TRAVELHotNews.com Magazine

THN.COM AWARDS OF MERIT WINNERS

TRAVELHotNews announces THN.com Awards of Merit 2008 winners at Toronto Addison show
Lisa Raffaele

TRAVELHotNews.com Awards of Merit 2008 winners with TRAVELHotNews.com Publisher, Uguette Chiasson and Editor, Charmaine Pang

It�s finally time to announce the THN.com Awards of Merit 2008 national winners. At the opening of yesterday�s Toronto Addison spring show winners arrived in mass to the TRAVELHotNews.com booth, where they were greeted by fellow award winners, TRAVELHotNews publisher Uguette Chiasson and editor Charmaine Pang, as well as 400 plus Addison attendees. Continue reading for a list of TRAVELHotNews.com Awards of Merit 2008 winners. [Full text and pictures]

ADDISON IS UP IN DOWN TIMES

Over 400 attendees head to Toronto show, wrapping up an upbeat Eastern Series for Spring 2009
Charmaine Pang

The Addison show wrapped up its Eastern Series last night at the Toronto Congress Centre, providing an upbeat, welcome atmosphere in what looks to be a tough year for those in the travel industry and beyond. The Toronto show provided a welcome respite to all the �doom and gloom�. Rex Armstead, President of Addison Travel Marketing, said positivity was the key feeling in the room yesterday evening, with Armstead commenting on how �both exhibitors and attendees alike noted how great it is to have an upbeat event in difficult times.� [Full text and pictures]

TRANSAT�S CLASSICAL EUROPE

Transat hosts luncheon to celebrate launch of Classical Europe program for 2009/2010
Charmaine Pang

Elaine Farley, Director of Sales; Nancy Jackson, Commercial Director, Ontario

Yesterday afternoon, Transat Holidays celebrated the launch of their Classical Europe program at the Academy of Spherical Arts in Toronto. Nancy Jackson, Commercial Director, Ontario, said the new and expanded program now includes 9 gateways across Canada to 30 cities across Europe. The new 2009/2010 brochure is now available featuring Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom, with an equally broad range of travel options for your clients. They will be able to book multi-country packages, seaside stays, a la carte packages, flights, hotels, rail journeys, coach tours or cruises. [Full text and pictures]

AIR CANADA $1B LOSS

Air Canada stock falls after $1 billion loss for 2008
Canadian Press

Air Canada shares plunged Friday morning after the airline announced it lost more than $1 billion last year, primarily because of volatile fuel prices and foreign exchange rates. The Montreal-based airline reported a fourth-quarter loss of $727 million or $7.27 per share and a full-year loss of loss of $1.03 billion or $10.25 per share, reversing year-earlier profits. The fourth quarter included a foreign exchange loss of $527 million caused by relative weakness in the Canadian dollar, as well as a $177 million spike in fuel prices compared to year-earlier costs. The company reported an operating loss of $146 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, reversing gains of $72 million during the corresponding quarter of 2007. [Full text and pictures]

BEDDOE'S BOARD DECISION

Clive Beddoe

Clive Beddoe relinquishes role as Executive Chairman on WestJet Board of Directors; becomes Chairman
Effective immediately, Clive Beddoe will hold the position of Chairman of WestJet�s Board of Directors. The role will no longer carry the title Executive Chairman. This change reflects the final transitional step of Beddoe relinquishing the executive role to Sean Durfy, President and Chief Executive Officer. WestJet fourth-quarter profits fell to $40.8 million from year-earlier $75.4 million.

PEARSON AIRPORT GOES HIGHER

Toronto Pearson airport raising passenger fee by $5, cutting costs
Canadian Press

A passenger fee is going up 25 per cent at Toronto Pearson International Airport as Canada's largest air transport hub reacts to a reduction in the number of travellers. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Pearson's not-for-profit manager, said Friday that its airport improvement fee will increase on June 1 to $25 per departing passenger from $20. The authority also announced an immediate hiring freeze on its 1,200-person workforce. There also is a freeze on management salaries, along with closure of some facilities such as lightly used gates at Terminal 3. All but critical capital projects have been postponed. The moves are being made ``in light of the current economic climate which has resulted in projections for a downturn in passenger traffic,'' the GTAA stated. [Full text and pictures]

BUFFALO PLANE CRASH

Investigators probe fiery plane crash that killed 50 near Buffalo, N.Y.
Canadian Press

A Continental commuter plane coming in for a landing nose-dived into a house in suburban Buffalo, sparking a fiery explosion that killed all 49 people aboard and a person in the home. It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States in 2 1/2 years. Continental Connection Flight 3407 from Newark, N.J., came in squarely through the roof of the house, its tail section visible through flames shooting at least 80 metres feet high. The commuter plane was carrying a four-member crew and an off-duty pilot. Among the 44 passengers killed was a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, said there was no indication terrorism was involved. [Full text and pictures]