CANADA: Air Canada Crew Forget Sleeping Passenger In Parked Plane

Air Canada said Sunday it's looking into how crew members could have disembarked from a plane without noticing a sleeping passenger who was left behind.

The airline was responding to an incident involving a woman who described waking up "all alone" on a "cold dark" aircraft after a flight to Toronto earlier this month.

"I think I'm having a bad dream bc like seriously how is this happening? Tiffani Adams recounted in a June 19 Facebook post sent by her friend, Deanna Noel-Dale.

"I fell asleep probably less than halfway through my short 1.5 hour flight.. I wake up around midnight, a few hours after flight landed freezing cold still strapped in my seat in complete darkness (I'm talking pitch black) as someone with and anxiety disorder as is I can tell you how terrifying this was."

The airline confirmed the incident took place but declined to comment on its disembarking procedures or how the passenger may have been overlooked.

"We are still reviewing this matter so we have no additional details to share, but we have followed up with the customer and remain in contact with her," Air Canada said.

Adams wrote that after she woke up, she called Noel-Dale to try to explain what happened, but her phone died and she couldn't charge it because power to the plane was off.

She said she was "full on panicking" by the time she found the "walky talky thingys in the cockpit," which also didn't work.

After no one saw the "sos signals" she made by shining a flashlight out the window, she unbolted a cabin door. Facing a steep drop to the tarmac, she leaned out of the aircraft and called over a ground crew, who got her out.

The passenger wrote that Air Canada personnel asked if she was OK and whether she would like a limo and hotel, but she declined the offer.

She said airline representatives apologised and said they would investigate.

"I haven't got much sleep since the reoccurring night terrors and waking up anxious and afraid I'm alone locked up someplace dark," she wrote.

Air Canada said in a Facebook response to the post that it was surprised to hear the story and "very concerned," asking Adams to send a private message with her flight details.

"We'll take a look into it," the airline wrote.


Tourism Observer

USA: Air Canada Flight From Toronto To LAX Diverted To Salt Lake City After Passenger Was Found Dead

A plane flying to Los Angeles had to be diverted after a passenger was taken ill onboard and later died.

The Air Canada service from Toronto, Canada, to LAX was diverted to Salt Lake City after a passenger reportedly suffered a medical emergency.

He could not be revived and sadly died.

The Air Canada service from Toronto, Canada, to LAX was diverted to Salt Lake City after a passenger reportedly suffered a medical emergency.

He could not be revived and sadly died.

Speaking to US media, Air Canada confirmed flight AC795 left Toronto International bound for Los Angeles when it was diverted to Salt Lake City in Utah.

The plane left Toronto at 4.35pm local time on Monday afternoon (9.35pm BST).

It was expected to land at LAX at 6.53pm Pacific Summer Time (2.53am Tuesday BST).

The plane was expected to touch down at LAX in Los Angeles last night

But instead, it was diverted to Salt Lake City.

It finally landed at LAX at 9.24pm local time (5.24am BST).

According to Air Canada, the aircraft was met by medical services after landing.

The airline didn't give an update on the passenger's status.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: WestJet Airlines And Scoop Accused Of Predatory Pricing

The Federal Court of Canada has ordered a second senior employee at WestJet Airlines Ltd. to testify under oath in a predatory pricing investigation into WestJet and its budget subsidiary, Swoop, by Canada's competition watchdog.

The inquiry, launched by the Competition Bureau in the fall, concerns allegations the two airlines used anti-competitive practices to crowd out B.C.-based upstart Flair Airlines from at least three routes last year.

Federal Court Chief Justice Paul Crampton has ordered WestJet corporate planning manager Michael Claeren to be examined by Canada's commissioner of competition, citing Claeren's former role as a senior leader of revenue and pricing at Swoop.

He is set to appear next month alongside WestJet vice-president John Weatherill, who the Federal Court previously ordered to come before a presiding officer to explain the airline's tactics.

The commissioner launched the inquiry to investigate allegations the parties have abused their dominant position in the provision of air transportation services by engaging in predatory pricing practices on certain routes in Canada, according to a March 27 affidavit from Xavier Mercier, a senior officer at the Competition Bureau.

Flair alleges predatory pricing cost airline $10 million.

Predatory pricing is when a company offers services below break even costs to hobble a competitor, along with an expectation to recoup losses through future price hikes, according to Competition Bureau guidelines.

In this case the accusation applies to routes between Edmonton and the cities of Abbotsford, B.C., Hamilton, Ont., and Winnipeg. On the Hamilton route, Swoop advertised all-inclusive fares for as low as $69 starting last June, court filings state.

Flair Airlines chief executive Jim Scott has said the strategy cost his ultra-low-cost carrier about $10 million between mid-June and mid-October, placing it in jeopardy.

WestJet has said it is compiling information in response to the probe, which has seen piles of court ordered documents and data from the two Calgary based airlines handed over to the Competition Bureau.

Air Canada and WestJet control about 90 per cent of the domestic market and 70 per cent of the transborder market, says David Tyerman, an industry consultant who works with Enerjet, a charter airline aiming to launch as a budget carrier this year.

WestJet's attempts to retain control over ultra low cost flights amount to a pretty aggressive attempt to protect market share and keep new entrants out of the market, Tyerman said in an interview.

The accusation applies to routes between Edmonton and the cities of Abbotsford, B.C., Hamilton, Ont., and Winnipeg. On the Hamilton route, Swoop advertised all-inclusive fares for as low as $69 starting last June, court filings state.

The business models of Canada's two largest airlines make ultra-low pricing on certain routes without incurring a loss tough to fathom, he said, pointing to the cost of premium seating and lounges.

Both Air Canada and WestJet have limited their budget products to certain markets to avoid cannibalizing most of their full-price markets.

It seems unlikely that Swoop and Rouge can achieve truly lowest costs, given labour costs at the incumbents and other potential cost differentials, Tyerman said in an email.

He also noted the Competition Bureau does not have a mandated time frame for the WestJet investigation and called for prompt enforcement of anti-competitive rules.


Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: WestJet Boeing 787 Dreamliner First London Flight Begins

Although WestJet has flown to London for a few years now, this was the first transatlantic WestJet flight on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on April 29, 2019 that took off from Calgary and landed the next morning at London’s Gatwick Airport.

WestJet has previously operated transatlantic routes. In the past, as a low-cost carrier, WestJet offered service in two-classes on Boeing 767 aircraft.

These 767s previously flew for Qantas before WestJet took them over. This was a huge step for WestJet and the airline put their widebodies on their route to London’s Gatwick airport.

Seating up to 262 passengers, these 767s were relatively stuffed and lacked many traditional features of a full-service aircraft. WestJet’s 767s lack seatback screens and instead have a tablet holder.

There is no business class, only Economy and Premium, which really is just economy with a few extra perks and legroom.

On the bright side, the 767 is a comfortable aircraft for passengers. WestJet had a 2-2-2 configuration in Premium and a 2-3-2 configuration in Economy.

It looks like WestJet really has shed much of their low-cost model in favor of a traditional full-service approach.

No doubt, WestJet is aiming to compete against the larger and well-known Air Canada.

For WestJet, operating a newer, fuel-efficient aircraft with an upgraded hard product will easily make them a force for Air Canada to reckon with.

Air Canada really didn’t have any other full-service competition. Canada has a relatively large low-cost market with players like Air Transat and Sunwing. Air Canada ventured into the low-cost market with Air Canada Rouge.

WestJet’s 787s will go head-to-head with Air Canada’s product on key transatlantic routes including to London.

WestJet is to use the 787 to fly to Dublin, Paris, and London from their hub in Calgary. In addition, the 787 will operate flights between Toronto and Calgary. However, Air Canada flies to Heathrow while WestJet flies to Gatwick.

For WestJet, the first transatlantic 787 flight was a major success. According to their news release, the flight was completely sold out. WestJet’s 787 represent an increase in capacity from 262 passengers on the 767 to 320 on the 787.

Speaking on the launch of 787 transatlantic service, WestJet’s Chief Commercial Officer, Arved von zur Muehlen, said: the London market has quickly become an important one for us with service from six cities across Canada. It is no accident that the first transatlantic flight on the Dreamliner is to our largest international market, from our largest hub and home in Calgary.

We’re glad to see WestJet’s commence 787 transatlantic service and look forward to future advancements WestJet makes with their fleet and route network.

This is a major step forward and places WestJet at the standard of a full-service carrier. Now, WestJet will have to maintain principled growth and remain profitable in a time when many airlines have undergone rapid expansion and subsequent failure.


Tourism Observer

Safe And Unsafe Airlines

AEROFLOT OR ANY RUSSIAN AIRLINE

Russian airlines lead the world in crashes and fatalities. The only air disasters in the past ten years that stole the headlines from missing Malaysian Air flights were catastrophic Russian crashes which wiped out the Polish government, a hockey team, and hundreds of vacationers to Egypt.

Aeroflot is Russia’s flag carrier, and it has an ominous record as the airline with the most crashes in the world.

Today Aeroflot is modern and safe and hasn’t had a major incident since 2008, but the list of other Russian airlines, including S7 and Siberian Air and Nordstar, with huge crashes, is too hard to ignore. If you’re flying in or out of Russia, take Finnair.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand was rated as the safest airline in the world by Skytrax for 2017, the third year in a row they won this prestigious, and important, award.

This is New Zealand’s flag carrier and they have flights to destinations mostly in Asia, but also to the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. The only incident they’ve had is when a flight carrying pilots, technicians, and a safety inspector crashed into the ocean in 2008.

Otherwise, Air New Zealand has never lost a civilian passenger, joining the ranks of Air Canada for the safest airline. With fewer accidents, crashes, and deaths than any other airline, rest easy when you’re traveling on Air New Zealand!

PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES

Pakistan's flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, is one of the most messed-up airlines in the world. The airline has a near-zero rating fromairlinereviews.com and is in the top 10 least safe airlines in the Skytrax annual review.

The airline has suffered many crashes resulting in fatalities every single year since they were founded in 1947, and when they’re not crashing or blowing up mid-air, they have a long list of minor accidents caused by pilot negligence and lack of ground maintenance.

FINNAIR

Finland’s largest airline and flag carrier has an impeccable safety record.They haven’t had a fatality since 1963, and have had few mishaps and accidents than any other airline in the world since then.

There were a couple of hijackings and attempts at bombing a Finnair airline, but these were all dealt with efficiently by authorities and passengers and crew were unharmed.

