Porter Airlines<\/a>\u00a0is making good on its own expansion plans, with new 2023 flights to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton all announced in recent days, and plenty more routes and destinations on the way, including more in the U.S. plus sun spots in Mexico and the Caribbean. Meanwhile Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, WestJet, Swoop, Sunwing and Transat are all ramping up capacity too, as Canadians rediscover the joys of travel.<\/p>\nMeanwhile the WestJet Group\u2019s proposed acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines is winding its way through the regulatory process. Will approval come in 2023? Or will it founder like Air Canada\u2019s proposed acquisition of Transat?<\/p>\n
In a recent interview with Travelweek, aviation expert John Gradek predicted that the WestJet-Sunwing deal will get the go-ahead. \u201cEven with this duplicity of routes and the potential for significant service rationalization, the Canadian government approved the Air Canada-Transat transaction. The WestJet-Sunwing transaction has a great deal less duplicity and frequency impact and, in my opinion, should easily pass Canadian government approval,\u201d said Gradek.<\/p>\n
As Canada\u2019s leisure air market takes on more capacity than anyone ever thought possible, the country\u2019s corporate travel market is picking up too.<\/p>\n
For this year-end look at Canada\u2019s airline industry, Travelweek connected with Patrick Doyle, Vice President & General Manager at American Express Global Business Travel, the world\u2019s leading business-to-business travel platform. Doyle also sits on the boards of GBTA and ACTA.<\/p>\n
Travelweek: What surprised you \u2013 good and bad \u2013 about how airlines handled travel\u2019s restart in 2022?<\/p>\n
Doyle: \u201cWithout a doubt, the pandemic had an unprecedented impact on travel. It was the first industry to shut down and among the last to reopen. In our sector, the airline industry has struggled the most with recovery, initially through low demand and now through logistical and staffing issues. While the swift pace was something we couldn\u2019t have predicted in 2021, what\u2019s been most impressive to witness is how the people on the frontlines of the airline industry have deftly navigated the immense challenges faced this year. I applaud them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travelweek: What could the airlines have done differently?<\/p>\n
Doyle: \u201cThe world\u2019s carriers are emerging from one of the most challenging periods in their history, so there are bound to be difficult lessons learned. Airline and airport labor shortages were a significant factor in reduced capacity during 2022. Looking back, we can now say that staffing shortfalls could have been addressed sooner. As well, more transparent communications with customers may have mitigated some of the chaos; positioning difficulties that peaked this summer as a short term disruption actively being addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travelweek: Do you think Canada can handle all the capacity that\u2019s coming \u2013 overcapacity concerns?<\/p>\n
Doyle: \u201cThe research in this year\u2019s Air Monitor report shows that new carriers in Canada are adding significant capacity, leading Canada to recover an impressive 97% of 2019 ASM (available seat miles) levels in Q1 2023. However, with their largely domestic focus and low-cost models, these carriers may be unlikely to meet the needs of corporate travellers, which is the audience we at Amex GBT are laser focused on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travelweek: How is business travel\u2019s recovery coming along?<\/p>\n
Doyle: \u201cEarly reports of the death of business travel were greatly exaggerated. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite. Our latest earnings show business travel continuing to recover and companies continuing to invest in travel. A survey of our top 125 customers in October reported that 95% expect their 2023 business travel spend to increase or stay flat to 2022. Seven in 10 decision makers we surveyed believe increased remote work will lead to more, not less, business travel in the future fuelling demand. Remote and hybrid work are making business travel the new centre of company culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travelweek: Amex GBT\u2019s Air Monitor report forecasts airfares to keep climbing. Do you think the market forces will keep fares from getting too high? Or are the days of reasonably affordable airfares behind us for a while?<\/p>\n
Doyle: \u201cForecasting is always difficult. Forecasting air prices \u2013 after two years of disruption and volatility \u2013 is even more of a challenge, one that is compounded by the uncertain outlook for the world economy. Given significant price increases in 2022, fare rises in the competitive North American air sector in 2023 are expected to be more moderate, 3.4% in business class and 2.9% economy, than those forecast for Europe and Asia Pacific.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome factors, such as the cost of fuel, are beyond the airline\u2019s control and will continue to impact prices. Since March 2022, fuel surcharges on a roundtrip business class ticket from New York to London have increased by $500 to $1,700, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travelweek: What\u2019s key for the airline industry as we head into 2023?<\/p>\n
Doyle: \u201cSustainability is no longer a nice-to-have and it\u2019s important that we keep making inroads as an industry. According to many surveys, including our own, sustainability is becoming more important to both companies and travellers when booking their trips. Four in five respondents or 80% say their organization takes sustainability into account when planning meetings and events. Of those, over three quarters (76%) say that their organization has a defined sustainable meeting program strategy. This is encouraging news.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere at Amex GBT, we recognize the risks posed by climate change, wasted resources, and loss of biodiversity. We have committed to set science-based and net zero emissions targets, and we were the first global TMC to become carbon neutral for our own travel activities. For clients and partners, we\u2019re scaling sustainable solutions, including carbon calculations and reporting, credible carbon credits to offset travel emissions, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to decarbonize air travel. For me personally, this is one of the most exciting and rewarding advancements in our industry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TORONTO \u2014 As if travel\u2019s restart wasn\u2019t enough of a story in 2022, Canada\u2019s airline industry took things up a notch this year with brand new carriers, big expansions and even news of a possible acquisition. Canada Jetlines\u00a0took off in 2022, after years of waiting, and to cheers from travel agents who can earn commission …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[96,102,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-featured-en","category-flights"],"yoast_head":"\n
