Montreal, Quebec, Canada, September 7, 2023 – VIA Rail Canada Inc. (VIA Rail) is pleased to announce the reintroduction of two round trips between Toronto and Ottawa and one round trip between London and Toronto, starting this October.
Returning frequencies
Passengers can start booking their trips on train 82/83 as of today and on the other returning frequencies over the next week.
Route
Schedule
Resuming date
82
London – Toronto
1 daily trip, every day but Sunday
Tuesday, October 24
83
Toronto – London
1 daily trip, every day but Saturday
Tuesday, October 24
644
Toronto – Ottawa
1 daily trip on Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Friday, October 27
646
Toronto – Ottawa
1 daily trip on Thursday, Friday, Sunday
Thursday, October 26
43
Ottawa – Toronto
1 daily trip on Monday, Friday, Sunday
Friday, October 27
647
Ottawa – Toronto
1 daily trip on Friday and Sunday
Friday, October 27
*To accommodate those changes, the Saturday trip on train 44 will be cancelled starting October 28.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 1, 2023, CNW – Air Canada (Toronto: AC) today announced the expansion of its award-winning in-flight entertainment with the addition of exclusive Apple TV+ original programming beginning Aug. 1, 2023. The partnership marks Air Canada’s latest investment in the customer experience, adding critically acclaimed original programs including Ted Lasso, Bad Sisters, Severance, Foundation and many more for its global customers.
Earlier this year, Air Canada was recognized by Global Traveler as Best Airline for Onboard Entertainment for the fifth consecutive year, and by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) with the Passenger Choice Award for Best Entertainment in North America. With 420+ movies, 1,000+ TV episodes, 130+ music albums, podcasts and more, customers can enjoy the best programming from boarding to landing. All content onboard Air Canada’s inflight entertainment equipped aircraft is complimentary for all customers.
Air Canada’s partnership with Apple follows the airline’s recent collaboration with Mattel which brings more family fun with some of the most popular kids’ shorts.
In May, Air Canada and Bell began offering free messaging for all Aeroplan members worldwide on all Wi-Fi equipped aircraft across Air Canada’s fleet, including Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express flights. Customers can send and receive text-based messages via onboard Wi-Fi using popular messaging apps including Apple’s iMessage, Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger, Rakuten’s Viber, and Messages by Google.
Last November, Air Canada became the only Canadian carrier to offer live Canadian TV featuring English and French channels, giving customers the ability to cheer on their favourite sports teams by watching global sporting events in real time, as well as live news onboard equipped flights.
July 28, 2023 – The Groupe PMM consortium led by Alstom (OTC: ALSMY), Groupe des partenaires pour la mobilité des Montréalais, participated in the inauguration hosted by its customer, CDPQ Infra, of the first segment of Réseau express métropolitain (REM), a new automated urban rail system, which connects Brossard on Montreal’s South Shore with Montreal’s Central Station. Upon completion, REM will be one of the world’s largest automated transport networks – 67 kilometres long with 26 stations – connecting downtown Montreal to the South Shore, the North Shore, the West Island and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, it will provide rapid service with trains arriving every 3 minutes 45 seconds during peak hours and operate 20 hours a day.
Groupe PMM provided REM with a complete driverless, automated metro system, including rolling stock and signalling, and will operate and maintain the entire 67-kilometre system for 30 years. The first segment, between Brossard and Montreal’s Central Station, spans 17 kilometres and includes five (5) stations equipped with a system of platform screen doors installed by Alstom, a first in Quebec. Eighty (80) Metropolis metro cars will be operated on this segment, which will enter commercial service on July 31st.
The event was held in the presence of Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, François Legault, Premier of Quebec, Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal, Charles Émond, President and CEO of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Jean-Marc Arbaud, CEO of CDPQ Infra, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom, Michael Keroullé, President of the Americas region for Alstom and Jean-Michel Morvan, Director of the Groupe PMM consortium.
