Canadian Travel Hacking

Category: General

  • Air Canada to offer WiFi

    Air Canada will begin offering WiFi on North American flights next month with a plan to offer the service on all its North American narrow-body aircraft by the end of next year.

    air-canada

    The airline has two Airbus A319 planes offering WiFi now in a test project and has hooked up with in-flight WiFi provider Gogo to equip 29 aircraft this year and the rest of its Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier planes by 2015.
    “In today’s connected world, our customers want to access e-mail, mobile device applications and the Internet wherever they are, both to increase their work productivity and expand their leisure options,” Ben Smith, Air Canada executive vice-president and chief commercial officer said in a statement Wednesday.

    The deal with Gogo includes testing a WiFi system for international flights, Air Canada said.

    Gogo Inc., based in Itasca, Ill., said about 2,000 aircraft now use its service.

    WestJet Airlines Ltd., said in February that it has signed a deal with Panasonic Corp. of Japan to offer a new entertainment system on its Boeing 737 aircraft that allows passengers to watch television and movies and gain access to the Internet with their electronic devices.

    As well as a marketing tool, the move to offer WiFi will also boost Air Canada’s revenue.

    Charging for WiFi service is part of the effort by all airlines to raise ancillary revenue, or funds generated from services or other fees in addition to airfares.

    The direct charge for the services is one way of raising money, but airlines also encourage passengers to shop online and onboard for boutique items such as perfume and chocolate.

  • Canadian Travel Hacking in the Toronto Star

    Welcome Toronto Star readers!

    toronto-star

    I am happy to see my family in the article (a photo from our first family holiday to Europe in beautiful Portugal). The only error was my wife’s name (should be Lina)!

    I offer my tips on savings on travel hacking.

    My top tip at the moment is getting the American Express Platinum Card – currently has a 60,000 Membership rewards points bonus (equal to $600 of free travel or 60,000 Aeroplan miles -enough for 2 round trip tickets anywhere in Canada or a ticket to Europe).

    Here is a copy of the article.

  • Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has been named by Skytrax as North America’s best airport

    For the fifth consecutive year, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has been named by Skytrax as North America’s best airport.

    yvr-logo

    The announcement was made in Barcelona earlier today during the World Airport Awards – a global benchmark of airport excellence that is known within the travel industry as the Passengers’ Choice Awards.

    The rankings are based entirely on independent passenger surveys and is held in the highest regard for its impartiality and integrity.

    YVR Airport was also named the world’s best airport serving between 10-20 million passengers, ranked 2nd in the North America’s best airport staff list, and ranked 9th overall in the world’s best airports list (just behind Zurich and ahead of London Heathrow). The Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel on the east end of the terminal building was named the best airport hotel in North America.

  • Air Canada rouge Expands In The West

    Air Canada has announced that its leisure carrier subsidiary, Air Canada rouge, is expanding to Western Canada to serve a number of predominantly leisure markets from Vancouver and Calgary to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Anchorage. Flights on these routes, currently operated by Air Canada, will be converted to Air Canada rouge service beginning this spring, as will flights to San Diego from Toronto.

    Air Canada Rouge
    Air Canada Rouge

    In addition, the airline announced that it will introduce new seasonal non-stop service operated by Air Canada rouge between Vancouver and Phoenix beginning Dec. 17, 2014. Existing service from Calgary and Toronto to Phoenix will also be converted to Air Canada rouge. Flights and optional Air Canada Vacations packages are available for purchase at http://www.aircanada.com.

    Ben Smith, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, said that: “The expansion of our leisure carrier to Vancouver and Calgary, in tandem with Air Canada’s mainline fleet renewal, is a key element of our strategy for sustainable, profitable growth at both airlines.”

    Smith pointed out that: “California and the U.S. Southwest are favourite vacation destinations for our Western Canada customers and Anchorage is an important port of call offered with Air Canada Vacations cruise packages. Air Canada rouge is best suited to compete more cost effectively in these markets where there is both a high leisure travel demand and low-cost competition.”

    And he added: “We will continue to evaluate future market opportunities as new aircraft are introduced into the mainline fleet and existing aircraft are released for operation by Air Canada rouge as market demand warrants. Since its launch in July 2013, we have successfully deployed Air Canada rouge to serve Caribbean, European and select sun destinations in the United States. We look forward to offering customers in Western Canada a full range of products and services offered by both airlines, each suited to specific markets on a route-by-route basis.”

    For more, go to http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/rouge.html .

  • Starwood 2014 Annual Category Changes – Canadian Hotels

    I am a big Starwood fan (most of the time), no blackout dates, valuable and flexible points, but today just over 20% of all their hotels are changing category, of these 56% are moving down and 44% are moving up.

    Most hotels chains reorganize their categories yearly to keep them current with the average rates that they charge.  The beauty of hotel points is that there are no blackout dates or capacity controls, if there is a room you can use points for it. 

    So even if a major event is in town and rates are quadruple what they normally are you can still use the regular amount of points as long as the hotel is not sold out of standard rooms.

    This list is subject to change and other hotels can still be added to it.

    Starwood’s standard award chart will not change:
    If you stay 5 nights with points the 5th night is free.
    Category 1 = 2,000 (weekend), 3,000 (weekday).
    Category 2 = 3,000 (weekend), 4,000 (weekday).
    Category 3 = 7,000
    Category 4 = 10,000
    Category 5 = 12,000 (Low Season), 16,000 (High Season).
    Category 6 = 20,000 (Low Season), 25,000 (High Season).
    Category 7 = 30,000 (Low Season), 35,000 (High Season).

    Here are the Canadian updates:

    • Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg
      International Airport from a 3 to a 4.
    • Four Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airporta 4 to a 3.
    • Four Points by Sheraton Kingston a 4 to a 3.
    • Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport a 3 to a 2.

