Air Travel

WestJet mechanics have voted overwhelmingly against a proposed new deal. (Black Press file photo)

WestJet mechanics reject contract in decision CEO calls ‘deeply concerning’

Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association represents some 670 aircraft tradespeople

 

WestJet Airlines says it is replacing its basic fare with a new category that does away with a free carry-on bag and other perks once thought of as a given. A WestJet Encore Bombardier Q400 twin-engined turboprop aircraft is prepared for a flight in Kamloops, Saturday, June 3, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet announces UltraBasic fare with no carry-on bag

Flyers will only be allowed a personal bag and will be the last to board the plane

 

FILE - A United Airlines jetliner lifts off from a runway at Denver International Airport on June 10, 2020. Numerous passengers onboard a United Airlines flight from Vancouver to Houston on May 31, 2024 reported feeling ill. The airline says they all came from the same cruise. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

25 passengers report illness while on board Vancouver-Houston flight

United Airlines says ill flyers all came from same cruise, but plane being cleaned as safety measure

 

FILE - A Qatar airways plane lands at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises on Sept. 25, 2023. Twelve people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin on Sunday May 26, 2024 hit turbulence, airport authorities said. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

12 people injured after Qatar Airways plane hits turbulence on way to Dublin

Qatar Airways described the injuries as ‘minor’

FILE - A Qatar airways plane lands at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises on Sept. 25, 2023. Twelve people were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin on Sunday May 26, 2024 hit turbulence, airport authorities said. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
WestJet Airlines has plans to soon introduce a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag. A passenger boards a WestJet Encore Bombardier Q400 twin-engined turboprop aircraft in Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, June 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on

Airline says new option to be introduced within a couple of weeks

WestJet Airlines has plans to soon introduce a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag. A passenger boards a WestJet Encore Bombardier Q400 twin-engined turboprop aircraft in Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, June 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Josh Silverstone, from Britain, who was injured during the flight of the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, talks to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday. A British man died and authorities said dozens of passengers were injured, some severely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

‘Sheer terror’: Passengers describe flight that put 20 in intensive care

Singapore Airlines flight plummeted 6,000 feet in about 3 minutes after hitting turbulence

Josh Silverstone, from Britain, who was injured during the flight of the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, talks to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday. A British man died and authorities said dozens of passengers were injured, some severely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Ambulances wait to carry passengers from a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence, in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The plane apparently plummeted for a number of minutes before it was diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews rushed to help injured passengers amid stormy weather, Singapore Airlines said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

1 man dead, dozens injured after Singapore Airlines flight turbulence

Plane dropped 1,800 meters in about 3 minutes while cruising over Indian Ocean

Ambulances wait to carry passengers from a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence, in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The plane apparently plummeted for a number of minutes before it was diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews rushed to help injured passengers amid stormy weather, Singapore Airlines said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Raymond Bohn of Nav Canada and Elizabeth Brown of the Victoria Airport Authority at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new air traffic control tower. (Mark Page/News Staff)

New eco-friendly air traffic control tower going in at Vancouver Island airport

Tower to have improved line-of-sight, as well as being state-of-the-art and LEED certified

  • May 14, 2024
Raymond Bohn of Nav Canada and Elizabeth Brown of the Victoria Airport Authority at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new air traffic control tower. (Mark Page/News Staff)
A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says its members rejected a tentative deal reached last month, with just over half voting the agreement down. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Pilots reject WestJet Encore deal; airline says operations as normal

Union says members want to see more action to improve recruitment, retention and morale

A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says its members rejected a tentative deal reached last month, with just over half voting the agreement down. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A WestJet passenger jet taxis while a WestJet turbo prop plane sits parked at a departure gate at the Calgary International Airport on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. A statement from the Calgary-based airline says a tentative deal between it and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has been agreed to. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet mechanics lockout averted, tenative deal reached

Terms of deal with Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association not yet available

A WestJet passenger jet taxis while a WestJet turbo prop plane sits parked at a departure gate at the Calgary International Airport on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. A statement from the Calgary-based airline says a tentative deal between it and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has been agreed to. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Extra fees becoming the norm for Canadian air travel