Finnair keeps a fleet of modern, well-maintained aircraft crewed by excellent pilots and professional flight attendants. If you’re flying anywhere in Europe, you can’t go wrong with Finnair.

MALAYSIAN AIRLINES

Malaysian Airlines has had a bad decade. Several large airline disasters have captured the world’s media attention, including the disappearance of Flight 370 in 2014.

What seems like such a shock to the world was no surprise to airline safety agencies and industry watchdogs, such as airlinereviews.com. Malaysian Airlines has a history of minor crashes, unsafe maintenance, corporate corruption and half-trained pilots and aircrew.

When several planes went down more recently, it was a culmination of a bad corporate culture that resulted in one of the most unsafe airlines in the world.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

British Airways was founded in 1974 by a government commission and has since grown to become the largest carrier in the UK. British Airways is one of the safest airlines in the world and hasn’t lost a passenger since 1976 when Flight 476 collided with another aircraft on takeoff, hurting 63 people on board.

This is the only time British Airways has had fatalities. Their pilots and crew are top-notch, and thanks to their fantastic skills several notable disasters have been avoided, like when Flight 900 flew through a volcanic ash cloud and the pilots glided the aircraft to a safe landing.

Qr the time a windshield blew out and the pilot was sucked out of the aircraft, but hung on while the co-pilot landed the plane safely. Nobody was hurt.

AIR INDIA

Air India is an Indian government owned airline founded in 1932. It has a dubious safety record, with a habit of exploding in mid-air.

Thankfully modern security screening has drastically reduced airline bombings around the world, but that doesn’t stop things like Air India flights randomly catching fire, or skidding off the runway, or simply driving into parked airplanes at the terminal loading docks.

Skytrax rates Air India as one of the least safe airlines due to a lot of negligence-caused accidents on the part of pilots, aircrew, and ground maintenance.

AIR CANADA

Air Canada has a proud and long history as one of the safest airlines in the world. Canada’s flag carrier was founded in 1937 and has never had a single fatality in all that time. They have flights to 207 cities around the world, making them one of the top 10 largest airlines and one of the top five oldest.

They’ve had the odd mishap, like in 2017 when the pilot accidentally turned off his radio while coming into San Francisco International Airport and landed on a runway full of taxiing airplanes.

This was the most serious incident in the airlines, history, and nobody was hurt. The pilot was suspended and the airline launched a full investigation. Air Canada flights are modern, well-maintained, and professional.

THAI AIRWAYS

Thailand’s national carrier has had a tough run as a world-class airline. They try really, really hard to be safe, but bad things just keep happening. In 2001 an entire wing blew up thanks to a fuel leak, resulting in one death on board.

In 2009 a flight crash-landed on a runway, while another plane dove into a rice paddy in 1998, killing everyone on board. For the most part, Thai Airways is safe, as they’ve had very few fatalities.

It’s just that things keep blowing up or falling off their airplanes, which shows a lack of maintenance and, as is usually the case with airlines from the developing world, corporate corruption which stops new parts and aircraft from reaching the fleet.

CATHAY PACIFIC

Cathay Pacific was one of the most luxurious airlines in the world at one point, winning the coveted “best airline” year after year. It has since fallen from the top spot, replaced by newcomers such as Qatar Airlines and Emirates.

Cathay Pacific still holds on to its stellar safety record, however. Hong Kong’s flag carrier reaches destinations around the world, and its last disaster was in 1972 when a bomb took down a flight, which can’t really be held against the company.

Their airplanes are known to be well-maintained and crewed by professionals, and their customer service is the best in all of Asia!

JETSTAR PACIFIC

Jetstar Pacific is a budget-airline out of Vietnam. Officially called Jetstar Pacific Airlies Joint Stock Aviation Company, this airline is near the bottom of Skytrax’s annual airline safety list.

According to aeroinside.com, which tracks airline incidents, Jetstar Pacific has had numerous safety incidents including tail strikes on takeoff, when the plane rotates the nose up to takeoff, the pilot is supposed to lift the plane off the ground or the tail will smash into the runway, known as a tail strike.

Other reports include landing gear malfunctions, noxious fumes in the cabin, and failure to pass a safety inspection at an Australian airport.

LUFTHANSA

Lufthansa was founded in the 1920s and then regrown after World War II and is one of the largest airlines in the world today. You can catch a Lufthansa flight to pretty much anywhere in Europe, and rest confident that you’ll actually get there alive. The airline isn’t without incidents, however.

Between 1959 and 1993, Lufthansa had several major accidents resulting in fatalities. The past 25 years have been very safe, with no fatalities and very few accidents. Although they are expensive, you’re getting what you pay for when you choose to fly with Lufthansa.

EGYPTAIR

Egyptair is Egypt’s national airline, with flights to nearly a hundred countries around the world. It’s also rated by Skytrax as one of the ten least safe airlines.

Even if you discount the company’s disasters, such as Flight 804 flying into the Mediterranean in 2016, or Flight 990 flying head-first into the Atlantic in the 90s, you still have an airline with a long history of mishaps.

In 2016 a plan caught fire while sitting on the runway. Another’s engine fell off during takeoff. There have been multiple hijackings of Egyptair flights in recent years, which makes for an uncomfortable vacation.

EMIRATES

Emirates has a decent safety record. They’ve never had a fatality on any of their flights, although they have had several mishaps on takeoff and landing.In 2004, and again in 2009, Emirates flights ran out of runway and plowed through landing lights and fences.

Nobody was hurt, but come on, really?In both cases, the investigators blamed the pilots for not lifting off and blamed Emirates for not giving the pilots enough rest between flights.

The odds of such an exciting start to your travels are rare, so instead sit back and enjoy Emirates world-famous comfort and service.

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES

Philippine Airlines is the flag carrier of The Philippines and is also one of the safest Filipino-operated airlines.Unfortunately, they aren’t the safest in the world, with a string of accidents, most of them minor.

Philippine Airlines flights have also been targeted by terrorists in the past, with al-Qaeda blowing up an airliner in 2007, and local extremists knocking down local propeller-driven craft now and again.

For the most part, you’ll survive your flight with these guys, but they still remain accident prone. Engines seize up mid-flight, landing gear doesn’t retract, planes fall off the runway, minor stuff.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

Asian-based airlines seem to have a fantastic safety record. Eva, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines are all represented in the top 10 safest airlines in the world.Singapore Airlines isn’t without incidents, however.

In 1991 Pakistani militants hijacked Flight 117, until Singapore Special Forces stormed the aircraft and freed all the passengers while dispatching all the terrorists.

In 2000, Flight 006 took off from the wrong runway in Taiwan and crashed into some construction equipment, and 86 people lost their lives. There haven’t been any other fatalities in the airline's history and they’ve had an accident-free 18 years!

CHINA AIR

China Airlines is the largest air carrier in China and is partially government owned. If you’re heading to China, chances are you’ll end up booked on a China Air flight.

They fly to more than a hundred cities around the world, and is considered the 10th largest airline in the world! China Air also has one of the worst safety records of all the major airlines, with more than 30 catastrophic crashes and hundreds of minor accidents.

Most of their pilots are well-trained and come from a military background, but it seems that the aircraft themselves are not well maintained, and the company tends to skimp on spending the money necessary to keep their fleet safe.

EVA AIR

Eva Air is a Taiwanese airline launched in 1989. They have one of the best safety records of all the Asian airlines, and to date has not had a single aircraft incident or passenger fatality.If you’re flying Eva Air you can rest assured that you’re in good hands.

I’ve never flown Eva, but passenger reviews online tell a story of friendly, professional treatment, comfortable flights and average food.If you’re heading anywhere in Asia, try Eva Air. At the very least you’ll get there alive.

CUBANA

Cubana Airlines is considered one of the most accident-prone airlines in the world, with an accident rating 60 times higher than British Airways! Cubana is Cuba’s national airline, wholly owned by the Communist government.

It was founded in 1930 as a subsidiary of Pan-Am Airlines, but after Castro’s takeover, it was nationalized. Today it is known as Crashbana by Cubans and Mexicans.

In 2018 it had a catastrophic crash with 107 fatalities, which came only a year after another crash, which was eight months after another crash. If you must go to Cuba, fly on Air Canada.

JAPAN AIRLINES

Japan Airlines is one of the safest airlines in the world, having only one catastrophic accident in its history. That was when Flight 123 flew face-first into a mountain back in 1985, taking 520 passengers with it.

The company has since fired all of its kamikaze pilots and passengers can expect a relatively comfortable flight. I’ve flown JAL several times and was once even upgraded to first class, the only time in my traveling career, so I have a soft spot for them.

According to airlinerratings.com, JAL has a 7.2 out of 10 rating, making them one of the top 10 safest in the world!


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Air Canada Signs 15 Year Lease Worth C$19 Million For Multi Tenant Facility.

Air Canada broke ground today on a new facility that will house its ground support equipment service and cargo teams at Edmonton International Airport (YEG). The new, 4,645-square-meter facility being built by Terracap Group is set to open in September 2019.

Air Canada signed a 15-year lease for the multi-tenant facility, worth C$19 million by the airline over the term of the lease. Air Canada Cargo will occupy a 1,858 square meters, while Air Canada’s ground support team will occupy the remaining 2,787 square meters.

In 2017, Air Canada Cargo handled 3.2 million kilograms of goods, including pharmaceuticals, mail, art, and oil and gas industry equipment through its Edmonton cargo facility.

Apart from the cargo facilities, the ground support portion of the new warehouse has five maintenance bays to facilitate Air Canada’s approximately 167 vehicles in use at YEG.

Edmonton is a strategic distribution point for the oil and gas industry here in the province, in this cargo facility, Kevin Howlett, Air Canada senior vice president, regional markets & government relations, said.

All of the necessary ground equipment that we use in the course of our airport operations, including our cargo operations, will be supported in this facility.

There will also be dedicated areas for specialized electrical repairs, year-round equipment painting, welding, hazardous material handling and training.

Cargo is a really important component of even the passenger flights. The more revenue per aircraft, the more additional flights we get over time.

Air Canada said its cargo handled 3.2 million kilograms of goods in 2017 through its Edmonton facility, including pharmaceuticals, mail, art and oil and gas industry equipment.

EIA said Air Canada is offering more than 290 flights each week to 12 destinations in North America this fall, including direct flights to Las Vegas and San Francisco.

