Travelers Financial News

WestJet says it’s cancelled at least 150 flights beginning Saturday after the union maintaining the airline’s planes announced it went on strike hours earlier.The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) announced its members started to strike around 5:30 p.m. MDT Friday because the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”The move came after the federal government issued a ministerial order for binding arbitration on Thursday.The order also followed two weeks of turbulent discussions with the union on a new deal.Calgary-based WestJet has lambasted the move by the mechanics union, saying it’s “extremely outraged at these actions and will hold AMFA 100 per cent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.”On Thursday, WestJet said that AMFA “confirmed they will abide by the direction.

visa-waiver program for Chinese tourists announced by the Laos government includes elements that gives false impression that Taiwan is part of China, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported. The document issued by the Laos government on Wednesday said that Chinese nationals travelling to Laos may visit the country visa-free for up to 15 days as part of a group tour. It also provided the itinerary approved by the Laotian Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

Japan has never seen so many tourists flood into the country so quickly. The yen’s historic collapse, meaning a cheaper traveling experience for those with tourist dollars to spend, coupled with the post-pandemic surge in global tourism, has sparked interest in the nation like never before. More than 14.5 million people arrived in the country in the first five months of this year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization’s latest figures. That’s 70% up on the same period last year, and on track to beat 2019’s record 31 million visitors.

An averted strike at WestJet and fresh data showing punctual performances from major airports and airlines in Canada bode well for travellers gearing up for summer getaways, analysts say.

NASA astronauts who are struck on a Boeing Star liner aircraft will return by July 20. They have travelled to the International Space Station (ISS). This aircraft can spend only up to 45 days docked to the ISS. Their lift-off was on June 5. There are two astronauts on board this aircraft. Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore were scheduled to stay for a week but the stay was extended due to certain helium leaks and thruster problems. NASA is also experimenting with various US private agencies to launch their astronauts so as to cut down their reliance on the Russians. This has been reported by Fox News.

Lionsgate has released the first trailer for "Flight Risk," a suspense thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson. The film will be released in theaters on October 18.

Lebanon, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said the Embassy of India in Beirut is in «constant touch» with the Indian nationals there and added an advisory has been issued for them as a matter of «abundant precaution». MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to a query during a weekly media briefing here, said the advisory is not a «not a travel advisory» restricting the Indians to travel to Beirut. Some reports had claimed that India has issued a travel advisory for its nationals. «Our embassy in Beirut has issued an advisory. A lot of Indian nationals stay there, work there… there are professionals. As per the information that I have, about 2,000-3,000 people are there. Our embassy is in constant touch with them. We have not issued any travel advisory. We have just said that they should keep in touch with the embassy, so that if there is any incident, we can take action as soon as possible,» he said.

Rohit Sharma and co. will now face Aiden Markram-led South Africa in the finals of the T20 World Cup 2024 on 29 June. They will travel north to Kensington Oval in Barbados.

A part of a fabric canopy on the premises of the Dumna airport in Jabalpur collapsed on Thursday due to the accumulation of water amid heavy rains and crushed a car parked below.

In an exclusive episode of ETMarkets World View, Abhishek Banerjee ofLotusDew Wealth opens up about Indian sectors with potential, the RBI governor's stance on GDP growth, and much more. Recently, India recorded a current account surplus of $5.7 billion. What does it say? India was also included in the JPMorgan bond index recently. What key changes should we be aware of? Abhishek Banerjee: India's current account surplus is noteworthy because historically, India has been a current account deficit country, importing more than exporting. This deficit typically keeps the currency weaker to make exports more attractive and imports more expensive, which supports export-driven sectors like pharma and IT services.

What does retirement mean to you? It’s a question without a simple answer. Retirement isn’t solely about reaching a certain age or dealing with illness; it can be an escape from the daily routine whenever you choose.

Banarasi saris are creative works of art that are definitely appropriate for any occasion. Nita Ambani, the founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, travelled to Varanasi ahead of her son Anant Ambani's wedding to buy for saris. In Varanasi, she visited loom owners and weavers and bought between fifty and sixty saris. She selected saris and brought a number of Banarasi craftsmen and merchants to the hotel. She ordered from multiple weavers, demonstrating her sincere appreciation for their skill. Since many guests from Bollywood, Hollywood, and other countries will be attending Anant Ambani's wedding, the Banarasi sari will see an increase in demand in the global market.

Delhi-NCR received heavy rain, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on Friday that lead to severe waterlogging and significant traffic disruptions in several key areas. The heavy rainfall has caused significant disruptions on major roads and underpasses, posing challenges for commuters and leading to advisories from the Delhi traffic police. Traffic affected in key areas:

The counter has had a total traded volume of 109733 shares so far with a value of Rs 10.96 crore on the NSE. It traded at a price-to-earnings multiple of 71.79 and a price-to-book ratio of 23.03.

Taiwan has urged its citizens to avoid travel to China and the semi-autonomous Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macao following threats from Beijing to execute supporters of the self-governing island democracy's independence. Spokesperson and deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Council Liang Wen-chieh issued the advisory at a news conference Thursday. That came amid growing threats from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.

Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from the Amarnath Yatra base camp in Jammu on Friday morning. Before flagging off the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, LG Manoj Sinha also offered prayers at the temple. After flagging off the first batch, in a media address, LG Manoj Sinha said, «First batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims have departed from Jammu. In the last 3-4 years, a lot of arrangements have been made for the yatra and this time also J&K administration has done all the necessary arrangements, security has been heightened.»

₹18,000 crore as the airline's enterprise value. As a result, it acquired 100% stake in Air India, its subsidiary Air India Express and the entire 50% stake in ground and cargo handling joint venture Air India SATS. Among India's regional aircraft, SpiceJet has 21 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s, Alliance Air has a mix of 21 ATRs and one Dornier, and Indore-based Flybig has three de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.

Michael Jackson unexpectedly passed away in June 2009 at the age of 50, it exposed a complicated financial condition to the world. According to court records, he owed over $500 million and was deeply indebted. His lavish spending habits and legal fights have left him financially burdened despite having a lucrative career, as per the reports of 'Yahoo Finance.' Before his death, Jackson spent a great deal of time practicing for his 'This Is It' residency in London, which was a financial comeback attempt. But his debts, which amounted to $30 million a year, highlighted how desperate he was for money, according to the Los Angeles Times.

FBI is on the lookout for Ruja Ignatova who is popularly known as the cryptoqueen. She has been on the FBI’s most wanted list since 2022 for fraud and money laundering. Bulgaria has also announced its decision to prosecute her in absentia. Her whereabouts are not known. This appears to be a case out of a crime thriller. According to the investigation agencies, she is known to change her appearances and move about in various cities across the world. It has been reported that she disappeared in 2017.

A looming strike at WestJet “couldn’t be worse timing” for hundreds of thousands of Canadians who booked a trip with the Calgary-based air carrier over the July long weekend, according to travel experts.

Families bid a tearful goodbye as 21 critically ill children are set to exit Gaza for treatment abroad