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☆ Airfare to leisure destinations to cost less this winter, WestJet CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MONTREAL, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Airfare to popular international leisure destinations should cost less this winter and next summer than a year ago as carriers add capacity, the CEO of Canada's WestJet Airlines told Reuters on Wednesday. I think this winter we'll have a better supply-to-demand balance, which will give more affordability to Canadians," von Hoensbroech added. WestJet expects to fly almost half of the seats to sun destinations after acquiring leisure carrier Sunwing this year. "We see strong bookings, slightly softer than what we saw last winter," von Hoensbroech added. "I would expect next summer there would be a different demand-to-supply equation on transatlantic," von Hoensbroech said.

Persons: Canada's, Alexis von Hoensbroech, von Hoensbroech, WestJet, Von Hoensbroech, Allison Lampert, Valerie Insinna, Will Dunham Organizations: MONTREAL, WestJet Airlines, Reuters, Onex, Air Transport Association of Canada, Air Canada, Boeing, U.S . Federal Aviation Administration, Thomson Locations: Europe, Asia Pacific, Montreal, Washington

☆ Canadian pilots eye higher-paid U.S. cockpits amid staffing shortages
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some 147 Canadian pilots applied for licenses to fly commercial jets in the United States in 2022, up from 39 in 2021, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. High travel demand in the United States, where pilots are securing historic wage increases, isattracting foreign aviators, despite delays and high costs of immigrating, according to lawyers, unions and pilots. While small, the increase in U.S. applications is worrisome for regional Canadian carriers, which like their U.S. counterparts, are wrestling with staffing shortages as they lose pilots to larger airlines, industry experts say. It could also put pressure on Air Canada (AC.TO) during negotiations with its pilots, whose contract expires on September 29. Air Canada pilots earned more before 2013.

Persons: F, Andrew Kelly, John Gradek, Mark Taylor, Taylor, Sunwing, Attorney Jean, Francois Harvey, he's, Gradek, John McKenna, Allison Lampert, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Kennedy International Airport, REUTERS, Rights, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Air Canada, McGill University, Sunwing Airlines, WestJet Airlines, Air, Air Line Pilots Association, United Airlines, Air Transport Association of Canada, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, United States, Canada, Calgary, Montreal, Canada's, Attorney, Air Canada

But that can take time, analysts say, since airlines must manually override automated systems that raise fares in the case of higher demand. Here is a look at how airlines deal with a sudden surge in demand on a particular route. DISASTERS VERSUS HIGH DEMANDAirlines set a range of ticket prices based on factors like purchase timing and demand. They then allocate seats to each fare, explained Chris Amenechi, founder of startup SeatCash, which offers subscribers a product that predicts future flight prices. Travel site Expedia Group (EXPE.O) said air partners set flight prices and availability on its site.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Chris Amenechi, ”, Amenechi, Robert Mann, Mann, Allison Lampert, Doyinsola, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Air Canada, HIGH, CAP, Air, Expedia, Airlines, WestJet Airlines, U.S, Amtrak, Thomson Locations: Okanagan, West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Yellowknife, Air Canada, Calgary, Maui, Honolulu, U.S, Washington, New York

Smoke hangs in the air on the outskirts of Yellowknife after a state of emergency was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada August 16, 2023. "We have put in place a cap on our fares for non-stop flights out of Yellowknife," said Air Canada, the country's largest carrier, in a statement. Air Canada said it has cancelled flights out of Yellowknife on Saturday to comply with the evacuation order given by the Northwest Territories government. This is how Air Canada plans on helping?" Canada's Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez will be speaking with Air Canada today to receive an update on the situation on the ground, a spokesperson said.

Persons: Smoke, Pat Kane, WestJet, Pablo Rodriguez, Allison Lampert, Ismail Shakhil, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Air Canada, WestJet Airlines, Canada's, . Air, Northwest Territories, Air, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, Canadian, Calgary, . Air Canada, Air Canada, Montreal, Ottawa

☆ Air Canada pilots end 10-year contract framework, eye bargaining
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Air Canada pilots have previously said they are pressing for "historic" gains to narrow the earnings gap with higher-paid aviators at U.S. carriers. "We were willing to meet with the company if they wanted to provide us with a substantial proposal that would further our membership’s goals," said the letter, adding Air Canada did not seek to open discussions. The Air Canada pilots group, which joined the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) this month, said in a separate document it expects a notice to bargain to be provided in early June. "Our pilots may elect to use the option that was available to them to initiate bargaining for a new collective agreement," Montreal-based Air Canada said in an emailed statement. U.S. pilots made gains in a recent tentative agreement with American Airlines (AAL.O) and a separate deal with Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) which delivers a 34% pay increase over four years.

