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Tangiers Group Launches Medical Insurance For Workers, Travellers & Volunteers Living Or Visiting Dangerous Places

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Tangiers forms new international private medical insurance underwriter SLIEMA, Malta, April 23, 2013 /CNW/ – Tangiers Group announce the formation of a product development and insurance underwriting subsidiary called Tangiers Global. The company’s goal is to provide creative insurance solutions for workers, travellers, and volunteers living in or visiting dangerous places.  With the support of Lloyd’s of London, Tangiers Global have launched battleface™, an individual travel medical insurance plan, and International Employee Defence™, (IED), a comprehensive group healthcare plan. “We’ve been managing difficult medical cases for some of the largest international insurance companies since 2006,” said Tangiers Group CEO Christopher Catrambone. “It made sense for us to include product development and insurance underwriting as an extension of the great work our claims department is doing. We’re excited about the team we’ve assembled to carry out this mission.”

Proposed U.S. Border Fee For Canadians Ruffles Feathers

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The United States government wants Canadians to pay to enter the United States to help ease their desperate financial situation. TORONTO, April 21, 2013 /CNW/ – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget requests a study to determine the feasibility of collecting a fee from pedestrians and passenger vehicles crossing between the United States and Canada by land. Whether this fee would focus on those entering or exiting the United States, or both, and how much each crossing might cost has yet to be determined. “While we appreciate the fiscal challenges faced by our friends in the United States we would prefer the U.S. government focus on ways to reduce obstacles at the border that hinder trade and tourism,” MacKenzie said. The Canada-U.S. economic relationship is one of the largest in the world. Trade in goods and services between the two countries totaled $645 billion in 2010—more than $1.7 billion in goods and services each day. Fees for many commercial goods and agricultural inspections are already charged at the U.S. – Canada border. …

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The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) Says Canadian Travellers Are Paying Excessive Taxes And Fees

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OTTAWA, April 18, 2013 /CNW/ – The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) welcomed a federal government report supporting its position that air travellers are being unduly penalized by excessive taxes and fees that are making air travel more costly for Canadians. The report, One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Future Growth and Competitiveness of Canadian Air Travel by the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, builds on earlier work of the committee that concluded taxes and fees imposed on travellers and airlines are making Canada’s aviation industry uncompetitive. The senate report includes the following key findings and recommendations: Canada needs a single, cohesive National Air Travel Strategy to chart a new course to ensure competitive air travel in Canada. The Government of Canada must stop treating the aviation sector as a source of public revenue and start recognizing the sector’s ability to create jobs. Airport rent should be eliminated. Canadians continue to drive to U.S. airports to take advantage of lower airfares at an alarming rate. The rules governing the use of foreign pilots should be strengthened. “We note that …

Icelandair And WestJet Join Forces To Open The Skies Between North America And Europe

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QUINCY, Mass., April 17, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet and Icelandair have launched a new interline agreement opening up the skies for passengers connecting between the Americas and more than 20 Icelandair destinations throughout Europe. Passengers can now book a single combined e-ticket for WestJet and Icelandair flights which includes the conveniences of single check-in for all flights and baggage sent through to the final destination.                                  When connecting in the Americas, Icelandair customers will enjoy WestJet’s fleet of Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft serving more than 80 cities in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

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WestJet expands code-share with American Airlines

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New cities now available via American Airlines’ Dallas-Fort Worth hub CALGARY, April 15, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet announced today it will begin code-sharing on American Airlines flights to 16 new cities beyond Dallas-Fort Worth in conjunction with WestJet’s new, non-stop service between Calgary and Dallas-Fort Worth launching April 29, 2013.  WestJet and American Airlines together will provide three round-trip flights per day between the two cities.   The WestJet code has now been added on American Airlines-operated routes connecting through Dallas-Fort Worth to Albuquerque, N.M., Austin, Texas, Nashville, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., Orlando, Fla., Miami, Fla., New Orleans, La., Oklahoma City, Okla., Raleigh-Durham, N.C., San Antonio, Texas, St. Louis, Mo., Tampa Bay, Fla., and Tulsa, Okla. “Our airline partnership strategy continues to grow, offering guests additional opportunities to connect throughout WestJet’s world and beyond,” said Chris Avery, Vice-President, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. “The addition of 16 new cities beyond Dallas-Fort Worth greatly increases connectivity for both WestJet and American Airlines guests, opening new markets for business …