    The major resorts in Hawaii were increased :{

  • US AIRWAYS: NO LONGER AN AEROPLAN PARTNER—EFFECTIVE MARCH 30, 2014.

    Effective March 30, 2014, US Airways will no longer be an Aeroplan Partner. You will not be able to earn Aeroplan Miles on US Airways flights scheduled after that date.
    Accumulation: Mileage accumulation on US Airways flights will be permitted until March 30, 2014. Aeroplan Members will be allowed to claim retro credits until September 30, 2014 for eligible flight flown up to March 30, 2014 according to the US Airways accumulation structure.
    Redemption: For members with existing flight rewards containing flight segments on US Airways, these bookings will remain valid for travel.
    Aeroplan members will be able to redeem flight rewards with US Airways until March 26, 2014.
    Any changes to US Airways flight dates, flight times, origin and destination, routing or cabin class can be made until March 26, 2014 by calling the Aeroplan Contact Centre All applicable fees and taxes will apply.
    For travel with US Airways through March 30, 2014, Air Canada Altitude members, Super Elite 100K, Elite 75K and Elite 50K will enjoy Star Alliance Gold recognition and Air Canada Altitude members, Elite 35K and Prestige 25K will enjoy Star Alliance Silver recognition.
    For more details, please refer to the US Airways partner page.

  • New Air New Zealand Sports Illustrated Safety Video

    Why can’t all safety videos be part entertaining and part educational?

     

    For anyone that hasn’t seen it, Air New Zealand just unveiled their latest safety video, which is filmed with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models in the Cook Islands.

    I am surprised I didn’t see any appearance by any of the All Blacks!

  • Canada Day Challenge 2014

    Image of the Canada Day Challenge poster, on the image a boy holding a pencil and a paint brush, a young girl with a camera and another young girl holding an electronic tablet.

    • Be original.
    • Be creative.
    • Be part of the 2014 Canada Day Challenge!

    If you’re between 8 and 18 years old and live in Canada, you’re invited to express what Canada means to you by submitting an original poster design, a digital photograph, or a piece of creative writing inspired by the theme Canada: Strong and Free. You could win some really great prizes, including a VIP invitation to attend Canada Day 2014 events on Parliament Hill!

    Entries will be accepted until February 15, 2014. Be sure to check out How to Enter to learn more about this year’s exciting contest!

  • Tour operators impose ‘currency surcharge’ on Canadian travellers

    Transat A.T. (TSX-TRZ.B) spokeswoman Debbie Cabana confirmed Thursday that Canada’s largest tour operator is adding a $35 currency surcharge to sun destinations and Florida effective Jan. 27.

    Published reports say Sunwing and Air Canada Vacations are also both implementing $35 surcharges to offset the falling loonie — Air Canada (TSX:AC.B) effective Jan. 27 and Sunwing effective Jan. 30.

    Sunquest, a unit of Thomas cook, got the ball rolling on the issue earlier this month, warning travellers to book by Jan. 11 to take advantage of lower prices before it began taking measures to compensate for the lower Canadian dollar.

    Sunquest did not give a specific figure for its planned price increases aimed at offsetting rising hotel as well as fuel costs, which are priced in U.S. dollars.

    “The increase will depend on the cost of the hotel itself — the more expensive properties will see a higher increase, for the less expensive ones the increase will be less noticeable,” spokeswoman Kerry Sharpe said in an email at the time.

    Meanwhile, WestJet (TSX:WJA) said Wednesday that it had “no intention” of imposing a currency surcharge on vacations in response to the falling dollar.

    “We are committed to the transparency of our advertised prices,” Tim Croyle, WestJet Vacations vice-president and general manager, said in a release.

    “We believe the base price should reflect the true price of the package, and that the only taxes and fees charged should be those that are passed on to government and regulatory bodies, not used to offset cost increases.”

    Source: Canadian Press

  • WestJet expansion includes Calgary-New York JFK route

    WestJet announced five new routes and a number of schedule changes that the Canadian low-cost carrier billed as “its most comprehensive schedule release since the airline took to the skies in 1996.”

    The highlight for U.S. travelers likely will be WestJet’s new nonstop route between Calgary and New York JFK, a route that will launch April 27. The carrier will fly one daily round-trip flight on the route using Boeing 737 jets.

    WestJet also plans to add flights between Las Vegas and the Alberta city of Fort McMurray. The airline will start flying the route June 24, offering two flights a week.

    WestJet’s other new routes include:

    – Calgary-Prince George, B.C.: One daily round-trip flight beginning April 27

    – Vancouver-Fort McMurray, Alberta: One daily round-trip flight beginning May 12

    – Fort McMurray-Kelowna, B.C.: One daily round-trip flight beginning May 12

    Elsewhere, WestJet plans to increase the number flights it offers on 20 existing routes and will convert five seasonal routes into year-round service.

    “The latest schedule reflects the varied needs of the many guests who choose WestJet,” John Weatherill, WestJet’s director of Network and Schedule Planning, says in a statement.

    “We have added in-flight service and amenities for those guests travelling for business and additional flight frequency and convenient, non-stop service across all points of the network,” Weatherill adds. “Our goal is to make it even easier to do business affordably and efficiently with our airline. Leisure travelers asking for more frequency to WestJet’s southern destinations will also see their options increase with today’s announcement.”

    In making its Monday announcement, WestJet also touted other upcoming routes and changes — most notably the launch of the company’s first trans-Atlantic route. That route — between Toronto and Dublin — is scheduled to begin June 15.

    WestJet says “other summer highlights” include “service increases to 15 popular southern destinations including Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale and Phoenix in addition to well-traveled Caribbean and Mexican spots.