☆ WestJet, pilots in tentative deal for 24% hourly raise over 4 years, document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MONTREAL, May 26 (Reuters) - WestJet Airlines pilots will get a 24% hourly raise over four years, plus other pay and benefits as part of a tentative agreement reached in May, according to a copy seen by Reuters on Friday. The tentative agreement was reached by Onex Corp's (ONEX.TO) WestJet and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) less than 24 hours before the start of an expected strike at Canada's second-largest carrier. The deal, pending approval by WestJet pilots, is expected to put pressure on Air Canada (AC.TO) as the larger rival faces a call from its pilots to narrow the earnings gap with higher-paid aviators in the United States. Air Canada, which is not currently in negotiations, has said it abides by the 10-year contract. After 11 years, a top-paid Air Canada B787 pilot earns C$313.81 ($234.68) an hour, according to an internal table seen by Reuters.

☆ Factbox: Pilots, airlines seek to strike new contracts ahead of peak travel season
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO (LUV.N):The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) in May said its members at the company approved a strike mandate. It added that 98% of its members participated in the vote and 99% voted in favor of authorizing a strike. UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC (UAL.O):Last year, ALPA said 94% of the nearly 10,000 United Airlines pilots voted to reject a contract offer. SPIRIT AIRLINES INC (SAVE.N):In January, ALPA said pilots at Spirit Airlines voted to ratify a new contract. More than 97% of the union members took part in the vote and 99% of them authorized union leaders to call a strike, if needed.

☆ WestJet pay debate sets scene for Air Canada's pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MONTREAL, May 18 (Reuters) - A faceoff this week between WestJet Airlines and its pilots over pay could set the stage for aviators' demands in future bargaining with Air Canada (AC.TO). It would be the first major pilots' strike in Canada since 1998, according to a spokesperson for Canada's Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan, who is at the talks. ALPA president Jason Ambrosi recently told Reuters that a key priority is to narrow the pay gap between Air Canada pilots and their U.S. counterparts, echoing the union's demand for a "North American" contract at WestJet. Gradek added there is a group of Air Canada pilots "who have been chomping at the bit" to get a significant bump in wages. Air Canada pilots, who have received a 2% wage increase per year since 2014, have complained Delta’s latest hourly pay rates are up to 45% higher.

☆ WestJet union seeks to narrow pay gap between Canada and U.S. pilots as strike looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pilots at Onex Corp-owned (ONEX.TO) WestJet gave notice on Monday that could allow for strike action as early as May 19, raising fears of travel disruptions during Canada's Victoria Day holiday weekend. Pay is still the outlier," said Bernard Lewall, a union representative with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). "We need to narrow that gap between the North American carriers and WestJet," he said on Tuesday in an interview. Lewall declined to give a specific wage target, but said the airline must pay more to retain pilots. "We hope this measure will help WestJet passengers who otherwise could not travel due to the pilots’ strike,” said Flair CEO Stephen Jones.

☆ Pilots at Canada's WestJet Airlines approve possible strike action
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 18 (Reuters) - WestJet Airlines pilots on Tuesday voted for possible strike action as early as May 16, underscoring broader efforts by North American pilots to make gains on salary and working conditions as traffic rises. Pilots at Onex Corp's (ONEX.TO) WestJet Group, Canada's second-largest carrier, could strike or be locked out if notice is given on May 13, union representative Bernard Lewall said. Participating pilots voted 93% in favor of strike authorization, said Lewall, chair of the local union with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Calgary-based WestJet said the carrier wants an agreement that is competitive within Canada's airline industry. Their union, the Allied Pilots Association, is also holding a strike authorization vote that concludes on April 30.