In March, Air Canada announced it was launching daily, direct flight options to Las Vegas from the EIA. The flights are scheduled to begin this Sunday onboard an Air Canada Rouge A319.

In late 2017, the airline launched a plan to provide daily non-stop, flights between Edmonton and San Francisco.

There’s been a lot of development at the EIA this year, including the opening of a Costco warehouse in August, the opening of the Premium Outlet Collection EIA mall in May and a new five-storey, 135-room and suite Fairfield Inn by Marriott is under development and scheduled to be complete in early 2019.

The Supreme Court of Canada cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit against Air Canada and British Airways to proceed by dismissing an appeal by Canada's largest airline.

Air Canada had sought to overturn an October 2017 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that the class action could include foreign claimants despite playing out in Ontario courts.

The decade-old lawsuit from three companies alleges price fixing by major airlines involved in air freight shipping between 2000 and 2006.

Linda Visser, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, says they have reached settlements totalling more than $29 million with all 14 defendants except Air Canada and British Airways.

Visser says the lawsuit involves up to tens of thousands of class members, many of them exporters and freight forwarders that handle shipments ranging from flowers to zoo animals.

The plaintiffs are Ontario's Airia Brands Inc., Britain's Startech.Com Ltd. and Germany's Quick Cargo Service.

The airline signed a 15-year lease for the facility, which is expected to open in Sept. 2019.




Tourism Observer

ST KITTS: Air Canada Now Flying To St Kitts

For the first time in the island’s history, Air Canada will fly to St Kitts for a full six months for the 2018-2019 peak season.

The non-stop Saturday flights from Toronto will operate from November 3, 2018, all the way through April 27, 2019.

This is an unprecendented air service expansion by Air Canada that marks yet another historic first for St Kitts, said Lindsay Grant, minister of tourism, international trade, industry and commerce.

I could not be more pleased to welcome this additional flying, which expands the options for visitors and Diaspora from our key Canadian source market to get to island.

From November 3 through December 10, Air Canada will operate a 136-seat Airbus A319-100 Rouge aircraft with 124 economy class and 12 business class seats for the non-stop Saturday flights.

From December 15, 2018 through April 27, 2019, Air Canada will operate a 200-seat Airbus A321-200 Rouge aircraft with 184 economy class and 16 business class seats for these flights.

Air Canada’s decision to expand service into St Kitts is a testament to the strength of our growing tourism sector, said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St Kitts Tourism Authority.

As our airlift from North America expands to accommodate our recently announced new hotel developments and upgrades to existing hotel product which include all-inclusive options, Canadians now have a full range of vacation choices available.

This is truly is a complement to our existing North American airlift and gives us significantly increased capacity for this season and beyond.

Air Canada first began serving St Kitts non-stop on Fridays in peak season from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in 2011 and subsequently shifted to Saturday service.

It is the island’s only non-stop scheduled service from Canada. In previous years, the flight operated from late December through early April.

With the expanded service, St Kitts will receive an additional six weeks of non-stop flying that provides the potential for an increase in Canadian air passenger arrivals.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Air Canada's New Uniforms Win Best Corporate Design Award

Air Canada's newly launched uniforms have been recognized for Best Corporate Design by the UK's Professional Clothing Awards.

It is the first time a North American company has been recognized in these highly regarded awards and it follows on two Image of the Year Awards received in March from the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors.

Air Canada's new uniforms were launched earlier this year.

This is a very welcome accolade for Air Canada's new uniform collection, now proudly being worn by our employees.

We are delighted their design, which projects Air Canada's and Canadian values, is clearly making a fashion statement around the world, said Andrew Yiu, Vice President, Product at Air Canada.

Winning a European award is gratifying as it further advances our ambition to be a Top 10 global carrier in everything we do.

I thank Canadian designer Christopher Bates and Unisync for designing the new uniforms, as well as Air Canada's employees who are excellent brand ambassadors.

The Professional Clothing Awards bring together the global professional clothing industry to recognize the international uniform supply chain and reward exceptional workwear, corporate clothing and Personal Protective Equipment. The award was presented at a ceremony in London.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 220 airports on six continents.

Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2017 served more than 48 million customers.

Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 59 in the United States and 98 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,317 airports in 193 countries.

Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2017 Best Airline in North America.

Air Canada was also named the 2018 Eco-Airline of the Year by the respected airline industry publication Air Transport World in its 44th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards for its commitment to emissions reductions through supporting the development of alternative fuels.

Its numerous green programs and partnerships, and being the first airline worldwide to voluntarily join the World Bank's IMF Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition.

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. transborder market and in the international market to and from Canada.

Air Canada together with its Air Canada Express regional partners carries more than 45 million passengers, offering direct passenger service to more than 200 destinations on six continents.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Former Air Canada Employees Allege Toxic Work Environment

Targeted by threats and intimidation. Spit in the face. Pushed up against a wall. This was part of the employment experience according to some former Air Canada employees, many of whom worked for the airline for years.

But when they denounced their tormentors, they say the company made their lives difficult.

Four women and one man who were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after their time with Air Canada. Four of them were victims of workplace harassment and were fired while on sick leave.

The fifth was diagnosed following her abrupt dismissal, which she says was unfair.

They worked at Air Canada bases in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario as customer service representatives, flight attendants or baggage handlers.

All of them as well as several other current and past employees contacted described a toxic work environment and an employer more willing to get rid of victims than to defend them.

They don't appear to be isolated cases. Documents obtained through an Access to Information Act request show that the Canadian Human Rights Commission has received 462 complaints from Air Canada employees about discrimination or harassment since 1996.

When KS started as a baggage handler at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2000, she immediately felt that she wasn't welcome. She asked to be identified only by her initials to avoid conflict with ongoing legal proceedings related to her employment case.

There was just this women don't belong here kind of attitude, she said. It's a typical situation when you work in a male-dominated field. But it wasn't too bad, at first. The main thing was sexist comments and being treated differently because you were a woman."

Less than six months after she was hired, she hurt her back carrying an overweight suitcase.

After taking time off work, the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) determined that her accident caused permanent limitations and ruled that she be assigned tasks that were less physically demanding.

From then on, she belonged to the class of disabled workers, called "CL2" internally, or second-class employees, KS explained.

Because of her back problems, she applied for a supervisor position, which requires less physical tasks. She got the job. During her training for the new role, she said that a colleague who had failed the supervisor exam cornered her on the upper deck of a Boeing 747.

The guy had me pinned against the wall and started using very abrasive and crude language and sexually explicit language.

I was scared, she says. He had his forearm across my throat area and basically saying I didn't deserve the position even though I had passed the test.

KS said that she reported the incident to a supervisor, who responded by saying that anyway, women don't belong here.

She said she received this type of response several times when she approached union representatives over the years.

I quickly realized I wasn't going to get any help, she says. I faced a lot of verbal abuse and threats throughout my career for just doing my job.

This was echoed by Susan Sproule, a customer service employee who harassed by two superiors after lodging a complaint about poor workplace health and safety practices in Air Canada's Montreal offices.

It was a personal problem. They didn't like me, she said.

Sproule maintains that she never had any problems with her employer or colleagues during her first 22 years of service with the company.

I was rewarded many times by my employer, she said adamantly, pointing out she was even in charge of training new employees.

Her problems began after she requested that an evacuation plan be implemented for the offices, as required by law, in her role as as union health and safety representative.

She believes that her repeated requests were received particularly poorly because she is a woman. They had a problem with women, said Sproule.

Between 2010 and 2012, the situation deteriorated. Sproule claims one of the managers went so far as to spit in her face.

Air Canada was in the headlines this spring when the union that represents flight attendants filed a complaint with the human rights commission, claiming that the airline's uniform and makeup policies are sexist and discriminatory.

In April, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal heard the case of a former Air Canada pilot, Jane Clegg, who alleges that she was subject to sexism on the job. There is no decision yet in the case.

A report from an independent investigation conducted by Keshill Consulting and commissioned by Air Canada lists several incidents where both of Sproule's bosses intimidated her, and even threatened her with retaliation for things she did in her capacity as a union health and safety representative.

The report states that one of the bosses promised Sproule that he would make life very difficult for her after she filed a complaint with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to call attention to health and safety issues at the company's Montreal office.

Sproule's other boss allegedly reprimanded her in front of colleagues, because she had initiated an evacuation of their offices due to a high level of carbon monoxide.

According to the report, he told his employees that if they couldn't handle the potentially dangerous gas, maybe they aren't cut out for this job and they should think carefully before leaving the office if they want to have a long career with the company.

The report confirms that Sproule was harassed by both men and was subject to a toxic work environment. It also found that the two bosses threatened and intimidated other employees and one of them made sexual advances to certain female staff.

Both bosses actions are in direct violation of Air Canada's Workplace Harassment policy, said the report. Their acts and behaviours represent intimidation, demeaning and condescending behaviours towards their employees in the workplace.

Air Canada declined to comment on Sproule's case because it is going to arbitration soon.

The company spokesman Tim Fisher said that Air Canada does not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination in the workplace.

He pointed out that Air Canada has an office that deals with harassment questions. We put in place a reliable system and well-defined procedures that may include consulting with external experts, in case an employee feels they are a victim of harassment or discrimination, he said.

For KS, the harassment worsened over the years. It was an extremely toxic work environment. I was constantly belittled for being a woman and for having physical limitations, she said.

Starting in 2006, degrading and repulsive graffiti targeting women and disabled employees began to appear regularly at her place of work. Our superiors just walked right by it without saying or doing anything, KS recalled.

An investigation report by the WSIB confirmed that the graffiti seemed to target CL2s and that KS had communicated her concerns to colleagues and a supervisor who had seen it.

KS believes the CL2s were blamed for the salary cuts Air Canada employees were forced to agree to after the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003.

"Even the managers pointed to us and told the others, 'That's why your salaries were cut by 20 per cent. There are too many employees faking to be disabled and it's hurting Air Canada. If we could get rid of them, you wouldn't have to take a wage cut,'" she recalled.

Things reached a breaking point in May 2010 when the graffiti turned into a death threat. "They wrote: 'Die, bitch' with my name," said KS, her voice breaking with emotion.

That day, she left on sick leave. She was later diagnosed with PTSD resulting from the incident.

Sproule, KS and another employee who spoke to the press were all fired by Air Canada while on sick leave following their individual workplace harassment experiences.

