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Tags: New Routes / Caribbean Travel / Cuba Travel / St Maarten Travel / WestJet / Canada Travel / Toronto Travel / Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags
WestJet Launches Cuba And St. Maarten, Non-Stops Away From Canadian Winter
Starting from last Sunday, Toronto travelers in search of warmth have had two new options courtesy of Canadian low cost carrier WestJet. Last week the airline announced they were launching nonstops to Varadero, Cuba and St Maarten, and the first flights duly took off over the weekend.
The company issued separate press releases for the St Maarten and Cuba routes, each identical except for the obviously made up location-specific quotes from Hugh Dunleavy, WestJet Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Planning. That doesn't make WestJet's announcement any less exciting. It just kind of made us giggle.
Both new routes have flights three times per week, and both last only until April 29, 2010. Presumably that's the date they expect Toronto to thaw, with all the consequences for demand that would portend. They're promising more "sun destination" announcements in the coming days though, so maybe those will last past the winter months.
Tags: Porter Airlines / Airline News / New Routes / Toronto Travel / Air Canada Jazz / → All Tags
Porter Airlines Preparing To Battle It Out With Air Canada Jazz
Throughout the economic downturn, Porter Airlines has been doing everything right. They’ve impressed travelers with their service, expanded to new routes, and have served Toronto City Centre Airport without too much competition. Well that’s about to end as another airline wants to get a chunk of the air traffic from the city’s smaller airport. After all, the airport is a little more convenient to all that downtown business.
Air Canada Jazz is looking to return to end Porter’s dominance over the airport’s commercial traffic. Jazz used to come and go from the downtown airport until early in 2006 when they suspended their service, claiming they had been evicted by a firm that was in cahoots with the CEO at Porter Airlines. However, the exclusivity agreement between Porter Airlines and the airport ends early next year, and Jazz is ready to once again roll down the runway.
Tags: Prime-Plane-Spotting-Map / Plane Spotting / Toronto / Toronto Travel / Air Canada / Restaurants / Porter Airlines / YYZ / → All Tags
Drive-Thru For A Fast Food Lunch And A 747 Landing
We love airplanes, you love airplanes, so let's go look at airplanes! In our Prime Plane Spotting series, we'll let you in on all the best spots to whip out your cameras and binoculars for a piece of the aviation action.
On the Pacific coast of Canada, in Vancouver, there is a jetty ideally situated for watching landing planes. On almost the other side of the North American continent in Toronto, it's a Wendy's fast food restaurant that makes for the perfect lookout.
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This Weekend In The World: The Dutch Return To Conquer New York
· New York: Dust off those wooden shoes, for our Dutch overlords have returned to claim what is rightfully theirs. Yeah right, like we will ever spell "Brooklyn" the way it was meant to be—Breuklyn—again. Instead, the Dutch (we are really tempted to called them the "Hollandaise") will be welcomed back to the land they lost, aka New York City, for a week of activities that embrace their old connections to Manhattan. NY400, as it's being called, has a major focus on this Sunday, which will be Harbor Day with activities everywhere from downtown Brooklyn to Staten Island. Find out more in our story on the event.
· Chicago: All we should have to say to get you to go to Chicago's Windy City Wine Crush is $25 for 10 tastings and souvenir glass. Still not convinced that a weekend spent swilling an assortment of vintages is the perfect medicine? Well, there will be food and Food Network personalities on hand as well, like such as Hearty Boys Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith, from the Food Network's Party Line With The Hearty Boys. Please bring us back a good beer can chicken and a cabernet, okay?
Tags: Vanity Fair / Toronto / Toronto Travel / Museums / Museum Travel / → All Tags
Vanity Fair To Shower Toronto With Celebrity Glitz
Hilary Swank as photographed by Norman Jean Roy
From a nude and pregnant Demi Moore to Tom Ford cozying up next to Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley (also nude, naturally), Vanity Fair is well-known for reflecting what's hot—and, apparently, clothes-free—in pop culture since the early 20th Century. In our celebrity-centric culture, Vanity Fair is bar none when it comes to showcasing the mythological glitz of Hollywood life, consistently attracting the curiosity of readers with photo spreads that are sometimes sexy, but always elegant.
With such a storied past, a retrospective seems like a natural way to commemorate 95 years of the magazine's glamorous perspective. Labeled a "smash" after its European tour (because Annie Leibovitz is the Bono of photographers), Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 is a collection of iconic images from the magazine's history. The exhibit will make a stop at Toronto's Institute for Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum from September 26th of this year through January 3, 2010, the first North American destination. Amelia Earheart, Charlie Chaplin, and Madonna are just some of the marquee names—and images—being used to draw crowds in Canada's capital city.
Tags: Film Festivals / Toronto Travel / Celeb Travel / Back of the Envelope Guides / → All Tags
Back of the Envelope Travel Guide: Toronto International Film Festival
This year's Toronto International Film Festival is right around the corner, so it's time to start thinking about what films to see, where to stay and where to go for celebrity gawking. This year's roster includes Whip It, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, and Precious, a smaller film with a couple of big names (Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry) appearing at the festival to back it.
Tickets for the fest, which runs from September 10th-19th, can be purchased via the festival's box office in customized packages, pre-set packages or individually (single tickets go on sale September 4th at 7 am). If you're heading north of the border for the red carpet festivities or just to watch them, we've got all the tips for where to stay and eat and what else to catch when you're not asking for autographs.
Tags: Virgin America / Airline News / Canada Travel / Vancouver Travel / Toronto Travel / LCCs / → All Tags
Rumors Continue Over Virgin America's Possible Canadian Routes
Not content with reaching across the country and expanding service to Ft. Lauderdale, LCC Virgin America has been spreading rumors about new routes to the north. Far, far to the north:
Virgin America ... has announced it’s studying whether to fly to Toronto and Vancouver, as well as several new U.S. destinations... If Virgin proceeds with the plan, analysts say it could not only be flying into Vancouver within three to six months of an announcement, but the move could prompt other discount carriers to follow suit. Others say it would put strong downward pressure on all air fares, making cheaper flights the norm for British Columbians.
Next to "free wifi" and "open bar," "downward pressure" is probably our favorite travel industry phrase. Anyways, this is not new information for us; we chatted with VA's CEO David Cush about the Canadian routes and more in our phone call with him almost two weeks ago.