REUTERS/Cole Burston/File PhotoFeb 24 (Reuters) - Airports are taking steps to avoid gridlock during the upcoming holiday travel seasons, with some limiting flights during peak hours to avoid the long lines and luggage piles that marred last summer. While smoother holiday travel is expected for Europe and North America, airlines and airports which learned tough lessons on holiday travel in 2022, are taking a more prudent approach as global traffic rebounds roughly to pre-pandemic levels. Despite extensive planning and hiring this year, some airlines and airports are still wrestling with industry staff shortages, including baggage handlers. Germany's Lufthansa AG (LHAG.DE) said it has cut summer flights by an unspecified amount due to shortages of personnel like ground handlers at airports in Frankfurt and Munich. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency were not immediately available to comment on staffing.

☆ Winter storm causes havoc across Canada, disrupts holiday travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] People arrive at terminal 3 during a winter storm at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada December 23, 2022. The storm was expected to affect about two-thirds of all Canadians as it moves across Canada's two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec, toward Atlantic Canada, said Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Flisfeder. Winter storms have increased in frequency and intensity over the past 70 years, according to the U.S. Canada's second-largest carrier WestJet Airlines proactively cancelled all its flights at airports in Toronto, Ottawa and the province of Quebec, citing bad weather. Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ WestJet's Sunwing deal likely to raise 'substantial' competition issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A WestJet Boeing 737-800 airplane prepares to land at Vancouver's international airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Ben NelmsMONTREAL (Reuters) - WestJet Airlines’ planned purchase of leisure rival Sunwing would likely have “substantial anti-competitive effects” on sales of vacation packages, including higher prices and less choice, Canada’s Competition Bureau said on Wednesday. Calgary-based WestJet, which is owned by private equity firm Onex Corp ONEX.TO, said in March it would buy Ontario-based Sunwing and the travel booking website Sunwing Vacations. “It would also likely result in a significant reduction in travel by Canadians on a variety of routes where their existing travel networks overlap,” it added. Sunwing said in a statement that the routes identified as a concern in the report are predominantly in Western Canada, seasonal and account for just over 10% of all seats.

☆ Canada to remove all Covid travel restrictions from Oct. 1
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cars line up at Canadian side of the border between Canada and the United States, near Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia on August 9, 2021. Canada will drop all Covid-19 restrictions for travelers from Oct. 1, including vaccination and masking requirements for flights and trains, the government said on Monday. The move is likely to boost the Canadian travel industry, already booming after months of lull during the pandemic. More than 90% of Canadians over 12 have taken the primary series of a Covid vaccine. Cruise ship passengers and crew would also no longer be subject to vaccine requirements or Covid testing.

☆ Sunwing union opposes Canadian carrier's plans to hire foreign pilots
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Airline industry use of foreign pilots as aviation rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic is sensitive for unions in Canada and the United States. Those unions want greater efforts to hire pilots from the airlines' home countries despite complaints of shortages. The use of pilots as temporary foreign workers is rare compared with other sectors. In the first half of 2022, Canadian employers were granted permission to fill 32 pilot positions with temporary foreign workers, according to government data. A spokeswoman for O'Regan said it was up to an employer to meet requirements to bring in temporary foreign workers.

Francis Bruhm, Project Manager for general contractor G&R Kelly, places sandbags around the doors of the Nova Scotia Power building before the arrival of Hurricane Fiona in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada September 23, 2022. It was due to make landfall in eastern Nova Scotia Saturday morning, but rain and wind had already started Friday night. Canadian authorities sent emergency alerts in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, warning of severe flooding along shorelines and extremely dangerous waves. The storm could prove more ferocious than the benchmarks of Hurricane Juan in 2003 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Canadian Hurricane Centre meteorologist Bob Robichaud told a briefing. Trailing Fiona in the Caribbean is Tropical storm Ian, which is expected to become a hurricane on Sunday night.

Francis Bruhm, Project Manager for general contractor G&R Kelly, places sandbags around the doors of the Nova Scotia Power building before the arrival of Hurricane Fiona in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Ingrid Bulmer/File PhotoHALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Powerful storm Fiona slammed into eastern Canada on Saturday with hurricane-force winds, nearly a week after devastating parts of the Caribbean. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the center of the storm, now called Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona, was crossing eastern Nova Scotia, bringing high winds and heavy rains. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterExperts predicted high winds, storm surges and heavy rainfall from Fiona. Canadian authorities sent emergency alerts in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, warning of severe flooding along shorelines and extremely dangerous waves.

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