Sunwing Airlines
Encyclopedia
Sunwing Airlines Inc.
is an airline
headquartered in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
, offering scheduled and chartered services to Canada, the United States
, Mexico
, the Caribbean
, Europe
, Central America
, South America
as well as domestic services during the summer season.
It is a subsidiary of Sunwing Travel Group and a sister company to Sunwing Vacations/Vacances Sunwing, Signature Vacations/Vacances Signature as well as SellOffVacations, Canada's largest discount travel retailer.
Its main Canadian gateways are Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport. The airline also has operations at Calgary International Airport
and Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport
. It is also the only airline which offers nonstop flights to Mexico, Cuba and Dominican Republic departing from Bagotville Airport, Val-d'Or Airport
and Sept-Îles Airport
.
and had also worked with Wardair
and Canadian Airlines
.
Sunwing Airlines merged with Signature and SellOffVacations on September 29, 2009, consequently signing a partnership deal with UK
based TUI Travel
.
In December 2010 parent company Sunwing Travel Group acquired Caribbean Nexus Tours, one of the leading ground handlers and incoming tour operator in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, giving more destination tour choices and flexibility to the Sunwing Group.
The Winter of 2010/2011 was a great success for Sunwing Airlines. With a fleet of 20 aircraft (11 of which were leased), they competed with Air Transat
, Air Canada
and Westjet
for the top vacation get-a-way airline in the Canadian market. This prompted the airline to grow even more and they have now begun to compete with Air Transat
in the European market. They recently arranged a deal with EuroAtlantic Airways
and acquired 2 Boeing 767-300ER's in order to complete flights from Toronto
to Lisbon
, London
, Paris
, Dublin, Rome
, Porto
and Amsterdam
as well as Montreal
to Paris
.
As of May 2011, Sunwing Airlines employs over 1600 staff.
Sunwing Airlines was voted by Quebec travel agents as “Airline of the Year” in the travel trade publication Express Voyage in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. This daily electronic newsletter is targeted at travel professionals across the province and is subscribed to by 11,000 readers.
In 2010 Sunwing Airlines was one of the nominees at the World Travel Awards in the category "North America's Leading Low-Cost Airline". Sunwing was the only Canadian operator in the charter/low cost industry to be nominated. the other contender were Virgin America
, Spirit Airlines
, AirTran Airways
, Southwest Airlines
, USA3000 Airlines, JetBlue Airways
and Frontier Airlines
.
In 2011, Sunwing Airlines was onced again the only operator representing Canada at the World Travel Awards as a nominee in the category of "North America's Leading Low-Cost Airline". The ceremony took place in Montego Bay on October 7 2011.
cabin layout. All airliners are leased (4 from Thomson Airways
, 4 from Travel Service Airlines, 3 from ACG, 1 each from ILFC, Icelandair
, Tuifly
, Jetairfly
and CIT Group).
Incorporation
Incorporation may refer to:* Incorporation , the creation of a corporation* Incorporation of a place, creation of municipal corporation such as a city or county...
is an airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
headquartered in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, offering scheduled and chartered services to Canada, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
as well as domestic services during the summer season.
It is a subsidiary of Sunwing Travel Group and a sister company to Sunwing Vacations/Vacances Sunwing, Signature Vacations/Vacances Signature as well as SellOffVacations, Canada's largest discount travel retailer.
Its main Canadian gateways are Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport. The airline also has operations at Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport
Calgary International Airport, , is the international airport that serves Calgary, Alberta, Canada and the surrounding region; it is situated approximately northeast of downtown Calgary...
and Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport
Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport
Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, also known as Jean Lesage International Airport was established in 1939, a year after the closure of the Aérodrome Saint-Louis. It is located west southwest of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada...
. It is also the only airline which offers nonstop flights to Mexico, Cuba and Dominican Republic departing from Bagotville Airport, Val-d'Or Airport
Val-d'Or Airport
Val-d'Or Airport, , is located south of Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:*On 19 June 1970, Douglas C-47A CF-AAC of Austin Airways was written off in an accident....
and Sept-Îles Airport
Sept-Îles Airport
-External links:...
.
History
Sunwing Vacations started its in-house airline in November 2005 using Boeing 737-800s to operate flights from Canada to the USA, Mexico, the Caribbean, as well as domestic flights. Since then, its President is Mark Williams, who previously was President of SkyserviceSkyservice
Skyservice Airlines Inc. was a charter airline based in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It employed more than 2000 people. Skyservice Airlines Inc. flew within Canada and to the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico, Israel and Europe. During the summer Skyservice sold tickets to Europe from...
and had also worked with Wardair
Wardair
Wardair Canada was a privately-run Canadian airline, founded by Max Ward in 1953 under the name Wardair Ltd, before formally changing its name to "Wardair Canada" in 1976...
and Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines
Canadian Airlines International Ltd. was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, and carried more than 11.9 million passengers to over 160 destinations in 17 countries on five continents at its height in 1996...
.