In all three cases, the company never denied that the harassment described in external investigation reports had taken place, but terminated the victims anyway.

Before going on sick leave, KS had filled out a WSIB claim form and corresponded by email with several supervisors to provide them with the required documents.

Yet, she still received three letters from Air Canada warning that she would be fired if she didn't show up at her next shift.

The claims submitted by both KS and Sproule were eventually accepted. But they never returned to work.

They say Air Canada refused to accommodate the functional limitations granted them respectively by the WSIB and the Quebec Commission for Standards, Equity, and Occupational Health and Safety (CNESST).

Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, an employer has a legal obligation to accommodate disabled employees and under the law, situational depression is considered a disability unless they can demonstrate that such an accommodation would constitute undue hardship.

For example, KS needed to be transferred away from Pearson airport in Toronto on her doctor's orders. I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and I was having panic attacks every time I got close to the airport, she explained.

But Air Canada offered her another position in a hangar at Pearson, arguing that that wasn't part of the airport. WSIB determined that the job wasn't appropriate, so she turned it down.

Air Canada was adamant that it couldn't offer her another role that fit her functional limitations in the Greater Toronto Area, said KS. So she moved to Halifax in the hopes that the airline would be able to find her a new position there.

A few weeks later, the airline did offer her a new job in a call centre in Toronto. This was after they repeatedly told me they would never, ever be able to accommodate me in Toronto outside of Pearson, she recalled, still incredulous six years later.

I fell to pieces and had a nervous breakdown. My doctors decided that I wouldn't ever go back to work for Air Canada because the company wasn't taking their duty to accommodate seriously, she said.

Air Canada officially terminated KS in 2013. Five years later, and eight years after taking sick leave, she is still waiting for her case to be heard by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

Sproule also filed a complaint with the human rights commission. It was put on hold as they wait for the results of arbitration that is supposed to take place this summer, but she may be referred to the tribunal if there is no resolution.

Sproule says Air Canada refused to take into consideration two doctors' recommendations that her return to work should be progressive and include medical and psychological follow-up, as well as reconciliation therapy and mediation.

Instead, the company offered her up to three years' salary if she agreed to retire immediately. As a result, her pension would have been reduced by more than half and she would have had to agree to sign non-disclosure agreements and renounce any further legal recourse.

Sproule claims Air Canada also refused to reimburse more than $23,000 in medical expenses related to the workplace harassment.

After refusing the offer, she received a letter ordering her to show up to work the following Monday or face termination. Still suffering from serious panic attacks, she stayed home. Less than a month later, she was fired for failing to report to work without a valid reason.

It's not unheard of for Air Canada employees to be fired while on sick leave. In July 2016, the company sent letters to some 300 employees on sick leave, informing them they would be terminated if they didn't show up to work.

At least three unions filed policy grievances and the terminations were halted, pending the arbitrator's decision. Two years later, the case is still before the courts.

Unifor, which represents approximately 100 members affected by the decision, recently lost its case in arbitration. The Canadian Union of Public Employees and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), who represent other employees, are still waiting for their arbitration.

The arbitrator in Unifor's case determined that Air Canada had the right to terminate the employment of workers who had been on disability leave for more than three years. However, the decision noted that verifications have to be made in each case before the dismissal can be formalized.

Although he describes Air Canada's manoeuvre as pretty odious, the Quebec council chair for Unifor, Benoit Lapointe, believes that the majority of employees affected will fare pretty well despite it all because many of them would be entitled to an early retirement package.

It seams that the unions who are supposed to represent them were far from proactive in defending their interests.

Sproule said that Unifor filed no complaint on her behalf before April 2016, almost four years to the day when she submitted her first official complaint to Air Canada's human resources department.

They should have filed a complaint in conjunction with my official complaint; that's their duty, she said of Unifor. Not doing so goes against our collective agreement.

However, an email sent by Lapointe, her union representative at the time, implied that a complaint was about to be sent in.

I too am fed up of waiting for the company and will file a grievance at the beginning of next week if nothing happens in the meantime, Lapointe wrote on Sept. 21, 2012.

Almost four years later, in April 2016, an official grievance alleged that Air Canada violated the Canadian Human Rights Act, as well as the collective agreement, by not attempting to accommodate the return to work of the grievor."

Lapointe says that if Sproule mistakenly believed a grievance had been filed earlier, it's because she doesn't remember what happened at the time very well."

We did talk about filing a grievance, he confirmed. But we didn't need to do it, because a resolution was reached.

He noted that Air Canada agreed to have an external investigator review the case, pointing out that people on the management side lost their jobs. Therefore, the union did not believe a grievance was necessary.

I don't want to go into details, but there was a favourable resolution for Ms. Sproule, said Lapointe.

He also said that Unifor provided Sproule with a litigator free of charge, so she could obtain the CNESST benefits she was entitled to. The union is under no obligation to do that, Lapointe added.

"I understand that Ms. Sproule has some frustration, of course, because what happened to her is deplorable. But to say that Unifor let her down is absolutely wrong. We've been here since the start.

Lapointe thinks Sproule's perception of her union's work is clouded.

I've had to deal with difficult cases in my career, and Ms. Sproule's is one of them. Unfortunately, they are cases where these people have suffered tremendously. And sometimes, they are in a state where they are a bit disconnected from reality and might not see the full picture.

Unifor also took a long time filing a complaint to defend Johanne, whose story is a little different from the others.

The 28 years she worked at Air Canada were happy ones. She liked her work, and she had a passion for customer service, according to a recommendation letter written by a former boss.

She proudly kept all the thank you notes she had received from passengers over the course of her career.

In 28 years, I received no complaints, not a single one. I wouldn't say I was a perfect attendant, because no one is perfect.

But 98 per cent of the time, I was pretty perfect, Johanne said.

Then one event turned her life upside down.

One day when the workload was especially demanding, she remembered, an Air Canada pilot got upset with her after an incident with a group of passengers.

A misunderstanding over a lost stroller turned into an altercation. The group accused Johanne of hitting one of the passengers with her radio, which she denies. She claimed that she had to file a police complaint because one of the female passengers had grabbed her arm.

The pilot, who Johanne claims did not witness the actual incident, apparently threatened to report her behaviour to Air Canada's security department, and subsequently supported the passengers' version of events.

The next day, Johanne was suspended, pending an investigation. Two weeks later, she received a letter of termination.

The news sent her into a deep depression and she was diagnosed with PTSD. I was unable to understand what was happening to me, she remembered, in tears.

She said that neither her union nor the company took into account a video captured by airport security cameras that, in her view, proved that the pilot lied about Johanne's behaviour during the incident.

I later learned that the pilot was a friend of one of the Air Canada vice-presidents, she said.

The events surrounding her suspension and termination are troubling. She believes that Air Canada railroaded her to please a friend of a vice-president.

She claims that her union, Unifor, acted in bad faith and did not defend her the way they are supposed to under Article 47.2 of the Labour Code.

First, the union did not file a complaint when she was suspended, and several clauses of the collective agreement seem to have been ignored. Johanne said she was never informed in writing that her suspension was subject to termination.

She was suspended for two weeks, even though the collective agreement allows for a maximum of three business days, at most, for a suspension pending investigation. The first complaint was filed after her termination.

Without referring to Johanne's case, Lapointe explained that Unifor doesn't always file a grievance when suspensions last longer than the three-day limit, as long as employees continue to be paid.

Johanne's termination letter is dated the day after she was suspended, when no investigation could have possibly taken place because Air Canada did not yet have access to the video. Her union representative brushed it off as - a typo.

She said she saw her perfect employee record in the union office on the day she was fired.

During arbitration, a boss claimed I had had five meetings throughout my career due to complaints. That never happened! I've never had any complaints! Johanne said emphatically.

In the weeks following her termination, she claims that her union actually adopted the company's view about her being a problem employee.

She also blames the union for botching the arbitration by failing to call any witnesses who could have spoken in her defence, and for not submitting the video of the incident as evidence.

Mistakes or deliberate actions? If Sproule prefers giving the benefit of the doubt to her union, Johanne's answer is unequivocal: Unifor is in Air Canada's pocket. They are in collusion.

We are most certainly not conniving with Air Canada, said Lapointe, stressing that Unifor aims to work for its members' interests. We are familiar with Air Canada's arrogance and we know what lack of justice often pervades that company.

KS, represented by IAMAW, shares Johanne's opinion of her own union's efforts.

I spoke to my union several times. They answered that nothing could be done because the union didn't deal with harassment, she said. My union local was, in my opinion, as corrupt as Air Canada."

Fred Hospes, president of IAMAW District 140, countered that the union does, in fact, deal with cases of harassment.

The IAMAW takes harassment seriously and supports its members in obtaining medical benefits it has negotiated on their behalf, Fred Hospes says.

He confirmed that at least one grievance related to harassment of CL2 employees at Toronto Pearson airport had been filed, but declined to give any further details.

Sproule and KS both say that their problems could have been avoided if the company had taken their harassment complaints seriously.

When Air Canada received the results of Keshill Consulting's independent investigation, on July 26, 2012, they could have said to me, Sue, we're sorry. We made a mistake, we trusted the wrong people. I would have gone back to work the next week and it would have been over, said Sproule.

All Air Canada needed to do was identify those responsible for harassing me. They could have installed a camera and identified the people making the graffiti, said KS. Why was I fired when I was the victim?


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Air Canada Instititutes Seasonal, Direct Flights Between Victoria And Montreal.

Canadians have better cross-country connections than ever before.

Air Canada on Thursday inaugurated the first of three new, non-stop domestic flights to between Eastern Canada and three BC communities.

Canada’s largest airline is now flying directly from Toronto to Kamloops, a fun and lively city in the British Columbia interior with fun places to explore and a great golf course, Tobiano.

Air Canada Friday, June 22 will launch direct flights from Toronto to Nanaimo, a growing city on the east coast of Vancouver Island with a pretty harbour and a lovely downtown.

On top of that, Air Canada today launched direct flights between Montreal and Victoria, giving Victoria residents easy access to one of the great cities of the world and providing Montrealers with a simple way to reach one of the nation’s prettiest and underrated cities.

We are very pleased to launch the only non-stop services from Nanaimo and Kamloops to Toronto, and from Victoria to Montreal in time for the busy summer travel period, said Benjamin Smith, President, Airlines and Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada.

The convenience of these new services makes it easier than ever for customers from other parts of our network to travel to beautiful British Columbia's Vancouver Island and Thompson Okanagan areas.

