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Thursday, March 2, 2023
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A familiar face in the travel industry has begun a new adventure: Susan Kooiman, who worked at Transat for 19 years, has joined the team at Spoiled Agent as director of sales and agent engagement for Canada, PAX has learned. “We’re so fortunate she said yes," Kelly Schmitt, co-founder of Spoiled Agent, tells PAX.
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A new coalition of travel and business leaders has formed to advocate for improvements to air travel at Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and other airports across Canada. The group, called “Innovate. Travel. Canada,” or ITC for short, is first calling for the rapid rollout of an expanded Canadian trusted-traveller program.
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Canada's auditor general is conducting a performance audit of the federal government's ArriveCAN app, according to reports. Calls to investigate the travel tool stem from transparency concerns related to ArriveCAN's estimated $54 million price tag and the contracts Ottawa awarded to build and maintain it.
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WestJet has named Colleen Tynan as vice-president, experience management – a newly-created role that falls under the airline’s new “Operational Excellence” program, which aims to improve air travel. WestJet’s new Experience Management team will play a “critical role” in taking the WestJet travel experience "to new heights," the airline says.
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Air Canada Vacations held its first virtual Simply the Best Awards, which recognized the efforts of independent travel advisors in the ACV@Home Program. Hosted by Krista Rothfuchs and Erminia Nigro from ACV, and emceed by Kelly Schmitt from Spoiled Agent, the event was attended by nearly 200 independent travel advisors.
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Air Transat has unveiled a brand-new interface for its mobile app to simplify the user experience. The new app accompanies travellers every step of the way by providing contextual and timely information for pre-trip preparation, for outbound and return flights and in destination. Watch a video overview here!
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Seabourn has announced the appointment of Natalya Leahy as the company's new president. Leahy, whose seven years with Holland America Group included operational oversight of Seabourn, succeeds Josh Leibowitz, who is leaving the brand to pursue new opportunities.
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Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma in Riviera Maya, Mexico is set to open in early 2023 with luxury accommodations, new food and beverages, entertainment and a world of Margaritaville firsts. From the first-ever beachfront LandShark Brewery to new room categories, here's a sneak peek.
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Sunwing, on Thursday (March 2), shared a love story about how its groups department helped make a couple’s proposal dreams come true. It involved a week-long stay at Riu Palace Peninsula and memorable inflight proposal!
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Toronto Pearson airport is limiting flights during peak times ahead of March Break and this summer’s travel season. Will this lead to last-minute cancellations? Canadian airlines tell PAX that they have adjusted their flight schedules accordingly. But the strategy, said WestJet, has created new hurdles.
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Ensemble has announced new appointments in key areas for marketing, supplier relations and member services. This includes the naming of Sydney Loney as the editorial director of Range, a new print and digital magazine, and new hires to oversee supplier relations and partner solutions.
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Swan Hellenic has expanded its North America team by hiring industry pros Eric Bacon and Kelly Predmesky as sales directors. While both are based in the United States, the duo will serve as a point of contact for Canadian travel advisors.
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