Sunwing Airlines merged with Signature and SellOffVacations on September 29, 2009, consequently signing a partnership deal with UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based TUI Travel
TUI Travel
TUI Travel PLC is a FTSE 250 international leisure travel group listed on the London Stock Exchange. It was formed on 3 September 2007 by the merger of First Choice Holidays PLC and the Tourism Division of TUI AG, which owns 55.09% of the company, operating in 180 countries and serving 30m...
.
In December 2010 parent company Sunwing Travel Group acquired Caribbean Nexus Tours, one of the leading ground handlers and incoming tour operator in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, giving more destination tour choices and flexibility to the Sunwing Group.
The Winter of 2010/2011 was a great success for Sunwing Airlines. With a fleet of 20 aircraft (11 of which were leased), they competed with Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
, Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
and Westjet
WestJet
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian low-cost carrier that provides scheduled and charter air service to 71 destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. Founded in 1996, WestJet is currently the second largest Canadian air carrier, behind Air Canada, operating an average of...
for the top vacation get-a-way airline in the Canadian market. This prompted the airline to grow even more and they have now begun to compete with Air Transat
Air Transat
Air Transat is an airline based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, operating scheduled and charter flights, serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. The airline is owned and operated by Transat A.T. Inc. During the summer season its main destinations are Europe and in the winter season the...
in the European market. They recently arranged a deal with EuroAtlantic Airways
EuroAtlantic Airways
EuroAtlantic Airways - Transportes Aéreos S.A., operating and styled as euroAtlantic airways, is a charter airline based in Sintra, Lisbon, Portugal. It operates worldwide charter services, with an emphasis on the USA, Canada, Mexico, Pakistan and Australia, as well as ACMI and other wet lease...
and acquired 2 Boeing 767-300ER's in order to complete flights from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Dublin, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
as well as Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
As of May 2011, Sunwing Airlines employs over 1600 staff.
Awards
As part of the Sunwing Travel Group, Sunwing Airlines was named one of Canada’s 100 fastest growing companies by the magazine Profit 100 for the year 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.Sunwing Airlines was voted by Quebec travel agents as “Airline of the Year” in the travel trade publication Express Voyage in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. This daily electronic newsletter is targeted at travel professionals across the province and is subscribed to by 11,000 readers.
In 2010 Sunwing Airlines was one of the nominees at the World Travel Awards in the category "North America's Leading Low-Cost Airline". Sunwing was the only Canadian operator in the charter/low cost industry to be nominated. the other contender were Virgin America
Virgin America
Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline that began service on August 8, 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards." San Francisco...
, Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines is a United States ultra low-cost carrier operating scheduled flights throughout the Americas. The airline is headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit currently maintains a base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
, AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
, Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, USA3000 Airlines, JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
and Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...
.
In 2011, Sunwing Airlines was onced again the only operator representing Canada at the World Travel Awards as a nominee in the category of "North America's Leading Low-Cost Airline". The ceremony took place in Montego Bay on October 7 2011.
Destinations
In March 2011 Sunwing Airlines announced it will enter the European market, offering flight from Toronto to Paris, London, Rome, Dublin, Amsterdam, Porto as well as Montreal to Paris, operating two Boeing 767-300ER leased from Euro Atlantic Airways. They also signed a partnership with MSC Cruises, allowing passengers to fly to Rome or Amsterdam and transfer to nearby ports for a one week cruise before returning to Canada.Services
The onboard service of Sunwing Airlines includes a complementary snack and choice of hot meal served with complimentary glass of wine (not available on flights within United States or Canada), complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, hot towels, complimentary pre-flight champagne on flights leaving Canada as well as mint chocolates before landing. The aircraft are equipped with overhead TVs showing in-flight movies; headsets are distributed for free.Fleet
As of November 2011, the Sunwing Airlines fleet consists of 18 Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of 5.2 years, each of which is equipped with 189 passenger seats in a high-density economy classEconomy class
__FORCETOC__Economy class, also called coach class , steerage, or standard class, is the lowest class of seating in air travel, rail travel, and sometimes ferry or maritime travel....
cabin layout. All airliners are leased (4 from Thomson Airways
Thomson Airways
Thomson Airways is the world's largest charter airline, offering scheduled and charter flights from the UK to destinations across Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. The company commenced operations on 1 November 2008, following the merger and subsequent re-branding of Thomsonfly and First...
, 4 from Travel Service Airlines, 3 from ACG, 1 each from ILFC, Icelandair
Icelandair
Icelandair ehf is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, based on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and currently operates scheduled services to 31 cities in 13 countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean out of its hub at Keflavík International Airport...
, Tuifly
TUIfly
TUIfly Vermarktungs GmbH is an airline based at Hannover Airport in Langenhagen, Lower Saxony, Germany. The airline offers both charter and scheduled low-cost flights. About 60% of all seats are sold directly, 30% as a part of a TUI holiday package and 10% by other agencies...
, Jetairfly
Jetairfly
Jetairfly is a Belgian airline with its headquarters in Ostend, Belgium and its centre of flight operations in Zaventem, Belgium. It operates scheduled passenger flights...
and CIT Group).