in the food industry, specifically price fixing in the meat sector. In February, Brazilian meatpacking company JBS SA agreed to pay US$83.5 to settle claims that it worked with other companies to artificially inflate prices. Under the settlement, JBS must also work with U.S. investigators looking into similar claims at Tyson Foods Inc., Cargill Inc. and National Beef Packing Co. LLC. JBS has called the claims against it 'frivolous and without merit,' but is settling because it is in the company's best interest. 'The Canadian Competition Bureau, by contrast, has remained largely silent on similar concerns,' Charlebois said. 'Perhaps it's time for that to change.' Prices on thousands of grocery items to rise despite tariff break, says Loblaw Canada has lost its global agricultural trading edge, RBC report says The Competition Bureau said investigations are confidential, so it can not reveal information on current investigations. 'The bureau must conduct a thorough and complete examination of the facts regarding any issue before reaching any conclusion as to whether the Competition Act has been contravened,' a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement. 'If we find evidence of activities that could raise concerns under the law, we will take action.' • Email: bcousins@ Sign in to access your portfolio
