The 10 most-read PAX News stories of 2024

The travel industry crushed it in 2024.

Despite its volatile nature, the sector experienced significant growth, rebounding from the lingering effects of the pandemic in impressive ways.

International tourist arrivals, according to UN Tourism, reached almost 96 per cent of pre-pandemic levels this year.

And signs of resilience are evident in Canada, as noted in ACTA’s recent “State of the Industry” report, which paints a picture of a stronger community of travel advisors who continue to adapt to changing consumer needs with progressive business models.

2024 was a year of innovation as new and exciting products hit the market. But it was also a period of great resets as airlines, hoteliers, and other sectors, responded to rising inflation, cost of living pressures, and disputes over wages, working conditions and job security.

The intense labour negotiations and strikes that filled this year’s calendar proved that travel and tourism, despite strong sales, was still recalibrating from the pandemic.

And not everyone survived. The closure of two major airlines this year signified an end to the post-COVID travel boom, reinforcing ongoing challenges in Canadian aviation.

One thing’s for sure though: 2024 was packed with compelling content.

Which stories did PAX readers gravitate toward this year? Here’s our top ten most-viewed articles of 2024 (in chronological order):

What happens if Air Transat’s flight attendants go on strike? (Jan. 4, 2024)

The year started off with a cloud of uncertainty for Air Transat customers as the Montreal-based carrier’s 2,100 flight attendants voted to reject a tentative agreement that was reached in December just as the holiday rush set in.

In response, Air Transat issued a Q&A to travel advisors at the start of the year to address fears of a possible strike. The information, which drew readers to PAX News, included everything from how to change or cancel bookings to clarifications on what would happen to customers in destinations if a strike were to occur.

It wasn’t until February 26 when the flight attendants finally ratified a new collective agreement, putting an end to the anxiety.

It was a sigh of relief for travellers (and travel advisors), but the sting of the labour negotiations (which unfolded at the height of winter, an operator’s bread and butter) left a dent in Transat A.T.’s bottom line. 

The persisting speculation of a strike (a tone that started in November 2023) affected bookings and yield for the winter season, the company later noted in its Q1 results.

“Wow” – Canadian travel pros share first impressions of Icon of the Seas (Jan. 24, 2024) 

When “the world’s largest cruise ship” bursts on the scene, it’s bound to turn heads.

The debut of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, a sprawling, first-of-its-class vessel – built for 7,600 passengers – at PortMiami in January had our readers spinning with curiosity.

Boasting twenty decks, more than forty restaurants, bars and lounges, 28 types of accommodations, the larger-than-life ship is a combination of “over 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission every day to deliver the world’s best vacations,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO for Royal Caribbean Group at Icon’s naming ceremony, which welcomed icons like actor Mario Lopez (of Saved by the Bell fame) and star fútbol (soccer) player Lionel Messi.

Reporting on location, PAX was among the first to publish extensive photo galleries of Icon’s vibrant pools, restaurants and neighbourhoods – content that was widely shared by agents who follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

But the reactions Canadian travel advisors had to Icon of the Seas seemed to resonate with readers most. “It’s like Las Vegas, on water,” as TravelOnly’s Pat Probert of Bob Family Travel told us.

How four travel pros are using AI to improve their operations & save time (Feb. 26, 2024)

Artificial intelligence. A friend or foe to travel advisors?

PAX posed this question to four travel professionals to get their take on the industry’s biggest disruptor since the Internet, and the responses we got back implied that AI might not just be a friend, but a bestie.

Travel advisors are leveraging AI in never-before-seen ways to improve their operations, we learned, from using ChatGPT to write emails to using Canva to create marketing content to automating workflow tasks with tools like Zapier.

Over the past year, a world of AI-powered applications has exploded, reshaping the way people do business. The surge of clicks to PAX’s summary of how travel pros are using this new technology to improve their workflow tells us that the industry is curious, and keen, to learn more.   

AI-powered tools can certainly take requests for flights, hotels, dinner reservations, and activities. But as PAX has argued, it doesn’t stand a chance against the care and service offered by a human.

Op-ed: Lynx failure isn’t just about the value of travel agents, but good travel agents (March 1, 2024)

We lost an airline (or two) this year. The early half of 2024 saw the demise of Lynx Air, an ultra-low-cost carrier that ceased operations in February, for a variety of reasons, from financial pressures to fuel and regulatory costs to exchange rates to “competitive tension” in the market, as Jim Sullivan, interim CEO of Lynx, stated in a memo at the time.

Lynx launched in April of 2022 with a promise to make “air travel affordable for all.” And, to its credit, the airline made some progress, eventually serving 23 destinations, including most major Canadian cities and some U.S. hubs, such as Phoenix, San Francisco, Orlando and Tampa Bay.

But it wasn’t enough to win over a market that’s arguably saturated with other players, vying for the same customers. The travel advisors PAX spoke to weren’t surprised to see Lynx fold (given the precarious nature of ULCCs, it wasn’t an airline they sold anyways).

But the end of Lynx demonstrated a greater point, as Jeff Verman, CEO of Plus Travel Group, argued in a highly-clicked op-ed for PAX.

Did it show that you should use a travel agent? "The answer is, not really," Verman wrote. "It shows, at best, that you should use a good travel agent (or perhaps a good travel agency)."

Porter Escapes vacation packages to be suspended (May 10, 2024) 

Porter Airlines continued its North America expansion this year, landing in more Canadian and U.S. cities while disrupting economy flying with elevated service aboard a new fleet of Embraer E195-E2s.

But sometimes, with evolution, comes elimination. Such as in the case of Porter Escapes, the airline’s in-house vacation packages, which were pulled in May.

PAX was first to break this click-worthy story. Porter Escapes, which paired Porter flights with hotels and attractions, was created in 2012 to offer a premium travel experience for good value. The packages included hotels, city tours (in New York City and Chicago, for example), ski vacations, car rentals and more.

When asked about it in August, Edmond Eldebs, Porter’s senior vice-president and chief commercial officer, said Porter Escapes “didn’t make sense” as the airline came out of the pandemic and evolved its network.

Porter’s packaged holidays may have escaped inventory – for now. There’s a good chance this product will resurface one day, in some shape or form. 

“We know Canadians love packaged products,” Eldebs told PAX. “We intend to offer it when we enter Mexico and the Caribbean. We’ll announce more when it’s appropriate.”

WestJet “outraged” as mechanics go on strike, “severe” disruptions expected (June 28, 2024)

Eye balls were glued to PAX News at the height of summer after the union representing WestJet’s maintenance engineers, despite intervention from the Canadian government, commenced a surprise strike on June 28 – just as the Canada Day long weekend began.

The abrupt action taken by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) kickstarted a tense weekend of negotiations and nearly 1,200 cancelled flights.

By June 30, WestJet confirmed an end to the strike, but it took several days to fully stabilize the network. 

The final three days of the negotiating process were “among the most difficult of my career,” WestJet’s CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech later noted.

Many travel advisors were left to clean up a mess, and WestJet later apologized for the disruptions, admitting that it didn’t meet the expectations of travellers during summer.

Canada Jetlines announces imminent closure (Aug. 15, 2024) 

Another one bites the dust. Nearly six months after the closure of Lynx Air, Canada Jetlines was next to join Canada’s airline graveyard.

There were myriad factors that led to this leisure carrier’s demise. Financial difficulties, competition, softening post-COVID demand, high operating costs...

But you have to give them credit. The team, which championed travel advisors, tried their best to provide Canadian travellers with an alternative. Some of Jetlines’ last scheduled routes were out Toronto Pearson to destinations like Orlando, Cancun and Jamaica aboard a small fleet of Airbus A320-200s.

The Mississauga, ON-based airline also, at one point, connected Halifax with Toronto and Orlando, and stayed afloat with wet lease deals.

But after four executives, including the airline’s CEO, collectively resigned from their positions in August, it was clear that Jetlines’ sun was setting.

The airline ceased operations on August 15, 2024 and was declared bankrupt by September 11, 2024, with reports claiming the company owed $11.8 million (CAD) to creditors.

Navigating Air Canada’s potential strike has been “a complete nightmare,” says travel advisor (Sept. 11, 2024)

The mechanics strike at WestJet caused headaches, but palms really started to sweat when Air Canada’s pilots almost walked off the job. 

Tensions were high at the end of August after Air Canada’s 5,200-something pilots voted in favour of authorizing its union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), to call a strike.

The hope was that the two would work it out, but as the September deadline for pilots to issue a 72-hour strike or lockout notice inched closer, the possibility of Canada’s largest airline halting its network seemed all too real.

Thankfully, in the early hours of Sunday, September 15, Air Canada reached a tentative, four-year collective agreement with its pilots, averting a work stoppage that would have disrupted the plans of thousands.

Terms of the deal, which replaced one reached 10 years ago, included Air Canada’s pilots receiving cumulative raises of almost 42 per cent over four years, narrowing the pay gap with pilots at other Canadian and U.S. airlines.

PAX’s breaking news coverage of the resolution racked up views, but it was a travel advisors’ honest commentary about the situation that won over readers. 

Transat consolidates tour operations, Nicole Bursey leaves company (Oct. 9, 2024)

Transat consolidating its Canadian tour operator commercial activities raised eyebrows when it was revealed that Nicole Bursey, an employee of 15 years, was no longer with the company.

PAX was first to break this news, which triggered waves of industry reaction. In a statement, Transat said the reorganization was done to “simplify and streamline” its sales activities.

The changes come as Transat tries to turn around its finances. The company, throughout the year, has faced challenges, from stiff competition to engine recalls to that aforementioned threat of a strike.

Transat is currently participating in a review, called the “Elevation Program,” which aims to optimize efficiencies and drive long-term profitable growth.

Julie Sareault is also now Transat’s commercial director, overseeing tour operator activities on a national level, and as revealed in a recent interview with PAX, her goal is to strengthen Transat's partnerships with travel agencies.

With Cuba in damage control, Sunwing shifts focus to “hidden gems”; 26 Cuban hotels removed. (Nov. 15, 2024)

Cuba has had a rough go this year. Between hurricanes and high-profile power outages, the island nation has faced an uphill battle trying to convince Canadians, one of its main markets, that tourism is functioning normally.

The country’s vulnerable power grid triggered an advisory on the Government of Canada’s travel advice page, and while most resorts in Cuba use generators during power outages, the optics of it all have left some travellers skeptical. 

You know the situation is bad when Sunwing Vacations, which sends more Canadians to Cuba than anyone else, changes its winter strategy, in the middle of November, to promote “hidden gem” destinations that are less precarious.

In an exclusive interview with PAX, Samantha Taylor, Sunwing’s chief marketing officer, said the volatility surrounding Cuba could shake consumer confidence, hence the pivot.

And, another nugget: Sunwing removing 26 hotels from its Cuba portfolio due to quality issues based on customer feedback. Taylor said Sunwing is trying to achieve some consistency at hotels in Cuba. The company is even developing a framework for accommodations in an effort to bring some transparency to the booking process.

PAX’s article about this strategy went viral, landing not only in the inboxes of travel professionals, but also in the pages of prominent Facebook groups and several Cuban news dailies. As a result, this was our most-clicked-on story of the year.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.