Customers from Nanaimo, Victoria and Kamloops now have the convenience of non-stop flights to Toronto and Montreal, where unparalleled connecting options are also available throughout our far-reaching North American and global network," Smith said.

The Toronto-Kamloops flights will run three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) until Oct. 8, while the Toronto-Nanaimo service will operate four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) until Oct. 9.

The Montreal-Victoria flights run three days a week (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday) until Oct. 9.

The new flights will be operated by Air Canada Rouge, which will celebrate its fifth birthday on July 1.

Air Canada Rouge A319 aircraft offer high-speed wi-fi services, and a choice of two cabins.

All flights are timed to connect conveniently with Air Canada's global schedule, and provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits, and for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access at mainline airports, priority boarding and other benefits.

The routes are part of Air Canada's strategic expansion of 25 new routes being launched during the 2018 summer season.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Passenger Suing Air Canada For Breach Of Contract And Negligence

As one of Air Canada's most frequent flyers, Eric Wong once soared with the members of the airline's Super Elite.

But the Vancouver businessman claims the carrier clipped his wings in retaliation for his last-minute cancellation of a flight after he had already checked in and cleared security.

Wong is now suing Air Canada in B.C. Supreme Court for allegedly revoking his status and writing negative things about him on its computer records.

It's not as if he was seen with explosives or something like that, but they treat everything as if it's a threat to security, says Wong's lawyer, Don Sorochan.

And if you end up in an argument with them, you're liable to get arrested.

According to his notice of claim, Wong travels on a frequent basis throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia as an information technology consultant.

But the lawsuit says he's not your typical passenger.

First of all, his business is of such a nature that he can adjust his travel plans on short or no notice in the event of changed flight circumstances.

And second, Wong is an air travel hobbyist, a passenger who uses the existing tariff and travel rules set by airlines, credit cards and hotels to earn free or reduced cost travel benefits including flights, lodging and other upgrades.

He claims he never checks bags, often books and cancels last minute and pays for the privilege.

Wong flew enough to qualify as an Air Canada Altitude Super Elite member, a status conferred on passengers who earn 100,000 Aeroplan status miles or 95 status flight segments annually.

He claims he also took part in the airline's Earn Your Wings promotion, a contest in which passengers like him turn their passion for flight into bonus points and extra air miles.

All that combined to make him a familiar face to the airline's employees.

Mr. Wong was known to Air Canada personnel, the notice of claim says.

Mr. Wong's travel patterns were also well known to Air Canada personnel with whom, because he was such a frequent passenger, he dealt with frequently.

But the skies allegedly turned unfriendly on Jan. 10, 2016, after Wong told a customer service agent in the secure-side YVR Maple Leaf Lounge he no longer wished to fly on the flight he had checked into.

Because he was already in the international departures area, he claims he asked for an escort to get him back out past Canada Customs.

The Air Canada Maple Leaf customer service agent insisted, in a stern manner, that Mr. Wong provide a reason for his change of travel plans, the claim says.

Mr. Wong advised the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge customer service agent that he did not wish to fly and wanted to leave the lounge.

Wong claims the agent told him to stay where he was while she made numerous telephone calls and conducted computer terminal searches.

He was eventually escorted out, but 10 days later, Wong claims Air Canada told him his Altitude Super Elite status was suspended indefinitely.

The reason? He had cleared security and accessed the international or trans-border sterile areas of the airport, possibly, without the purpose of travelling.

Wong claims a lawyer for Air Canada later demanded justification for his decision to cancel his booking.

But he says the company's own rules for Wong's fare class say that's not necessary: free cancellation within 24 hours of booking. You'll get a full refund, no questions asked.

In the weeks after his status was suspended, Wong claims he encountered a series of delays in which Air Canada employees scrutinized his identification and spoke to corporate security.

He says he was also denied entry into the Maple Leaf lounge, despite having a business class ticket with Star Alliance member United Airlines, which entitled him entry.

Because of the way Mr. Wong has been treated, and what was said to him, by Air Canada personnel after they have accessed Air Canada computer records while dealing with him, it is apparent that the Air Canada computer records contain something negative about him, the claim says.

Wong is suing for breach of contract and negligence.

He claims the airline's corporate security has engaged in surveillance and monitoring of his online and offline activities to retroactively justify their high-handed actions.

Air Canada declined to comment on the case while it is before the courts.

None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been proven in court.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Freshii To Served On Air Canada Flights

Air Canada will begin serving foods from Freshii to its North American passengers starting next month.

Available items will include the brand’s Pangoa Bowl and Fiesta Wrap for lunch or dinner, as well as the Avocado Smash Box for breakfast.

We’re excited to bring Freshii’s innovative meals and snacks as a new option to our North American onboard bistro service.

This partnership offers increased choice to our customers as we continue to improve on our Best Airline in North America Skytrax status,” says Benjamin Smith, president, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.

Specific menu items can be viewed in the onboard menu in seat pockets of select flights offering Air Canada Bistro.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Air Canada To Keep 25 E190s, Declines CSeries Order

Air Canada says it will keep 25 Embraer E190 aircraft it planned to retire in 2015.

The decision functionally rules out a possible CSeries order into the foreseeable future.

The Canadian flag carrier currently has 45 E190s in its fleet, each of which seats 97.

The airline was considering replacing the jets, and is still ditching 20 as part of a deal with Boeing.

Those jets will be replaced by leasing other narrow-body aircraft.

The decision to keep the other 25 airplanes in stock hands Bombardier another CSeries setback.

The company was hoping to snag the carrier to spur further interest and program confidence as the order book remains sluggish.

A spokesperson for Bombardier remained upbeat, saying Air Canada is a valued customer of ours, and we still believe the CSeries is the perfect aircraft for them.

We’re just going to wait, and when they are ready to move forward, we will be there. We are fairly optimistic that when the time is right, we will restart discussions.

Air Canada did not immediately return a request for comment.

The carrier has already committed to a number of fleet changes. It placed an order for up to 109 737 MAX planes valued at $6.5 billion in December, 2013.

In the agreement, Boeing will buy as many as 20 E190s from Air Canada. The airplanes will exit the fleet in 2015, according to a statement from the airline.

Amidst the narrow body fleet changes, Air Canada has also decided to convert twelve Boeing 777-300ER and six Boeing 777-200LR aircraft into a more competitive configuration.

The airline plans to include a premium economy cabin, and it will also refurbish its International Business Class cabins to match its new 787 cabins.

Don’t expect any changes soon, however. The company plans to start rolling out the refurbed jets in late 2015.

The airline announced a first quarter loss of $341 million.


Tourism Observer

CANADA: Swoop To Cleared To Kickoff Hamilton To Abbotsford, British Columbia Flights

Swoop says it plans to charge less for tickets because its costs will be much lower, and the planes will come with no free perks.

Competition is heating up for Canada's most price-sensitive travellers as WestJet Airlines gears up to launch the country's second ultra-low cost airline Wednesday.

Swoop, an offshoot of WestJet Airlines, will make its maiden flight on its pink and white aircraft before the sun rises in Hamilton, Ont. on a trip to Abbotsford, B.C.

From my perspective coming into this fresh, I've been in Canada four months now I personally believe there's a huge opportunity in Canada, said Swoop president Steven Greenway.

Greenway is an Australian native who has worked in executive positions at airlines including Japanese low-cost carrier Peach, Virgin Blue, Virgin Atlantic and Qantas.

Swoop marks his sixth airline startup.

By discounting travel, Swoop, Flair Airlines and others are trying to repatriate the more than five million Canadians who cross the border to catch flights from airports in Buffalo and Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Bellingham, Wash.

From our perspective there's the opportunity to fill a gap, there's an opportunity to stimulate demand, there's an opportunity to welcome Canadians back from crossing the border. We believe there's a significant enough market to be able to thrive, Greenway said.

He expects competition will increase significantly over the next 12 months as Canada Jetlines gears up to join Swoop and Flair in offering deeply discounted fares along with charges for everything from a onboard drink to carry-on and checked baggage.

Flair welcomed the extra competition.

We think that having more people in the space helps promote the fact the space exists and will work to each other's advantage, executive chairman David Tait said in an interview.

I don't think Canada's big enough for half a dozen players in this space, but there's certainly plenty of room for two and maybe three.

Meanwhile, Tait said Flair plans to move its headquarters to Edmonton from Kelowna, B.C., over the coming months to help promote its growth.

Kelowna was a fine base for a charter operator but it didn't really give us the scope, the potential we need as we're growing.

Swoop is entering an area of the airline business that doesn't have a stellar history of success in Canada: Jetsgo, Air Canada's Tango, Canada 3000 and Roots Air have all floundered in the past.

Canada is the only G7 country without a true ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) and the model has been successful in Europe, Australia and the United States, said transportation analyst Chris Murray of AltaCorp Capital.

I don't think we've ever seen a true ULCC model in the Canadian marketplace before so I think we're in somewhat uncharted territory, he said.

I think there's also frankly some opportunities if they do it well to be successful with it.

Murray estimates the Canadian ultra low-cost market can handle 10 million passengers per year, enough to support up to 50 aircraft. The service is particularly suited to leisure flights to Las Vegas, Arizona and Florida, he added.

Swoop says fares should be 30 to 40 per cent lower than a national carrier.

The key will be to keep costs down from lower labour costs, cramming 189 seats into Boeing 737-800s, and stimulating demand from people who don't normally fly because of the high cost.

The carrier, however, has already had something of a bumpy takeoff.

WestJet's launch of Swoop had been a source of labour strife between the company and pilots, who were on the brink of a strike last month before reaching an 11th-hour deal.

Earlier this year, the union won a Canada Industrial Relations Board challenge to the company's proposed policy to offer pilots a two-year leave of absence if they go to fly for Swoop.

A federal arbitrator recently ruled that WestJet's unionized pilots will also fly Swoop, which means the airline can no longer outsource Swoop flying, a major disagreement in recent negotiations.

Swoop will recognize the union as the exclusive bargaining agent for all Swoop pilots, who will be on the airline's one seniority list and fly aircraft at Swoop terms and conditions.

Initial one-way flights start at $49 tax included from Abbotsford to Winnipeg, $129 between Hamilton and Abbotsford and $99 between Hamilton and Halifax.

The fares don't include a range of fees, including carry-on luggage and checked bags starting at $26.25, seat selection start at $5, and $15 to contact the call centre if the service can be carried out on the website.