More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high - aviation news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TORONTO \u2014 As if travel\u2019s restart wasn\u2019t enough of a story in 2022, Canada\u2019s airline industry took things up a notch this year with brand new carriers, big expansions and even news of a possible acquisition. Canada Jetlines\u00a0took off in 2022, after years of waiting, and to cheers from travel agents who can earn commission …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"aviation news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100088552298353\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-30T16:06:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-14T08:15:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/aviationnews-international.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"830\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"526\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"adminnews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@aviationne428\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aviationne428\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"adminnews\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"adminnews\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/02e91cef3ca1560c153b683711401bd3\"},\"headline\":\"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-30T16:06:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-14T08:15:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432\"},\"wordCount\":1039,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Aviation world\",\"Featured\",\"Flights\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432\",\"name\":\"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high - aviation news\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-30T16:06:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-14T08:15:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/12\\\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp\",\"width\":830,\"height\":526},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?p=1432#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/\",\"name\":\"aviation news\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"aviation news\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/aviation-news-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/aviation-news-logo.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":154,\"caption\":\"aviation news\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/profile.php?id=100088552298353\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/aviationne428\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/02e91cef3ca1560c153b683711401bd3\",\"name\":\"adminnews\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/aviationnews-inetrnational.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aviation-news.info\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high - aviation news","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high","og_description":"TORONTO \u2014 As if travel\u2019s restart wasn\u2019t enough of a story in 2022, Canada\u2019s airline industry took things up a notch this year with brand new carriers, big expansions and even news of a possible acquisition. Canada Jetlines\u00a0took off in 2022, after years of waiting, and to cheers from travel agents who can earn commission …","og_url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432","og_site_name":"aviation news","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100088552298353","article_published_time":"2022-12-30T16:06:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-14T08:15:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":830,"height":526,"url":"https:\/\/aviationnews-international.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"adminnews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@aviationne428","twitter_site":"@aviationne428","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"adminnews","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432"},"author":{"name":"adminnews","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#\/schema\/person\/02e91cef3ca1560c153b683711401bd3"},"headline":"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high","datePublished":"2022-12-30T16:06:59+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-14T08:15:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432"},"wordCount":1039,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp","articleSection":["Aviation world","Featured","Flights"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432","url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432","name":"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high - aviation news","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp","datePublished":"2022-12-30T16:06:59+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-14T08:15:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp","width":830,"height":526},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=1432#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"More carriers and unprecedented expansion: Canada\u2019s airline industry is flying high"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#website","url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/","name":"aviation news","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#organization","name":"aviation news","url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/aviation-news-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/aviation-news-logo.png","width":500,"height":154,"caption":"aviation news"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100088552298353","https:\/\/x.com\/aviationne428"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/#\/schema\/person\/02e91cef3ca1560c153b683711401bd3","name":"adminnews","sameAs":["https:\/\/aviationnews-inetrnational.com"],"url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?author=1"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/StoryD_12.30_main.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}