Under the terms of the contract, Groupe PMM will supply 212 Alstom Metropolis metro cars (106 two-car trainsets), Alstom’s Urbalis GoA4 (Grade of Automation 4) driverless and automated communications-based train control (CBTC) solution, and Alstom’s Iconis control centre solution, as well as platform screen doors, Wi-Fi connectivity, cybersecurity, depot equipment and 30 years of operations and maintenance services, including HealthHubTM for predictive maintenance and fleet management. Groupe PMM is also responsible for train and system integration tests.
Herndon, USA/Mirabel, Canada – 13 July 2023 – Under its current agreement, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has disclosed an order for 12 additional A220-300 aircraft, bringing the airline’s total firm order for A220’s to 131 aircraft – 45 A220-100’s and 86 A220-300’s. Throughout the years, Delta has reordered the A220 five times and is today the largest A220 customer and operator in the world.
In addition to its positive cabin experience, the aircraft plays an important role in helping decrease airline operating costs and environmental impact. Offering 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, the A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market. Combining state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation GTF™ engines, the A220 brings customers a 50% reduced noise footprint and around 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards.
Delta took delivery of its first Airbus A220 in October 2018, and was the first U.S. carrier to operate the aircraft type. Delta currently operates a fleet of 433 Airbus aircraft, including 61 A220 aircraft, 280 A320 Family aircraft, 64 A330’s and 28 A350-900 aircraft.
TORONTO – Porter Airlines is adding Victoria to its network, with flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Victoria International Airport (YYJ). Victoria is the second city in British Columbia that Porter serves with the new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. The E195-E2 has the lowest fuel consumption per seat and per trip among its class, and is the quietest single-aisle jet flying today. The two-by-two configuration means no middle seats on any Porter flight.
Service begins on September 20, 2023, with one daily roundtrip flight. Connecting flights with Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and St. John’s will also be available. Introductory roundtrip fares start at $476.
Route
Departure
Arrival
Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) to Victoria (YYJ)
10:55 a.m.
1:04 p.m.
Victoria (YYJ) to Toronto-Pearson (YYZ)
2:00 p.m.
9:31 p.m.
Porter’s distinct service includes complimentary beer and wine served in glassware, free premium snacks, and free, fast WiFi, with full access to web surfing or favourite streaming platforms, available to all travellers. Fresh, healthy meals, pre-mixed cocktails and additional snack options are also available on the new route.
Sustainability is at the heart of the menu design, with a priority on reducing and eventually eliminating single-use plastics onboard, providing biodegradable cups and cutlery, and eco-friendly packaging.
Porter continues to expand its presence in Western Canada, now serving Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg.
Flights and Porter Escapes vacation packages are now available for booking at www.flyporter.com and with travel agents.
Santo Domingo, August 23, 2021– Alstom will manufacture, supply and commission eight (8) new three-car Metropolis trainsets for Line 1 of the Santo Domingo Metro serving the capital of the Dominican Republic. The international public tender, managed by the Oficina Para el Reordenamiento del Transporte (OPRET), and financed by the Agence française de développement, is a priority project for infrastructure development in Santo Domingo and to increase the transportation capacity of the country’s capital city.
Line 1 of the Santo Domingo metro, conceived to improve mobility in the north-centre-south city corridor, serves 16 stations across 14.5 kilometres. The new trains that Alstom is supplying will be able to operate in multiple units, coupled with each other or with the trains of the fleet previously acquired by OPRET, allowing capacity to be adapted to demand: 6-car configurations at peak times and 3-car configurations at off-peak times.
The new trains will have the same features, functionalities and characteristics of the Metropolis trains that currently operate in the Santo Domingo Metro, such as wide doors, wide corridors and a low floor for an optimal flow of passengers. In addition, the new trainsets will have additional features and technological improvements to enhance the passenger experience and optimize operations and availability, including LED lighting in the passenger area, Wi-Fi connection for the uploading of multimedia files and data transmission to the control unit, as well as improvements in the passenger information and alert system, train control and self-diagnosis systems.