No pets aside from guide dogs are allowed on board and any credits are only valid for 90 days. No loyalty points will be awarded.

Swoop is starting with two planes, with plans to roll out six by year-end and 10 in 2019.

Instead of flying from Toronto Pearson International, flights will fly out of Hamilton's lower-cost airport. Other initial cities are Winnipeg, Edmonton, Halifax and Abbotsford.

Additional destinations will be added, including international flights likely by the end of 2018, said Greenway. Flair plans to fly to Orlando and Palm Springs, Calif., next winter.

While there is a real concern that passengers could feel being nickled and dimed by a series of ancillary fees, experience in Europe over the past 20 years suggests passengers ultimately focus on the fares, said Greenway.

It is an education process and I think people will adapt over time.


Tourism Observer

PHILIPPINES: AirSwift Acquires Brand New ATR 72-600

Aircraft lessor, Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), confirmed it delivered one brand-new ATR 72-600 (MSN 1440), to Philippines’ AirSwift.

The airline is adding one new aircraft a year to its current fleet of three ATR-42 600s, all of them leased via NAC.

AirSwift is the first airline in the Philippines to operate the ATR 42-600 series.

Previously, the carrier used to operate two ATR 42-500s before it finally received the ATR 42-600s.

NAC is the largest owner and lessor of ATR aircraft in the globe.

With the new addition to Philippines’ boutique commercial airline, AirSwift will expand its network in 2018 to operate direct flights from El Nido, Puerto Princesa, Coron (Busuanga), and Bohol (Tagbilaran).

AirSwift will also launch flights from Manila to Sicogon, which is seen as one of the country’s new tourism hotspots.

This new route is a commitment the company made to support the growth of inter-island tourism in the Philippines, according to the airline.

Currently, NAC has 70 airline customers in 47 countries, such as British Airways, Air Canada, LOT, Azul, Lufthansa, Garuda, Flybe, Aeroméxico, and airBaltic, as well as regional carriers including Air Nostrum, Widerøe, and Binter.

Its current fleet of 400 aircraft includes ATR 42, ATR 72, Bombardier Dash 8, CRJ900, CRJ1000, CS300, E170, E175, E190, and E195.

AirSWIFT formerly Island Transvoyager is a Filipino-owned regional boutique airline company with a permit to operate domestic scheduled and non-scheduled air transportation services.

It also serves the aircraft transportation requirements of its affiliated company, El Nido Resorts.

Founded in 2002 as Island Transvoyager, the company had three Dornier 228 aircraft.

All of these were retired by early 2013 and replaced by ATR 42-600s.

Ayala Capital Corporation acquired ownership of ITI in 2012.

In October 2015, Island Transvoyager rebranded as AirSWIFT. Currently, AirSWIFT has daily flights from El Nido to Manila and Cebu.

The company operates El Nido Airport, a private airport at El Nido, Palawan which serves as its hub.

AirSWIFT serves the following destinations within the Philippines:

- Malay, Aklan Godofredo P. Ramos Airport

- Cebu City, Mactan-Cebu International Airport

- Clark Freeport Zone, Clark International Airport

- El Nido, Palawan, El Nido Airport

- Manila, Ninoy Aquino International Airport

- Basco, Batanes, Basco Airport

- Puerto Princesa, Puerto Princesa International Airport

- Busuanga, Busuanga Airport

AirSWIFT fleet consists of the following aircraft:

- ATR 42-600 - 3

- ATR 72-600 - 1

- Total - 4

AirSWIFT has the following orders:

- ATR 42-600 - 1

- ATR 72-600 - 1

- Total - 2

AirSWIFT owns and operates the following airports:

- El Nido Airport

- Sicogon Airport

Tourism Observer

CANADA: Mississauga Is A Populous City And Fairly Safe, But Muggings Can Sometimes Happen

Mississauga is a city southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is Toronto's largest suburb and Canada's sixth largest city.

Mississauga is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, bordering Toronto.

With a population of 721,599 as of the 2016 census, Mississauga is the sixth-most populous municipality in Canada, third-most in Ontario, and second-most in the Greater Toronto Area.

It is also one of the most populous suburbs in the world outside of Asia.

The growth of Mississauga is attributed to its proximity to Toronto. During the latter-half of the 20th century, the city attracted a multicultural population and built-up a thriving central business district.

It is home to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada's busiest airport, as well as the headquarters of many Canadian and multinational corporations. Residents of the city are called Mississaugans or Saugans

Mississauga covers 288.42 square kilometres (111.36 sq mi) of land, fronting 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) of shoreline on Lake Ontario.

Mississauga is bounded by Oakville and Milton to the west/southwest, Brampton to the north, Toronto to the east, and Lake Ontario to the south/south-east.

Halton Hills borders Mississauga's north-west corner. With the exception of the southeast border with Toronto (Etobicoke Creek), Mississauga shares a land border with all previously mentioned municipalities.

Two major river valleys feed into the lake. The Credit River is by far the longest with the heaviest flow, it divides the western side of Mississauga from the central/eastern portions and enters the lake at the Port Credit harbour.

The indented, mostly forested valley was inhabited by first nation peoples long before European exploration of the area. The valley is protected and maintained by the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA).

Etobicoke Creek forms part of the eastern border of Mississauga with the city of Toronto. North of there it passes through the western limits of Pearson Airport.

There have been two aviation accidents, in 1978 and 2005 where aircraft overshot the runaway and slid into the Etobicoke creek banks.

In 1954, heavy flooding resulted in some homes along the riverbank being swept into the lake after heavy rains from Hurricane Hazel. Since that storm, houses are no longer constructed along the floodplain.

The creek and its tributaries are administered by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Most land in Mississauga drains to either of the two main river systems, with the exception of the smaller Mary Fix and Cooksville Creeks which run roughly through the center of Mississauga entering the lake near Port Credit.

Some small streams and reservoirs are part of the Sixteen Mile Creek system in the far north-west corner of the city, but these drain toward the lake in neighbouring Milton and Oakville.

The shoreline of former Glacial Lake Iroquois roughly follows the Dundas Street alignment, although it is not noticeable in some places but is more prominent in others, such as the site of the former brickyard Shoreline Dr. near Mavis Rd.

The ancient shoreline promenteau affords a clear view of downtown Toronto and Lake Ontario on clear days.

The land in Mississauga in ranges from a maximum elevation of 214 m (699 ft) ASL in the far western corner, near the Hwy. 407/401 junction, to a minimum elevation at the Lake Ontario shore of 76 m (249 ft) ASL.

Apart from the embankments of Credit River valley, it tributaries and the Iroquois shoreline, the only noticeable hills in Mississauga are actually part of the former Britannia Landfill, now a golf course on Terry Fox Way.

Mississauga's climate is considered to be moderate, and is located in plant hardiness zone 6b. Mississauga has a humid continental climate.Summers can bring periods of high temperatures accompanied with high humidity.

While the average daily high temperature in July and August is 27 °C (80.6 °F), temperatures can rise above 32 °C (89.6 °F). In an average summer, there are an average of 15.8 days where the temperature rises above 30 °C (86.0 °F).

Winters can be cold with temperatures that are frequently below freezing. In January and February, the mean temperature is −6 °C (21.2 °F) although it is common for temperatures to fall to −15 °C (5.0 °F).

In an average winter, there are an average of 3.9 days where the temperature falls below −20 °C (−4.0 °F).

Occasionally, there can be brief periods of warmer weather during the winter season. Compared to the rest of Canada and Ontario, the amount of snowfall received during the season is relatively low.

On average, Mississauga receives 108.5 centimetres (42.7 in) of snow per year and there are 44.4 days with measurable snowfall.

The climate of Mississauga is officially represented by Pearson International Airport but because of its topography and large surface area conditions can differ depending on location.

Fog tends to be more common along the lakeshore and in the Credit River Valley at certain times of year, particularly during the spring and autumn.

During snowfalls when temperatures hover close to freezing, northern parts of the city, such as around Derry Road away from warmer Lake Ontario usually get more snow that sticks to the ground because of the lower temperatures.

The reverse occurs when a strong storm approaches from the south kicking up lake effect snow, bringing higher snowfall totals to south Mississauga.

The city usually experiences 6 months of snow free weather however there is the odd occurrence where snow does fall either in October or May.

The Port Credit and Lakeview areas have a micro-climate more affected by the proximity of the open lake, warming winter temperatures as a result but it can be sharply cooler on spring and summer afternoons, this can also be the case in Clarkson, but with much less consistency.

Most thunderstorms are not severe but can occasionally bring violent winds.

The last known tornado to cause significant damage touched down on 7 July 1985, when an F1 rated tornado struck an industrial park in the Meadowvale area on Argentia Road, heavily damaging some buildings and some parked tractor trailers.

A relatively strong tornado tore a path across Mississauga then part of Toronto Township on 24 June 1923, cutting a swath from present-day Meadowvale to near Cooksville, killing 4 people and causing massive property damage in a time when most of Mississauga was still rural farmland dotted with fruit orchards.

Mississauga has many different neighbourhoods including the incorporated townships. There are 23 neighbourhoods in Mississauga.

- Applewood

- Central Erin Mills

- Churchill Meadows

- Credit Valley

- Clarkson/Lorne Park

- Cooksville

- East Credit

- Erindale

- Fairview

- Hurontario

- Lakeview

- Lisgar

- Malton

- Meadowvale

- Meadowvale Village

- Mineola

- Mississauga Valleys

- Port Credit

- Rathwood

- Sheridan

- Streetsville

Mississauga was a fast-growing city until 2016 when the population growth rate fell below the national average. It is also multicultural city with 57.15% of the city's population identified as visible minorities.

Statistics Canada estimates that Mississauga now has 734,000 people,an increase of 150,000 from the previous decade and the population has roughly doubled in the past twenty-five years.

Also, the Regional Municipality of Peel estimates that as of 2016, the city of Mississauga has a population of 758,000, based on the Canada 2006 Census which as of the Canada 2016 Census, is about 27,000 over expected.

Mississauga is now the third most populous city on the Great Lakes; far smaller than Chicago and Toronto, but recently surpassing the cities proper of Detroit, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.

About 52% of the population speaks a language other than English, and 52.4% of the population are members of a visible minority - non-white or non-aboriginal.

18% of the population is under 14 years of age, compared to those of retirement age; 8.51%. The median (middle) age in Mississauga is 35.0.

