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Travel Daily News
03-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
WestJet Group completes integration of Sunwing Airlines
WestJet completes Sunwing Airlines integration, unifying operations, enhancing sun and leisure travel offerings, and expanding affordable options for Canadian travellers. WestJet officially completes its integration of Sunwing Airlines. This achievement represents two years (to the month) of dedicated work, strategic coordination and consultation, and a commitment to delivering greater value and connectivity for Canadian travellers. 'Completing two airline consolidations in just two years – the first with Swoop in 2024 and now Sunwing – was complex and required coordination across every aspect of our business, from operational, labour, and regulatory areas to experiential and cultural elements,' says Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Executive Officer of the WestJet Group. 'Achieving this milestone is proof of the incredible way our unified team works together and is a clear win for WestJet and our guests; it's also a story of transformation in Canadian aviation. A huge thanks to everyone who contributed!' WestJet acquired Sunwing in May 2023, the first step of many in bringing together two distinctly Canadian travel and tourism success stories, as part of WestJet's ambition to be the leader in providing affordable and accessible sun and leisure travel for Canadians. The vision to integrate Sunwing Airlines, realized on May 29, 2025, is part of the airline's strategy to deliver new and competitive travel options, and greater overall value for Canadians in sun and leisure market, while strengthening Canada's travel industry at a critical time. WestJet has now integrated all jet aircraft under a single Air Operator Certificate (AOC), including 16 former Swoop aircraft, another nine former Lynx Air aircraft which were secured after that airline went out of business, and now 18 more from Sunwing Airlines. WestJet's unified narrowbody operation will begin to realize efficiencies once it transforms these aircraft with cabin reconfigurations to the WestJet standard interior being completed through 2025. The result of this integration will be a consistent onboard experience for guests, with a more diverse range of onboard product offerings, including Premium, Economy, Extended Comfort, and UltraBasic seating available on all 150 Boeing 737 aircraft across the airline. WestJet's concept for expanding cabin optionality will serve the evolving needs of Canadian travellers who appreciate the ability to choose between a range of products and price points, without compromising on network. Additionally, guests flying on WestJet with reservations through the Sunwing Vacations brand, which continues to exist as Canada's post popular vacations provider, or its wholly owned tour operator businesses, can expect an improved end-to-end travel experience, as Canada's leading vacations provider continues to streamline processes and booking flows with guests in mind. 'The final Sunwing-operated flight this week is a time to reflect,' von Hoensbroech notes, recognizing that Sunwing has played an important and influential role in the Canadian leisure travel market. 'I know every Sunwing employee, past and present feels their contributions have mattered to advancing the experience of air travel. To all WestJetters and former Sunwing team members: thank you. This milestone is your achievement, and a proud moment for us all.'
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Canadians' Trump-inspired US travel boycott intensified in April with further drops in car and plane trips
The decline in the number of Canadians traveling to the U.S. continued in April with even further drops in car and air travel. New figures from Statistics Canada reveal that the number of Canadians driving to the U.S., which is the preferred mode of transport for the majority of Canadians who visit, dropped by 35 percent in April compared to the same period last year. Similarly, there was a 20 percent decrease in air travel compared to April 2024. Canadian travel to the U.S. has now dropped four months in a row after 32 percent and 23 percent drops in car travel in March and February, while air travel dropped 14 percent and 2.4 percent during those months, respectively, Forbes noted. Just a 10 percent drop in Canadian tourism could lead to $2.1 billion in lost spending and put 140,000 jobs at risk, according to the U.S. Travdel Association. Fewer Americans also traveled to Canada last month, with car trips decreasing 11 percent and air travel 6 percent, Statistics Canada data showed. The U.S. is experiencing a significant decrease in international travel so far this year. Canadians make up the largest group of foreign tourists to the U.S., accounting for roughly a quarter of all foreign visitors, according to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). Mexico comes next on the list. However, 23 percent fewer people traveled to the U.S. from that country in March compared to last year. That same month, the number of tourists coming from almost every region of the world to the U.S. decreased. Seventeen percent fewer came in from Europe, travel from the Caribbean was down 26 percent, travel from Central America decreased 24 percent, and 11 percent fewer people came to the U.S. from South America. In addition, 10 percent fewer came to the U.S. from Africa, travel from Oceania dropped 8 percent, and travel from Asia dropped one percent, according to the NTTO. The USTA estimates that the U.S. stands to lose $1.8 billion in travel-related export revenue each year for every one percent drop in spending by international visitors. If travel to America continues to decrease, the U.S. could lose out on at least $21 billion in travel exports. The Canadian travel boycott of the U.S. began in early February after President Donald Trump revealed that he was set to impose tariffs on the country. He also threatened to annex Canada by calling it the 51st state and referred to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as 'governor.' Trudeau urged his people not to travel to the U.S. before leaving office in March. There are also fears among some Canadians of being wrongfully detained by U.S. immigration officers. Canadians, however, haven't stopped traveling; they're simply not going to the U.S. During a first-quarter earnings call, the chief executive officer at Booking Holdings, Glenn Fogel, said, "Canadians are traveling less to the U.S., but we see them more traveling to Mexico at this moment.' 'We are agnostic to where [Canadians] are traveling because usually they're spending the same amount, just at another destination,' he added. 'We see Canadians are traveling at a much lower rate to the U.S., but they're traveling more domestically, they are traveling to Mexico, they are going to Brazil, they're going to France, they're going to Japan … they are just choosing different destinations,' the chief financial officer at AirBnb Ellie Mertz told investors, according to Forbes.
