Air Canada push into Asia...Venice under water...WestJet self-serve bag tags
It's being called Air Canada's biggest international expansion ever.
The airline today announced a huge push into Asia, which has been on just about everybody's radar the last couple years. Air Canada said it's launching a new, non-stop route between Toronto and the booming Korean city of Seoul (see photo below right), beginning service to Istanbul, Turkey, subject to government approval, adding seven weekly departures to Beijing from Toronto and Vancouver and upgrading its Calgary-Tokyo Narita route to provide daily service (up from five a week in summer).
"Air Canada is seizing the opportunities of the Pacific Century with the most far-reaching international expansion of its schedule in its 75-year history," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "Our new routes embrace the world from Istanbul to Seoul and deepen our already extensive Asian service. With our Asia expansion alone, we will be flying 11 daily departures or more than 43,000 seats a week across the Pacific Ocean this summer - a commitment of up to 14 widebody aircraft valued in excess of $2 billion. Our service to Istanbul, the bridge between Europe and Asia, adds an exciting destination to the Air Canada network with easy connections throughout Turkey and points in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa with our Star Alliance partner Turkish Airlines."
Highlights of Air Canada's 2013 summer schedule include:
- Non-stop service to Istanbul beginning June 4. Subject to government
approval, Air Canada will begin flying three-times weekly, year-round to the
historic city which also serves as a gateway to other destinations in Turkey,
Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Flights will be operated with a Boeing
767-300ER aircraft. It will be the only early evening departure from Toronto to
Istanbul.
- The launch on June 2 of a new Toronto-Seoul service operating three times a
week, creating a fifth Asian destination from Air Canada's Toronto hub. The
year-round service, operated with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, will complement
existing Vancouver to Seoul service by providing daily departures from Canada to
Seoul.
- An addition of three more weekly departures between Toronto and Beijing
starting June 1, bringing the total number of departures from Toronto to Beijing
to ten a week. The flights will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER
aircraft
- Four additional departures each week between Vancouver and Beijing starting
June 1, for a total of 11 weekly departures, including a new late night flight
timed to be convenient for business travellers. The flights will be operated
with a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
- The upgrading of our Calgary-Tokyo Narita service starting May 1 to offer daily departures, up from five a week last summer. The flights are operated with a Boeing 767-300ER.
Seoul is particularly hot right now given the Gangnam Style song performed by Korean singer Psy. It's a huge internet sensation, which you must know unless you're living in a cave in Macedonia. In which case you probably wouldn't be reading this...
Very solid stuff, indeed for Air Canada. And don't forget Air Canada next year is supposed to start up its new, discount carrier with expanded options for the Caribbean and other popular spots. WestJet also will be starting up its new, regional carrier, called Encore, sometime around June of 2013.
In a related note, I read a Bloomberg report the other day that said Philippine billionaire Andrew Tan plans to spend $1.5 billion to triple his Alliance Global Group Inc's hotel rooms and become the nation's largest hotel owner; part of the Philippines' attempt to lure more tourists.
Philippine Air Lines is launching new service between Manila and Toronto as part of that push...
VENICE SUBMERGED?
Around 70 per cent of central Venice is underwater with heavy rain and
winds resulting in the sixth highest tide levels since 1872, according to Travelmole.com.
Italian news reports said north and central Italy was also affected with some 200 people evacuated from
their homes in Tuscany. Tourists in Venice were resorting to waterproof "Wellie" boots and swimwear while most tourist hotspots were deserted.
The
water levels rose to critical levels at the weekend with reports that
70% of central Venice was under water as the high tide mark reached more
than 150cm, reports the Daily Mail.
Although flooding is common at this time of year, this is the sixth-highest since records began being kept 150 years ago. Some holidaymakers were seen wading through nearly waist-high waters carrying suitcases on their shoulders.
They're selling this as an improvement? WestJet this week introduced self-serve bag tagging for guests flying to the U.S. from Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal; making it the first Canadian airline to introduce self-serve baggage tagging on non-stop, transborder flights.
"Self-serve baggage tagging allows WestJet guests to use mobile, web or kiosk check-in to check in for their flight and print their own baggage tags when they arrive at the airport. Guests checking in via kiosk may print their boarding passes and baggage tags at the same time. Once the tags have been attached, guests drop baggage off at the appropriate location."
A WestJet press release called the move "yet another milestone in our efforts to offer our guests additional self-serve options." A senior manager was quoted as saying guests are comfortable with self-serve options "and continue to encourage us to develop new tools to allow them more control over thier travel experience."
MORE CONTROL of our travel experience??? I want control of my in-flight entertainment. I want control of where I go. I don't want control over printing my baggage tags. Who wants that? Did people really write in and say, "Boy, I'd fly more often if I could just avoid having to have that person behind the counter print my bag tags for me."
I don't think so. Should I get ready to start hauling my bags to the plane or maybe help stack them inside the cargo hold, too? Do I have to help refuel the plane when we stop in Miami?
People don't want LESS service. They want MORE service.
MIAMI ART SHOW
A Martin Kreloff retrospective is being held at the JW Marriott Hotel Miami to usher in Miami's Art Basel week. The exhibition runs Dec. 3-9 and features portraits and a multimedia documents with photos and video.
The exhibition features portraits and photographs of the original "Miami Says ART" show in 1976, including such folks as Alex Katz and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Importance given to Seoul because of Gangnam style?? I find this amusing because popularity of a song would lead surge in traveler's traffic? highly unlikely I think.
Posted by: Vinay | January 03, 2013 at 07:16 AM