Christianity is the majority faith of the city. The 2011 census indicated that 59.9% of the population are adherents, with Catholics constituting 36.9%, while the remaining 23.0% belong to various Protestant, Orthodox Christian, and other Christian groups.

Other practiced faiths were Islam (11.9%), Hinduism (7.0%) Sikhism (3.4%), Buddhism (2.2%), and Judaism (0.3%). Those who claimed no religious affiliation made up 14.9% of the population.

The 2011 census found that English was spoken as single mother tongue by 47.6% of the population. The next most common languages were Urdu (4.9%), Polish (4.1%), Punjabi (3.2%), Arabic (3.1%), Tagalog (2.8%), and Portuguese (2.5%).

Over 60 of the Fortune 500 companies base their Global or Canadian Head Offices in Mississauga. Some of the strongest industries are pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, electronics and computers, Aerospace, transportation parts and equipment industries.

TD Bank also has Corporate IT development centres in the city along with Royal Bank of Canada. Laura Secord Chocolates is headquartered in the city, and Hewlett Packard's main Canada offices are also in Mississauga.

Air Georgian, a regional airline, is headquartered in Mississauga as well. Air Canada Jazz operates a regional office in Mississauga and Kam Air has its North American office in Mississauga.

Mississauga is also an aircraft development hub with Canadian headquarters of Aerospace companies such as Magellan Aerospace and Honeywell Aerospace.

In addition Walmart Canada, Kellogg's Canada, Panasonic Canada, Esprida and NetSuite have their Canadian head offices in the city.

Mississauga has a growing arts community, which is promoted by the Mississauga Arts Council, which holds an annual awards ceremony, called the MARTYs, to celebrate the city's artists, filmmakers, writers and musicians.

Mississauga's largest festivities such as Canada Day Celebration, Mississauga Rotary Ribfest, Tree Lighting Ceremony, and New Years' Eve Bash generally occur in Celebration Square.

The Canada Day celebration was attended by 130,000 people in 2012, the Ribfest has recorded 120,000 visitors in 2012, and the inaugural New Years' Eve in 2011 has attracted 30,000 spectators.

One of the most anticipated events in the city is Carassauga, a festival of cultures that occurs annually during mid-May. It is the second largest cultural festival in Canada.

During 2013, 4014 performances took place and 300,000 people attended. Carassauga attempts to display the different cultures around the world by setting up pavilions for countries around Mississauga.

Visitors get free public transportation with their ticket to tour the city and explore the different pavilions. Various countries showcase their culture through food stalls, dance performances and small vendors.

The event largely takes place in the Hershey Centre, where an outdoor stage is set up amidst many tiny pavilions. Other venues include the Tomken Twin Arena, the Canadian Coptic Centre and the Frank McKechnie Community Centre.

There are also culture-specific festivals held in Celebration Square.

Here Fiesta Ng Kalayaan for the Philippines, Viet Summerfest for Vietnam, Muslimfest for the city's Muslim community, and Mosaic Festival, which is the largest South Asian multi-disciplinary arts festival in North America.

The village of Streetsville holds its annual Bread and Honey Festival every first weekend of June at Streetsville Memorial Park to commemorate the founding of the village of Streetsville.

The festival has been incorporated in 1974, in response to amalgamation with the city of Mississauga. Activities include the Bread and Honey Race, which raises money for charities and local hospitals.

It also has its own annual Canada Day celebrations, which are also held at Streetsville Memorial Park.

Another former town, Port Credit, Ontario holds multiple festivals throughout the year. During the summer, there are street performances on multiple venues scattered throughout the former town during Buskerfest.

The town also holds a grand parade named - Paint the Town Red - during Canada Day. Finally, during August, the town holds the Mississauga Waterfront Festival, which includes concerts as well as family activities.

During September, the Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle is being held to celebrate the town's Blues and Jazz Festival, which includes musical performances from local blues and jazz artists.

The community of Malton, which contains a significant number of Sikhs, holds its annual Khalsa Day parade, marching between Sri Guru Singh Sabha or Malton Gurdwara and Sikh Spiritual Centre - Rexdale Gurdwara Sahib, in Toronto. This parade is attended by 100,000 people.

Mississauga has a significant number of Jews, with active community classes, cultural activities and holiday celebrations.

In 2006, with the help of Project for Public Spaces, the city started hosting - My Mississauga - summer festivities at its Civic Square. Mississauga planned over 60 free events to bring more people to the city square.

The square was transformed and included a movable stage, a snack bar, extra seating, and sports and gaming facilities, basketball nets, hockey arena, chess and checker boards including a skate park.

Some of the events included Senior's day on Tuesday, Family day on Wednesday, Vintage car Thursdays, with the main events being the Canada Day celebration, Rotary Ribfest, Tree Lighting Ceremony, and Beachfest.

Civic Square has completed its restructuring project using federal stimulus money, which features a permanent stage, a larger ice rink which also serves as a fountain and wading pool during the summer season, media screens, and a permanent restaurant.

It officially reopened at 22 June 2011 and has since been renamed as Mississauga Celebration Square. More events have been added such as holding free outdoor live concerts, and live telecast of UEFA European Football Championship.

The square also holds weekly programming such as fitness classes, amphitheatre performances and movie nights during the summer, children's activities during spring and fall, and skate parties during the winter.

The opening of the square has also allowed the city to hold its first annual New Years' Eve celebration in 2011.

The upper and lower parts of the square used to be separated by a segment of City Centre Drive.

However, pedestrian safety issues and commitment to building a vibrant downtown led the city council to permanently close this segment, uniting the upper and lower parts of the square.

In October 2012, the square had attracted its one millionth visitor.

The Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) is a public, not-for-profit art gallery located in the Mississauga Civic Centre right on Celebration Square across from the Living Arts Centre and Square One Shopping Centre.

AGM is sponsored by the City of Mississauga, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council.

The art gallery offers free admission and tours and is open everyday. AGM has over 500 copies and is working on creating a digital gallery led by gallery assistant Aaron Guravich.

Mississauga also boasts one of the largest shopping malls in Canada called Square One Shopping Centre, located at the City Centre. It has 350+ retail stores and services and attracts 24 million annual visits.

It is operating on most holidays, apart from Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day, making it the only shopping mall in the city and one of the few in the Greater Toronto Area that do so.

The mall is surrounded by several bars and restaurants, as well as the City Hall, the Central Library, and Playdium.

Erin Mills Town Centre, the second largest mall in Mississauga. It is located at the western edge of the city, near Eglinton Avenue at Erin Mills Parkway.

The mall used to be notable by a clock tower placed in the center of the building. As its successor, the clock has been replaced with an iconic glass sphere 283 feet in circumference, as a part of the mall's $100 million redevelopment project.

The mall also used to have a movie theatre, a mini-golf course, and a daycare centre, all of which were converted to retail space

Located at the southeastern corner of the city is the Dixie Outlet Mall, which is Canada's largest enclosed outlet mall.

It opened in 1956, making it Mississauga's first shopping mall, even though the city at that time was still known as Toronto Township, Ontario. Many factory outlets of premium brands are located in this mall.

As a supporter of Bullfrog Power, it operates using 100% renewable energy. Heartland Town Centre is an unenclosed outlet mall with 180 stores and restaurants.

A flea market, the Fantastic Flea Market, is Mississauga's oldest flea market, which opened in 1976.

Erin Mills Town Centre and Dixie Outlet Mall are both closed for most holidays, except for Civic Holiday.

Toronto's Pearson International Airport is the main regional airport serving Canada's largest city, as a result it is reasonably well served by flights from cities across Canada as well as many American cities and several European, Asian, Latin American, African and Oceanian cities.

The Airport is a short taxi ride from anywhere in Mississauga.Lester B. Pearson International Airport (YYZ), operated by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority in the northeastern part of the city, is the largest and busiest airport in Canada.

In 2015, it handled 41,036,847 passengers and 443,958 aircraft movements.It is a major North American global gateway, handling more international passengers than any airport in North America other than John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Pearson is the main hub for Air Canada, and a hub for passenger airline WestJet and cargo airline FedEx Express. It is served by over 75 airlines having over 180 destinations.

Mississauga is served by 4 major expressways.

The 401 links Mississauga with Windsor, Detroit and beyond in the West direction, and Kingston, Ottawa, and Quebec in the East direction.

The 403 links to Hamilton and Niagara Falls in the west, and connects with the 401 and 410. The 410 leads to Brampton in the North.

The QEW links Mississauga with the Gardiner Expressway and downtown Toronto in the east, and connects with the 403 in the west.

The 407 is an East-West toll route running parallel with the 401.

Mississauga is reasonably accessible from Toronto by transit. GO Transit runs trains during rush hour and buses the rest of the day from various terminals in Toronto to several stations in Mississauga.

Square One shopping centre contains the main bus terminal for the city, it is regularly served by GO buses as well as local Mississauga Transit buses.

MiWay is operated by the City of Mississauga. Because of the lack of urban planning in its early years, the city has become too spread out, causing it to be difficult to traverse without a personal car.

As a result, the transit system is still used, yet the routes are somewhat infrequent, waiting times are typically 15 to 45 minutes on week days, and some bus routes are only offered exclusively on week days.

In an effort to increase their number of passengers however, Mississauga has put in major efforts to improve the system, including their Clicknride web page, which plans out the most appropriate trip for the rider as well.

As of April 27, 2015, a ride on a Mississauga Transit bus costs $3.50, and transfers for free entry onto buses within the following one and a half hour since the beginning of the route must be requested when you are paying.

Transfers can also be used for discounts on other public transportation systems in adjacent areas.

The transit system operates two types of services:

MiWay Local which can be recognized by the orange/white bus livery. This operates like the old Mississauga Transit using most of the same routes with new routes being added as more areas of the city get developed.

The current fleet of buses are being replaced with newer hybrid-electric buses.

MiWay Express which can be recognized by the blue/white bus livery. All express routes except Routes 107,109, and 110 operate only during weekday morning and evening rush hours.

These buses travel on expressways and major thoroughfares making a limited number of stops at designated bus stops. Buses are equipped with reading lights and power outlets at each seat.

Route 110 runs throughout the day each day including weekends and holidays. Routes 107 and 109 also operate on Saturdays except holidays.

A 12-station busway similar to Ottawa's transitway is being built along Highway 403 from Winston Churchill Boulevard to Renforth Drive via the City Centre.

