TRAVELHotNews.com Magazine

Awards of merit 2007

Vote now for the Canadian Travel agent of the
Year 2007 and the Canadian Personality
of the Year 2007!

You have until March 9th, 2008 to vote

AIR CANADA TO LAUNCH DAILY CALGARY-NEWARK FLIGHT

Non-stop service begins June 16; timed for easy connections throughout Western Canada

Air Canada is further expanding service from Calgary to the New York/New Jersey area with the launch of daily, non-stop service to Newark on June 16, the airline announced yesterday. Tickets are now available for purchase on the new service, which will operate using 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft, will complement Air Canada's daily, non-stop flights to New York's JFK Airport. The new flight will depart Calgary at 10:20 a.m., arriving Newark at 4:45 p.m. Flights from Newark depart at 5:35 p.m., arriving in Calgary at 8:50 p.m. Read on for more details. [Full text and pictures]

LAST WEEK OF VOTING FOR AWARDS OF MERIT 2007

Polls open until March 9; awards for Canadian Personality of the Year and Canadian Travel Agent of the Year up for grabs

The 2007 Awards of Merit results from TRAVELHotNews.com, ExpressVoyage.ca and TRAVELHotNews Western Edition are all out and the winners for each magazine have been crowned. Now, it’s time to choose the cream of the crop. The travel industry can vote for the Canadian Personality of the Year and Canadian Travel Agent of the Year 2007. Who achieved the most in 2007 out of all our winners? Voting takes place until March 9, so have your say this week and vote now. The finalists for the Canadian Travel Agent of the Year category are: Sylvia Kerr, Harold Smith Travel (winner at TRAVELHotNews Western Edition); Nathalie Etesonne, Voyages Alm (winner at ExpressVoyage.ca); and Lisa Geddes, Travel Professionals International (winner at TRAVELHotNews.com). The finalists for the Canadian Personality of the Year are: Mike Hagan, Business Development Manager, Western Canada, Signature Vacations (winner at TRAVELHotNews Western Edition); Claudine McCann, Directrice des Operations, Voyages Sears (winner at ExpressVoyage.ca); Stephen Hunter, COO, Sunwing Travel Group (winner at TRAVELHotNews.com); and vote now! [Full text and pictures]

CALLING YOUNG TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS

ACTA’s Young Professionals of Canada to hold networking events in Vancouver, Calgary & Winnipeg events March 12

The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) has announced The Young Professionals of Canada (YPC) will be hosting networking events across Canada March 12-19. The events, sponsored by G.A.P Adventures, include three Western Canadian locations: Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg, all to be held on March 12. Chris Harrison will host the Vancouver event at Opus Hotel’s Elixir and Opus Bar; Jennifer Wills will welcome guests at the Living Room Restaurant in Calgary; and young Winnipeg travel professionals will be welcomed by Fiona Stafford. Read on for more information. [Full text and pictures]

JAPAN BY SILK HOLIDAYS

Double the fun with two tours from Silk: “Tokyo Experience” & “Heritage of Japan”

Mt. Fuji

Silk Holidays is promoting not just one but two Japan packages this week: the 5-day / 3-night “Tokyo Experience” and the 12-day / 10-night “Heritage of Japan”. Priced at $1,099 per person, the “Tokyo Experience” includes return economy class air from Vancouver to Tokyo via Japan Airlines, three nights’ twin share hotel accommodation, and daily breakfast. Several optional tours are available with this package, which is available until December 2008. The fully escorted “Heritage of Japan” tour, priced at $3,999 per person, includes return economy class ticket on Japan Airlines, twin share accommodation at a four-star hotel, daily breakfast plus meals per itinerary and sightseeing tour with English-speaking guide. The tour visits Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumanoto, Kagoshima, Osaka, Kyoto, Mt. Fuji and more. [Full text and pictures]

BASEBALL ROAD TRIP INCLUDES FAREWELL TO YANKEE STADIUM

Winnipeg-based Roadtrips offering extra-special Hall of Fame Tour July 26-30
Canadian Press

Yankee Stadium
photo by Wally Gobetz

Sports travel company Roadtrips is inviting baseball fans to join its 2008 multi-city tour and say farewell to New York City's Yankee Stadium. The Winnipeg-based company's tour, from July 26 to 30, kicks off in Philadelphia and includes stops in New York (at both Shea and Yankee stadiums) and Cooperstown, to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, before wrapping up in Boston. Participants take in four major league games along the way. Read on for details about this special tour. [Full text and pictures]

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE CAUSED POWER LOSS AT YWG CONTROL TOWER

Pilots of 15 aircraft "flew blind" over Winnipeg for eight minutes, but "safety not compromised": Nav Canada
Canadian Press
Pilots were flying blind over Winnipeg for eight minutes due to a loss of power at city's air traffic control last week, CTV Winnipeg reported Monday. Ron Singer of Nav Canada, the organization that owns and operates the country's civil air navigation service, told the network that the 15 aircraft in the air over Winnipeg early Wednesday morning were not in danger during the time it took for backup power to kick in. “We are doing a full investigation on what went wrong with the power and how this could be avoided in the future, and looking at ways to make a safe system safer. “But I have to emphasize for those eight minutes there was no loss or separation, there was no danger, safety was not compromised." Read on for more details. [Full text and pictures]