Go Airport Shuttle, TravelBloggers.ca

New app Lets Travellers Book Airport Shuttles Quickly With Just One Click

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The GO Group has launched an updated app that allows travellers to book a GO Airport Shuttle from their mobile phones.  The new version called GO Airport Shuttle, stores users’ personal information, which speeds up the booking process thereby making it easy for travelers to find transportation in their destination city. To make a reservation, users simply access the app and enter their flight, arrival and/or destination information and the app connects them with reservations for an airport shuttle service. This program also now stores a customer’s information, so travellers who use the app multiple times will be able to book transportation with just the touch of a button.  “Mobile devices [are] increasingly becoming the booking method of choice for travellers, so this app allows one-stop shopping for all travel needs, allowing anyone to book ground transportation quickly from any location,” said John McCarthy, president of The GO Group – serving more than 50 airports in the United States, Canada and Europe. The app is ideal for anyone that travels to international destinations like London, Paris, Toronto, Mexico City, as …

Air China's "Smiling China", B777, TravelBloggers.ca

Air China increased its Beijing-New York service from 7 to 11 times weekly

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‘Smiling China’ Kick-starts Service Upgrade BEIJING, April 2, 2013 /CNW/ – Air China’s “Smiling China” aircraft, which sports the livery of smiling faces, touched down at New York’s Kennedy International Airport at on March 31, 2013. The B-2035, one of the aircraft in Air China’s B777-300ER fleet, is the prelude to a new endeavor to upgrade Beijing-New York operations. Air China’s Beijing-New York route – the most important and busiest between China and the United States – increased from seven to 11 times a week starting March 31. The newly added flights are CA989/990. The airliner used on the route was upgraded to B777-300ER, a type popular with business travelers. In 2012, China was the world’s second largest source market for outbound tourist traffic, and the United States was the most popular destination for Chinese travelers. Beijing’s new policy also allows travelers from 45 countries, including the United States, to stay in Beijing for 72 hours during flight transfers without a visa. After in-depth market research and based on its deep understanding of business travelers’ …

WestJet, TravelBloggers.ca

WestJet Eases Restrictions On Pets In The Cabin

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Airline looks to attract more guests who want to travel with the family pet CALGARY, April 1, 2013 /CNW/ – WestJet today announced the easing of restrictions on pets in the cabin. All WestJet flights will now allow for any type of animal to travel in the cabin provided it fits safely on board the aircraft. Further, the airline will no longer require animals to be kept in kennels while on board the aircraft. “We recognize that a growing number of families want to travel with their ‘extended’ family and we are proud to be the first airline to offer this type of service,” said Richard Bartrem, WestJet’s Vice-President, Communications and Community Relations.

The Canadian Transportation Agency seeks the views of the public for baggage rules to, from and within Canada

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The Canadian Transportation Agency Launches a Consultation on Baggage Rules OTTAWA — March 26, 2013 — The Canadian Transportation Agency today launched a consultation to seek the views of the public and industry on the best approach to the application of baggage rules for transportation to, from and within Canada involving multiple air carriers. Baggage rules address matters such as the number of bags a passenger may check, the weight and size of baggage, how many pieces of baggage a passenger may bring with them on the airplane and excess baggage charges. Carriers can have different policies in this respect, raising the issue of which carrier’s policy applies in travel arrangements involving multiple air carriers. Currently, different approaches to baggage rules are used around the world. This results in uneven practices internationally and ultimately creates the possibility of confusion and extra charges for consumers and the industry. The goal is to have a clear approach to ensure transparency for consumers and industry alike.