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Airport has added a new airline
New airline, service for city vacationers
Thu, November 24, 2005
By NORMAN DE BONO, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER
London International Airport has added a new airline and expanded its service.
Sunwing, the warm-weather tour operator, has established its own airline, which next month will begin offering three flights a week out of London to Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
"This is a significant change for London," said Steve Baker, president and chief executive of London airport.
"Historically, charter operators have leased aircraft from airlines, but this means Sunwing can control the product they are offering, from hotel reservations to air transportation. It will mean greater customer service."
The news comes at the time the airport has seen a 20-per- cent rise in traffic this year over last, with more than 400,000 travellers now using the airport, said Baker.
And Sunwing's new service may push that total upward, he said.
"What travellers will see is an entire travel itinerary organized by the operator, from hotels to transfers and the return home. It will make for a better experience overall," said Baker.
In an era of reduced services and no-frill airlines, Sunwing is returning to full service offering a "champagne" package including hot meals, free wine, in-flight entertainment, leather seats and even hot towels, said Mark Williams, president of Sunwing Airlines.
"This is just the evolution of our company. We have had significant growth and we're at the point where it supports having our own aircraft."
The service will begin Dec. 18 and last until March 26. It will operate two aircraft flying out of Toronto, London, Ottawa, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Sunwing will fly Boeing 737-800s, which seat 189.
This is Sunwing's third year of service out of London, but last year it offered flights with the now-defunct Jetsgo. In past years, it has operated in the "90-per-cent occupancy range" out of London, added Baker.
Sunwing has been listed by Profit Magazine for the past two years as one of the fastest -growing companies in Canada.
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