Category: sunwing

WestJet to Shut Down Sunwing Airlines, Merge It With Mainline Business

WestJet will wind down Sunwing Airlines and integrate the low-cost carrier into its mainline business within two years as part of a strategy to streamline operations amid fierce competition. The move, announced in an internal memo obtained by The Canadian Press, has raised questions among some industry observers about the impact on airfares and travellers’…


Ottawa Greenlights WestJet’s Takeover of Sunwing

The federal government gave the thumbs-up Friday to WestJet Airlines’ takeover of Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations in a major consolidation of the Canadian aviation market following a tumultuous year for travel. Proposed last March, the takeover will see Calgary-based WestJet bolster its vacation package offerings as it adds the tour operator to its fleet,…


Weather and Industry Mostly to Blame for Travel Chaos, Transport Minister Tells Committee

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said at the opening of a Commons committee on Jan. 12 that his government was not “hiding” and that it would assume its responsibilities regarding the travel chaos that occurred over the holidays, but he mostly put the blame on the weather and the industry. “What do you want me to…


Sunwing Received 7,000 Complaints to Date on Travel Chaos, House Committee Hears

Canadian airline executives faced Members of Parliament at a Commons committee on Jan. 12 to explain what led to the travel chaos over the holidays and how they would compensate passengers, with 7,000 of them having filed complaints with carrier Sunwing to date. Members of the transport committee and other participating MPs of all parties…


Companies Involved in Travel Woes Should Testify at Committee, Says Liberal MP Chair

Companies involved in the travel chaos over the holiday season will be invited to testify before MPs, the chair of the Commons’ transport committee said on Jan. 3. “I will be convening a meeting of the Transport Committee and will be calling on VIA Rail and Sunwing to appear,” tweeted Liberal MP Peter Schiefke. “Canadians…


Cancelled Flights Make for Rough Holiday Season for Many Canadian Travellers

Jared Regel was one of hundreds of Canadians stuck in Mexico over the holiday season after Sunwing, a discount airline, cancelled their flights home. Some passengers were moved from hotel to hotel, some were forced to sleep overnight in a hotel lobby or at the airport, and others eventually bought tickets on other airlines to…


WestJet Airlines to Buy Sunwing Airlines

WestJet Airlines Ltd. is acquiring Sunwing Airlines Inc., sources say, as competition in the Canadian travel market heats up. Crystal Hill, vice-president of CUPE 4070, the union that represents WestJet flight attendants, says executives informed her that the purchase announcement would be going ahead today. The acquisition was confirmed by another source, who could not…


Airlines Won’t Fly Home Quebec Passengers From Sunwing Party Flight to Mexico

MONTREAL—Passengers who filmed themselves partying maskless aboard a chartered Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Mexico last week have become pariahs and now face being stranded after two more airlines announced Wednesday they will not fly them home to Canada. Following Sunwing’s cancellation of the return charter flight from Cancun scheduled for Wednesday, Air Transat…


Federal Transport Minister Asks for Investigation Into Sunwing Party Flight to Mexico

MONTREAL—Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has asked Transport Canada to investigate reports of “unacceptable” behaviour on a recent Sunwing Airlines flight from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico. Videos of the Dec. 30 flight shared on social media appear to show passengers not wearing masks as they gather in close proximity, singing and dancing in the aisle…