Friday, June 28, 2013

FREE Canada Day Celebrations.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Canada turns 146 on July 1st! Parks Canada celebrates Canada Day with free admission to all national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas across the country. Have a look below at Canada Day activities taking place at a Parks Canada location near you!

OTTAWA CELEBRATIONS
Join Parks Canada at Major's Hill Park, in downtown Ottawa, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the French colony of Île Royale (Cape Breton Island) and the town of Louisbourg. Step back in time to the 1700s! Introduce yourself to 'residents' of 18th-century Louisbourg, enjoy fun activities for the whole family like making your very own three-cornered hat, and take a souvenir photo with our mascot Parka and our giant inflatable beaver!
Stop by the Ottawa Locks, on the Rideau Canal National Historic Site and drop in at the airbrush tattoo parlour. Get information about Parks Canada's fascinating places. Watch the Fortress of Louisbourg drummers perform live on Parliament Hill with members of Radio Radio during the evening show celebrating Canada's 146th anniversary!

Parks Canada wants to remind everyone that admission will be free in all 44 national parks, 167 national historic sites, and four national marine conservation areas on July 1, Canada Day,

To celebrate Canada Day, Canadians are invited to participate in an array of activities offered across the country.

For information on celebrations across the country click on the following link.
 
Check out the social networks to stay connected.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

World's best airlines. Is your favourite airline on the list?

I came across this article written by one of my associates, Jen Savedra.  Is your airline on this list?


20 JUN 2013:  The 2013 World Airline Awards have been announced at the Paris Air Show. The largest airline passenger satisfaction survey in the world is based on the opinions of thousands of air travellers from around the globe who are asked to rate their experiences with more than 200 airlines.

There's a bit of a hitch however.  The awards are run by Skytrax, whose airline and airport review site, airlinequality.com was discredited last year by the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK, which apparently found it was unable to back up several of its claims, including providing proof that reviews on its website were posted by genuine passengers.

The ASA said that Skytrax, which also runs an airline review site airline quality.com had not followed the robust procedures it claimed it had in place to check all reviews on the website were genuine.

Skytrax claims its World Airline Awards, which are separate from airline quality.com, are based on the rating of over 40 key aspects of airline product and service, including everything from check-in, seat comfort and in-flight entertainment to cabin cleanliness, quality of food and the service from cabin crew.

The UK-based business said "the survey is held in high esteem for its clarity of process, and the rigorously rules of independence."

So now with all that out in the open, awards are still fun - so here are some of the awards and Canada features in several.

Top 20 World's Best Airlines
1 Emirates
2 Qatar Airways
3 Singapore Airlines
4 ANA All Nippon Airways
5 Asiana Airlines
6 Cathay Pacific Airways
7 Etihad Airways
8 Garuda Indonesia
9 Turkish Airlines
10 Qantas Airways
11 Lufthansa
12 EVA Air
13 Virgin Australia
14 Malaysia Airlines
15 Thai Airways
16 Swiss Int'l Air Lines 
17 Korean Air
18 Air New Zealand
19 Hainan Airlines
20 Air Canada *

* Air Canada has announced that it has also been chosen best North American Airline, but this group has not yet been posted on the Skytrax site.


Best Leisure Airlines


1 Thomson Airways
2 Air Transat
3 Thomas Cook Airlines
4 SunExpress
5 Monarch Airlines

Best Low-Cost Airlines

1 AirAsia
2 Jetstar Airways
3 Virgin America
4 AirAsia X
5 Indigo
6 Norwegian
7 Jetstar Asia
8 easyJet
9 WestJet
10 Azul Airlines

AIRPORT AWARD WINNERS

Best Airports in North America


1    Vancouver International Airport
2    Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
3    Denver International Airport
4    San Francisco International Airport
5    Toronto Pearson International Airport
6    Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
7    Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
8    Halifax Stanfield International Airport
9    Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
10  New York JFK International Airport

Best Airports in Central America/Caribbean
1    Panama Tocumen International Airport
2    San Jose Juan Santamaria International Airport
3    El Salvador International Airport
4    Kingston Norman Manley International Airport
5    Port of Spain Piarco International Airport
6    Bridgetown Grantley Adams International Airport
7    Bermuda L.F. Wade International Airport
8    Managua Augusto C. Sandino International Airport
9    Guatemala La Aurora International Airport
10  San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport

Best Airport Terminal
Heathrow - T5

Best Airport Shopping
Heathrow

Best Airport Security Processing
Copenhagen

Best Airport Immigration Service

Kuala Lumpur

Best International Transit Airport
Incheon

World's Cleanest Airport
Tokyo Haneda

Best Airport for Leisure Amenities
Singapore

Best Airport Dining
Munich

Best Airport for Baggage Delivery

Zurich