This will provide faster service for passengers by cutting commuting times by as much as half. The first phase of the bus rapid transit project has been completed with stations at Central Parkway, Cawthra, Tomken, and Dixie.

The remaining east to Renforth and west to Winston Churchill sections were completed in 2016.

Toronto Transit Commision (TTC) services some of the east end of the city near the Toronto boundary.

Oakville Transit services some of the west end of the city near the Oakville boundary.

Blue & White Taxi

Golden City Taxi

In 2010, the City of Mississauga approved a Cycling Master Plan outlining a strategy to develop over 900 kilometres (560 miles) of on and off-road cycling routes in the city over the next 20 years.

Over 1,000 Mississauga citizens and stakeholders contributed their thoughts and ideas to help develop this plan.

The plan focuses on fostering cycling as a way of life in the city, building an integrated network of cycling routes and aims to adopt a safety first approach to cycling.

Port Credit An older, historic village at the centre of Mississauga's Lake Ontario shore features many intimate small restaurants, cafes and bars. Annual events include the Waterfront Festival and Jazz/Bluefest.

Nice Marina and walking paths at the Credit River entrance and along the lakeshore.

Streetsville. This small village is where the renowned mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, resides. It has many shops, restaurants, and green areas to explore.

Visit in June to enjoy the Bread and Honey Festival or in winter months for Remembrance Day services and the Santa Claus Parade.

Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM), 300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga Civic Centre, Ground Floor.. Monday-Wednesday, Friday 10am-5pm; Thursday 10am-8pm; Weekends 12pm-4pm.

The AGM has over 3000 square feet divided into four gallery spaces, and programmes approximately 10 exhibitions a year of national and international contemporary art. Free.

Parks. Mississauga has over 350 parks of various sizes. Many small parkettes with trees and park benches form green spaces in busy neighbourhoods.

Other large sports parks feature baseball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer and football fields. There is also an authentic Japanese park right in the City Centre as well as 9 picnic parks, many of them offering barbeque facilities.

Wahoosh Falls. To get a sample of the nearby Hamilton waterfalls concentration, head down the ravine at Burnhamthorpe Rd W and Mississauga Rd. A miniature 10ft waterfall is a fair reward after a healthy urban hike.

Playdium A large video arcade that also has wall climbing and go-karting. Some nights you are able to pay a flat fee for three hours of arcade gaming.

Golf. Mississauga features two primary golf courses: The BraeBen Golf Course and The Lakeview Golf Course. The Lakeview features an 18-Hole course, while The BraeBen features a 9 and 18-hole championship course.

Hershey Centre. A sports and entertainment facility which has staged numerous high profile events including regional, provincial, national and world hockey championships, Skate Canada, and concerts.

Fishing. The Credit River is a jewel set in the heart of southern Ontario, Canada. The Credit boasts huge runs of Chinook salmon and steelhead as well as some coho, pink and Atlantic salmon.

Scooter's Roller Palace. Just south of the Clarkson GO station, this is a popular option for families and teenagers. Skate rentals available.

West 50 is good for a selection of more than 100 beers on tab.

Square One, Ontario's largest mall.

Erin Mills Town Centre

Heartland Town Centre, a shopping complex located in the eastern part of the city mostly consisting of big box stores.

Old Credit Brewery, 6 Queen St. W. Tel:905-2719888, Open 10-19, Excellent small brewery that sells an ale and a pilsner.

Dixie Outlet Mall

Streetsville. Small shops along Queen Street including accessories for home and garden and vintage clothing.

Starsky Fine Foods, 2040 Dundas St. East, Second location at 3115 Dundas St. West. A bustling local Polish supermarket chain with top quality yet affordable deli meats, cheese and desserts.

Buy Houses for Sale in Mississauga, 30 Eglinton Ave West. Buy Houses for Sale in Mississauga Ontario located in various areas of the city near schools, amenities, transit and shopping.

Axia Restaurant and Bar, 5045 Plantation Place, along Eglinton Ave W near Erin Mills. In the community of Erin Mills. A nicely designed ambient place with fully authentic Asian food being produced from separate kitchens.

Specializes in Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Korean cuisine. Mains $15-20, appetizers $5-10. Fully liquor licensed with unique flavoured Korean soju and alcoholic bubble tea. A must for any Asian food lover and enough variety to last countless visits.

Nirvana, 35 Brunnel Road in the north end of Mississauga close to Brampton. the Flavors of India. Slightly upscale Indian restaurant . It is a friendly place with great food.

Moxie's Classic Grill. Locations in Meadowvale and Square One.

Richtree Market Restaurant. Located in Square One, this market-style restaurant allows you to see your food being freshly made throughout the day. Offers a nice ambiance in the middle of an otherwise hectic area.

The Apricot Tree Cafe, 1900 Dundas St. W., Mississauga, ON The Apricot Tree is on Dundas St. between the Erin Mills Pkwy and Mississauga Rd. Monday 10am-9pm, Tuesday-Friday 10am-10pm, Saturday 9am-10pm, closed Sunday.

Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, with a wide range of excellent pastries and cakes for dessert. Features an open kitchen design which allows guests to watch their order being prepared.

Breakfast average $8; lunch mains average $11; dinner mains average $17.

West 50, 50 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. The Sussex Centre. Mo-Th: 11am-1am,Fr: 11am-2am, sa:4pm-2am, Su:5pm-2am.

Excellent steaks, salads and desserts. Stylish interior with a huge stainless steel bar on the inside and two rings of tables at different levels around it.

They have more than 100 beers from around Canada and the rest of the world on tap, try a 6-beer sampler menu if cannot decide $20 for mains.

Master Steaks, 5895 Dixie Road, three lights north of the 401. open late. This is about the cheapest place in Mississauga where you can get a steak dinner for less than $20. Portions are very generous for the price.

Atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of a 70's fast food eatery where you place your order at the till and wait until your number is called.

Very popular with the after-hours bar crowd. Look out for specials under $15. Licensed. Take out available. $7-$25.

Bistro Narra, 3030 Thomas Street, Unit A404, West of Winston Churchill Blvd. Sister restaurant of Apricot Tree. Wonderful bistro-style food, with great desserts.

Especially check out the Prix Fixe and Crepe Fest menus at both restaurants when they are available. Lunch $10-18. Dinner starts at $15.

Arkady Bistro Cafe, 3631 Dixie Rd near Burnhamthorpe. Great Polish cafe that serve generous portions. Excellent mains and salads. Website is in Polish. $11-30.

Song Cook's, 1310 Dundas St E west of Dixie Rd. Mississauga location of a local Korean restaurant chain. Hearty Korean stews and dishes. Great lunch and group specials.

Man Doo Hyang, 169 Dundas St E near Kirwin Ave. Another local Korean chain restaurant. Specializes in dumplings, and has delicious tabletop cooking, including family-sized stews and barbecued meats.

Lucy's Seafood Kitchen, 6905 Millcreek Drive, Unit 8. Cajun-style seafood restaurant, serving lunch and dinner. Friendly, casual atmosphere, with great seafood entrees. Check out their Southern-style desserts as well.

Drink and Club in Mississauga City

&Company, 295 Enfield Place, andcompany.ca. Upscale nightclub in Mississauga City Centre featuring world-class DJ's. Strict dress code which is stylish and sophisticated enforced.

&Company is open Wednesday-Saturday 6pm-2am. Seasonal rooftop bar and patio. Bottle service available.

Blue Suede Sue's, 75 Watline Avenue, Top 40, Hip-hop, R & B, Dance. Open Thursday, Friday Ladies' night, and Saturday nights.

My Apartment Two locations is one in Mississauga and one in Oakville now called Rehab bordering Mississauga.

Sugar Daddy's, 5165 Dixie Road, 4 lights south of the 401, Mississauga. Established in 2003. Club MC is Slick Vic, with DJ Constantine.

Capitol Singles' Dance, Capitol Banquet Centre, 6435 Dixie Road, 4 lights north of the 401, Mississauga. Every Friday night from 7:00pm till 1:00am.

All singles 19 and over welcome; however, the majority of attendees tend to be the 30+ after-work crowd. DJ Dianne plays a mix of today's dance hits with the greatest hits from the 50's to the 90's as well as country, swing, waltz, polka, and latin favourites.

She also gladly takes requests. Admission is $15 as conditions apply and includes a buffet dinner served 7:30 till 9:30. Dress code, no jeans or sneakers. Cash bar. Draw and spot dances. Ample free parking.

Accomodations in Mississauga

The Waterside Inn, 15 Stavebank Road South. Waterfront hotel located in Port Credit. Uniquely decorated and furnished guest suites. Wifi, restaurant, and conference rooms.

Novotel Toronto Mississauga, 3670 Hurontario Street. The Novotel Toronto Mississauga is located 25 min from the centre of Toronto and 18 km from Pearson International Airport. 325 Rooms, Wifi, and a restaurant.

Hilton Garden Inn - Toronto/Mississauga, 100 Traders Boulevard. checkin: 3:00PM; checkout: 12:00PM. Guest rooms selected at check-in featuring single or double beds. Free complementary parking, no pets allowed.

Best Western Plus Toronto Airport Hotel, 5825 Dixie Road, Mississauga, Toronto, Ontario L4W 1E8. Complimentary airport shuttle & overnight parking, meeting and banquet fascilities, indoor heated pool, whirlpool, sauna, suites available.

Comfort Inn Airport West Mississauga, 1500 Matheson Blvd. East, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 3Z4. checkin: 2:00 p.m.; checkout: 11:00 a.m.. Complimentary 24 hour airport shuttle, free ample parking, meeting facility, suites and renovated rooms available.

Mississauga is a fairly safe city, however use common sense and vigilance at night like any other large city, as muggings can sometimes happen. The local police are friendly, trustworthy, and approachable, so any issues you have you can ask them for help.

On the weekend, clubs and bars in Mississauga can fill up with people fast. If you see a confrontation in a bar or club, it is best not to get involved, as these can escalate quickly.

For life threatening emergencies, dial 9-1-1 to be connected to Police, Fire, or Ambulance. For non-emergency inquiries, you can dial the following:

Mississauga Fire - 905-615-3777 Peel Paramedic Services - 1-800-668-7821 Peel Regional Police - 905-453-3311

On the whole, Mississauga is a safe city, and for the average tourist, you should have no problems.

Do not wait to go to Mississauga.


Tourism Observer