The new trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s plant in Santa Perpetua, Barcelona, Spain, and the first two trains will arrive at the port of Santo Domingo approximately 18 months from the signing of the contract. These new trains will join the 25 Metropolis trains that Alstom previously supplied to Santo Domingo Metro for Line 1 and the 21 Metropolis trains supplied for Line2, since 2009, for a total of 138 cars.
Globally, more than 6,000 Metropolis cars have been sold across the globe, including to cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Chennai, Montreal, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Lima and Santiago de Chile.
After unveiling plans for a major expansion in North America with a firm order for 30 E195-E2 jets, with purchase rights for a further 50 aircraft, Porter Airlines has signed a major aftermarket support package contract with Embraer. The Total Support Program (TSP) agreement includes airframe heavy maintenance checks, technical solutions, and access to the Pool Program, which includes component exchanges and repair services for hundreds of reparable items for Porter’s E2 fleet of commercial aircraft, for up to 20 years. Currently, the Pool Program supports more than 50 airlines worldwide.
The Pool Program services will be provided by Embraer Aircraft Customer Services (EACS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while the heavy maintenance services will be performed by Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services (EAMS) in Nashville, Tennessee. In the coming months, Embraer will work with Porter in order to provide services related to the aircraft entry into service (EIS) process, which includes technical training, spare parts recommendations, and provisioning services.
Porter Airlines will be the North American launch customer for Embraer’s E-Jets E2 family of commercial aircraft. Porter’s investment is set to disrupt the Canadian aviation landscape by enhancing competition, elevating passenger service levels and creating as many as 6,000 new jobs. Porter intends to deploy the E195-E2s to popular business and leisure destinations throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, from Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Porter’s first delivery and entry into service is scheduled to start in the second half of 2022. The E195-E2 accommodates between 120 and 146 passengers. Configuration plans for Porter’s E2s will be revealed in due course.
Aerial view of the Canadian rockies mountains in the Banff national park, Canada
Porter Airlines has unveiled plans to extend its award-winning service to destinations throughout North America with a firm order for 30 Embraer E195-E2 jets, with purchase rights for a further 50 aircraft. The deal will be included in Embraer’s second quarter backlog, and is worth USD5.82 billion, at list price with all options exercised. First revealed in May 2021, this announcement adds the purchase rights and the customer name, which had been undisclosed.
Porter Airlines will be the North American launch customer for Embraer’s newest family of jets, the E2. Porter’s investment is set to disrupt the Canadian aviation landscape; enhancing competition, elevating passenger service levels and creating as many as 6,000 new jobs. Porter intends to deploy the E195-E2s to popular business and leisure destinations throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, from Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Porter’s first delivery and entry into service is scheduled starting in the second half of 2022. The option to convert purchase rights to the E190-E2s is included in the agreement. This would provide greater flexibility to introduce non-stop service in markets with fewer passengers, and to add frequencies on higher demand routes.
The E195-E2 accommodates between 120 and 146 passengers. Configuration plans for Porter’s E2s will be revealed in due course.
Austrian Airlines is expanding its long-haul services in the upcoming summer flight schedule. From May, Austria’s home carrier will once again be flying three times a week to Montreal and New York JFK. As Newark was already in service up to now, the total number of flights to New York will increase to eight connections per week as of May.
“With five destinations in North America and three in Asia, including Tokyo and Bangkok, our long-haul services are back on a slight climb this summer. Unfortunately, we are still a long way from reaching cruising altitude. We hope that a rapid increase in the vaccination rate and a corresponding relaxation of travel restrictions will give us a further boost in the future”, says Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl.
Austrian Airlines was already able to announce an increase in its summer flight schedule last week. From the end of March, various destinations will be resumed, including Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Florence. Hanover will be served by Austrian Airlines again for the first time since 2009. In addition, numerous vacation destinations are back on offer, for example in Greece, Italy and Spain. In the intercontinental route network, Amman, Bangkok, Chicago and Tokyo are back in the flight schedule.
On the Austrian Airlines website, passengers will find information on travel in times of corona, mandatory wearing of masks, country-specific travel regulations or flexible rebooking arrangements. The information is updated on an ongoing basis.