Budget carriers and cramped conditions mean the base rate is getting you less

A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
More than 800 airline food service staff at Toronto’s Pearson airport have gone on strike, potentially leaving thousands of passengers without meals. Travellers make their way through Pearson International Airport in Toronto Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
More than 800 airline food service staff at Toronto’s Pearson airport have gone on strike, potentially leaving thousands of passengers without meals. Travellers make their way through Pearson International Airport in Toronto Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Pilots taxi a WestJet Boeing 737-700 aircraft to the runway for departure from Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says a tentative deal has been struck with their employer, days before the pilots had threatened to go on strike. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WestJet Encore avoids impending strike, reaches deal with pilots

Tentative agreement must still be approved by the 355 members it covers

Pilots taxi a WestJet Boeing 737-700 aircraft to the runway for departure from Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says a tentative deal has been struck with their employer, days before the pilots had threatened to go on strike. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A WestJet Boeing 737-700 aircraft taxis to the runway for departure from Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. WestJet Encore pilots could go on strike as soon as April 17 after they approved a strike mandate Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WestJet Encore pilots vote to strike, job action possible as soon as April 17

Talks around pay, schedules and career progression at standstill

A WestJet Boeing 737-700 aircraft taxis to the runway for departure from Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. WestJet Encore pilots could go on strike as soon as April 17 after they approved a strike mandate Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Joel Krahn/Yukon News file

Net-zero airports goal of multiple B.C. air travel initiatives

Emissions data collection, sustainable fuel research, air-to-marine options underway

Joel Krahn/Yukon News file
Grounded Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport during in Toronto on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Inconsistency cited as Air Canada’s chief accessiblity issue

Advocates, Air Canada CEO clash on accessible travel as government collects info

Grounded Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport during in Toronto on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
FILE - Commercial airline passengers wait, and make their way through the ticketing level at Chicago’s Midway International Airport Friday, May 26, 2023, in Chicago. U.S. airfares are, on average, 15% lower now than they were a decade ago, and 6% lower than this time last year. The same cannot be said for many other purchasing categories where prices are increasing due to inflation. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Airfares dropping and they could be poised to drop even more

Cost of flying is bucking high inflation trend affecting so many other services

FILE - Commercial airline passengers wait, and make their way through the ticketing level at Chicago’s Midway International Airport Friday, May 26, 2023, in Chicago. U.S. airfares are, on average, 15% lower now than they were a decade ago, and 6% lower than this time last year. The same cannot be said for many other purchasing categories where prices are increasing due to inflation. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
Come Monday, Canadian travellers booked with the ultra-low-cost airline Lynx Air will be out of luck and its employees out of work. A plane arrives at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C. Wednesday, March 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Low-cost Lynx Air grounded permanently, flights to cease effective Monday

Airline blames inflation, fuel costs, exchange rates, cost of capital, regulatory costs, competition

Come Monday, Canadian travellers booked with the ultra-low-cost airline Lynx Air will be out of luck and its employees out of work. A plane arrives at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C. Wednesday, March 18, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
<div>Statistics Canada says the price of airfare fell more than 14 per cent in January versus the same month in 2023. WestJet passengers use a self-service kiosk in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</div>

Air fares plummet in Canada as competition up, demand down

Ticket prices down over December, and over January, 2023, but still above 2019 levels

<div>Statistics Canada says the price of airfare fell more than 14 per cent in January versus the same month in 2023. WestJet passengers use a self-service kiosk in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</div>
A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The fallout from a mid-flight panel blowout on a Boeing Co.-made plane last month has reached Canada, as WestJet faces indefinite delays on dozens of aircraft deliveries.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Blowout grounds WestJet plans to acquire multiple new Boeing planes

Production expansion at Boeing halted until safety concerns sufficiently addressed

A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. The fallout from a mid-flight panel blowout on a Boeing Co.-made plane last month has reached Canada, as WestJet faces indefinite delays on dozens of aircraft deliveries.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck