JimBits: Airline, Cruise and Hotel News Roundup

esidents of the nation's capital will have plenty of options to choose from for their tropical getaway this year, as Sunwing has announced it will be returning to Ottawa International Airport for the 2021-2022 winter season. Sun-seekers from the Ottawa-Gatineau region can return to paradise with ease with 11 different destinations being offered across the Caribbean and Mexico. Flights will begin in November 2021 and run weekly until April 2022.

"After a trying year, we're looking forward to bringing residents of the capital back to the tropics under our wing," said Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations for Sunwing. "With 11 different destinations to choose from, we'll be offering more routes to the south than any other tour operator from the gateway. Whether travellers want to explore the exotic coast of Los Cabos or the sunny shores of Punta Cana, there's something for every travel style."

The flight schedule from Ottawa will be as follows:

Between Ottawa and Montego Bay, Sundays from December 12, 2021 until April 10, 2022

Between Ottawa and Puerto Plata, Tuesdays from December 7, 2021 until April 12, 2022

Between Ottawa and Punta Cana, Saturdays and Wednesdays from November 6, 2021 until April 9, 2022; and Mondays from December 13, 2021 until April 11, 2022

Between Ottawa and Cancun, Saturdays from November 6, 2021 until April 9, 2022; and Mondays and Fridays from December 13, 2021 until April 11, 2022

Between Ottawa and Puerto Vallarta, Sundays from December 19, 2021 until March 27, 2022

Between Ottawa and Los Cabos, Thursdays from December 16, 2021 until March 31, 2022

Between Ottawa and Mazatlán, Tuesdays from December 14, 2021 until April 12, 2022

Between Ottawa and Cayo Santa Maria, Fridays from November 12, 2021 until April 8, 2022

Between Ottawa and Varadero, Sundays and Thursdays from November 14, 2021 until April 7, 2022

Between Ottawa and Cayo Coco, Tuesdays from November 16, 2021 until April 12, 2022

Between Ottawa and Holguin, Tuesdays from December 14, 2021 until April 12, 2022

"Sunwing has always been popular with Ottawa-Gatineau vacationers," said Mark Laroche, President and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority. "With pent-up travel demand growing and travel restrictions easing, Sunwing's wide variety of destinations and all-inclusive packages will be well-received by travellers who are anxious to escape on a long-awaited winter vacation."

Vacationers can choose from a range of resorts for every travel style and budget from Ottawa. Grand Sunset Princess All Suites and Spa Resort in Riviera Maya is a perennial favourite, featuring sprawling pools and a range of dining options. Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort Spa and Casino is another popular choice for sun-seekers, located on the world-famous shores of Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana with endless entertainment options along The Boulevard, the resort's recreation complex. Vacationers can take their budget further at the newly renovated Riu Ocho Rios in Jamaica, with exclusive RIU-topia inclusions for Sunwing guests like unlimited reservation-free dining and complimentary Wi-Fi.

Travelers looking to get back to sea on their favorite Holland America Line ship can anticipate a restart date of May 2022 for Volendam and Zaandam. The ships will join Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam and Zuiderdam, which have returned to service or are slated to restart cruising by November 2021.

Holland America Line will restart the two ships in May when Volendam will explore Northern Europe and Zaandam will return to the Canada/New England region. With these new start dates, the Grand World Voyage and Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage will not operate in 2022 and will resume in 2023.

"We have been diligently planning and preparing to move our ships back into service, and after an extremely successful restart in Alaska and Europe we are thrilled to have return-to-service dates for Volendam and Zaandam," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "The team members on our ships in service have shared what a positive experience it has been welcoming guests back on board. We look forward to next spring when even more eager travelers can get back to cruising with us."

Volendam and Zaandam Return May 2022
When Volendam returns on May 1, the ship will offer longer explorations ranging from 14 to 35 days to the Baltic, Norway up to North Cape and Spitsbergen, British Isles and Iceland, all roundtrip from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The ship also sails along the Iberian Peninsula to the Mediterranean and down to Egypt and Israel.

Zaandam restarts on May 12 in the beloved Canada/New England region, with a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts, followed by itineraries between Boston and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The ship will offer the popular 35-day Voyage of the Vikings itinerary in July that sails roundtrip from Boston to Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Grand Voyages Resume in 2023
When the Grand World Voyage departs Jan. 3, 2023, Zuiderdam will debut on the 128-day around-the-world sojourn, offering world cruise guests the opportunity to book a verandah stateroom for the first time. Zuiderdam also features Music Walk's Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King's Blues Club and Billboard Onboard, along with specialty restaurants Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto. Volendam will return for the 74-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage in 2023 that departs Jan. 3, 2023.

Guests who were booked on the 2022 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage will be automatically moved to the 2023 departure aboard Volendam. Guests who were booked on the 2022 Grand World Voyage aboard Zaandam will be automatically moved to the 2023 Grand World Voyage aboard Zuiderdam.

"Our 2022 Grand World Voyage booked in record time, and with the pent-up demand to get back to world cruising we moved the cruise to Zuiderdam," Antorcha added. "For the first time on a Grand World Voyage our guests will be able to book a verandah stateroom category, which makes for spectacular scenic cruising, breakfast with a view or relaxing outside without leaving your stateroom."

Scenic Group Canada continues to build an impressive group of Business Development Managers with the hiring of Lisa Willey as BDM for Western Canada. Lisa joins Scenic Group Canada with more than 20 years cruise industry experience and will be responsible for supporting the sales and trade marketing efforts of Scenic and Emerald Cruises' travel partners in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Lisa can be reached at [email protected].

"We are pleased to have the caliber of Lisa's talent and expertise join our Canadian sales team. As we continue to build our sales and marketing team, our travel partners can expect increase support in helping them achieve their business goals," offers Juna Ueda, General Manager Sales, Scenic Group Canada. "The Scenic Group is committed to investing in the Canadian marketplace, to drive the sales recovery."

Lisa's background includes long stints as business development manager for Seabourn and Holland America. Her most recent position was with Uniworld, where she spent the past five years managing and developing robust sales and support growth in Western Canada and being awarded Global Revenue Producer of the Year in 2017. Among many of Lisa's other talents is her Level 1 Certification in the Sommelier and Wine Cellar Management Program and numerous charitable efforts. Lisa combines strong academic knowledge with real-life work experience and is seen as an integral player in Scenic Group's growth plan for the Canadian market.

"It's such a privilege to be joining the team at Scenic and Emerald Cruises, and for the opportunity to represent such innovative and dynamic brands," states Lisa Willey. "I'm especially excited about their growth into the ultra-luxury ocean market with the stunning Scenic Eclipse and Emerald Azzurra. It is thrilling to be coming back into the industry with the Scenic Group and I look forward to once again be working with all my valued travel partners." Living in Vancouver means great biking and hiking to Lisa during her downtime. The kitchen is also a big draw as she entertains her friends and family with wine tastings and experimenting with new recipes - though she is looking forward to more business dinners with travel advisors as travel returns.

Scenic Group, which includes Emerald Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Mayflower Cruises & Tours and Evergreen Tours, has grown over its 35-year history to include award-winning, river and ocean cruises and handcrafted land journeys that take guests to many of the world's most fascinating destinations covering all seven continents. Since 2008, Scenic has set the benchmark for truly all-inclusive, five-star river cruises in Europe and Southeast Asia as well as luxury cruises on Russia's Volga River on board Scenic Tsar and on Egypt's Nile on board a private luxury charter. In 2019, Scenic introduced Scenic Eclipse, The World's First Discovery Yacht™, a 228-guest ultra-luxury ship, and plans to deliver a second yacht of the same category, Scenic Eclipse II, in 2023. Emerald Cruises has nine branded Star-Ships offering river sailings in Europe and on the Mekong, as well as the chartered river ship along the Volga River in Russia (MS Nizhny Novgorod). In January 2022, Emerald Azzurra will be the first yacht to launch under the Emerald Cruises brand - a 100-guest superyacht that will sail the warm waters of the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black and Red seas.

Aeroplan in July announced that as of September 1, 2021, Aeroplan flight rewards would be subject to the change and cancellation fee structure of the fare option purchased.

Officials said they've been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and have decided to adjust and push out their date to October 1, 2021, to address evolving travel restrictions and member needs.

Policy will be:

Full flexibility for cancelling Aeroplan flight rewards:

Aeroplan flight rewards booked through September 30, 2021, can be changed or cancelled free of charge, at any time. Members can cancel free of charge and receive all of their points back in their account, plus a full refund of any associated taxes, fees and charges on the unused value of travel. For changes, members will pay only the difference in points, or receive a partial refund if their new itinerary requires fewer points. In addition, a difference in taxes, fees and charges may apply when changing an itinerary.

As a reminder, members can quickly and easily cancel their Aeroplan flight rewards at aircanada.com.

Beginning October 1, 2021, Aeroplan flight rewards are subject to the change and cancellation fee structure of the fare option purchased.

Intrepid Travel has announced Peregrine Adventures will be phased out from January 2022, as the operator focuses on extending its higher-end travel options under the Intrepid Premium and Comfort ranges.

The brand simplification supports Intrepid's ambitious growth strategy as the business aims to become the first purpose-led $1 billion adventure travel company. It also provides customers with the widest range of sustainable experience-rich travel. In a similar move, Intrepid successfully phased out the Geckos Adventures 'youth' brand in 2018 to transition to its popular 18 to 29 range.

Peregrine Adventures has been part of Intrepid since 2012 and in 2021 offered 186 itineraries in 62 countries. In comparison, from January 2022, Intrepid will offer almost 300 itineraries in 73 countries across the Intrepid Premium and Comfort ranges.

"By focusing all of our expertise and energy into one brand, we can deliver an even better sustainable experience for our customers while ensuring local communities benefit from tourism too," says James Thornton, Intrepid Travel CEO.

"We're confident Peregrine customers will love our new Intrepid Premium range, which offers all the inclusions and experiences they've come to expect, plus our highest standard of accommodation, best tour leaders and even more choice," he adds.

"Thank you to everyone who has been a part of Peregrine Adventures over the years and we look forward to having you on the next part of the journey with Intrepid Premium."

Intrepid Premium features Intrepid's highest standard accommodation (on average 4-star) and exceptional on-trip experiences. Like all Intrepid tours, the range is designed to minimize travellers' environmental footprint while maximizing their positive impact for local communities. Intrepid Premium tours will be offered in 40+ popular destinations, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Peru and Morocco, with trips commencing in early 2022.

Peregrine Adventures customers and agents with Peregrine Adventures credits will be supported through this transition, with a number of flexible options available for future travel plans. Intrepid will be reaching out directly to travel agents to discuss the change and the options available to them.

Air France and KLM's ongoing flexible booking policy is now extended.

Since the start of the COVID crisis, Air France & KLM have been doing everything possible to assist their customers and allow them to plan their trips with complete peace of mind. Air France & KLM customers can change their booking or receive a refund at no cost and without proof up to the day of departure.

Previously valid for travel up to 31 December 2021, these commercial measures have now been extended to 31 March 2022.

As a result, customers in possession of Air France or KLM tickets valid for travel up to 31 March 2022 will be able to either:

- Change their reservation at no cost, with the possibility of changing the date and/or destination of their ticket regardless of the fare conditions .

- Request a full refund. If the fare conditions of the ticket do not allow a refund, a credit voucher valid for one year will be issued, the refund of which can be requested at any time.

These measures apply until the day of departure of the first flight.

Customers who have booked a flight directly with Air France or KLM can change their reservation or request a refund directly on line, at airfrance.com / klm.com, or via the customer relations centres.

Customers who have booked via a travel agent are invited to contact their point of sale.

Full details of these commercial measures are available at all Air France / KLM points of sale and can be consulted at airfrance.com / klm.com.

Airfrance.com

International hospitality leader Accor announced today the appointment of Sara Glenn and Benjamin Cadwell as Chief Operating Officers, North & Central America.

This move reinforces the Group's commitment to investing in world-class leadership and building a strong future for Accor in the region, through the development of renowned brands including luxury leaders Raffles, Fairmont and Sofitel; premium standouts Swissôtel and Pullman; boutique collections such as MGallery; and midscale and economy performers, Novotel and ibis.

In their new roles, Glenn and Cadwell will be responsible for enhancing operational execution, elevating financial results and guest satisfaction, and building long-term value for partners and owners during a time of growth and expansion for Accor in North & Central America. Glenn will maintain responsibility for all hotels in Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, while Cadwell will have oversight for all US properties. Both will also serve on the Accor North & Central America Senior Leadership Team and CODIR (Executive Committee).

"Building on extensive backgrounds and experience on the business's ownership and asset management side, both Ben and Sara bring to their new roles an owner-centric mindset and approach, which will prove critical to Accor's long-term growth and success in this region," said Heather McCrory, Chief Executive Officer, Accor North & Central America. "They are uniquely positioned, alongside our talented hub and hotel operations teams, to take our strategic roadmap to the next level, optimizing performance and delivering value for our rapidly growing portfolio of hotels."

Both Glenn and Cadwell have dedicated their careers to the hospitality industry, cultivating significant knowledge and expertise in financial and operational oversight, investment analysis, as well as management of mergers and acquisitions for hotels and resorts.