SAINT-SAUVEUR, QC — At Uniglobe Travel (Canada)’s annual conference this past weekend, collaboration and partnership took centre stage as travel agents and top suppliers came together to tackle challenges that agents face every day.
From navigating changing travel patterns to finding the best ways to serve clients, informative sessions and panel discussions focused on practical solutions, open dialogue and sharing insights. The event, held from Oct. 24-26 in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec offered a unique opportunity for Uniglobe agents to ask the questions that matter most and for suppliers to respond with strategies and innovations to help agencies thrive in a shifting travel landscape.
“Every one of our agencies is an independent business. They operate uniquely differently, with different locations and customers,” Regional President Dean Dacko tells Travelweek. “What these events provide is an opportunity to get together and share ideas, experiences and knowledge. We try to get together multiple times throughout the year but this is the main event – it’s a fabulous time.”
YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
During a Corporate Airlines breakout session, one agent asked Karen Acs, Senior Manager, Regional Sales at Air Canada, whether flight passes will soon be available on AC Connex, Air Canada’s free desktop booking tool designed for agencies. Garnering a round of applause, Acs confirmed that the function is expected to be put in place by the end of November. “It’s a phased-in process right now. A link will take you directly to the flight pass platform. We eventually want to integrate this in its entirety as a feature of AC Connex, but at this time, when signing into the tool, you’ll simply click on the flight task link where you’ll be able to enter the passenger’s name and Aeroplan. It will then present you with only the flight passes associated for the routing you’re looking for,” said Acs.
Another agent asked Acs about the airline’s AI solutions for rebooking connections, noting inconsistencies between system suggestions and availability in Sabre. Acs highlighted the importance of combining technology with human oversight. “The best way you can leverage the technology is to have the magical combination of a human checking it out,” she said. Acs explained that AI tools scan multiple layers of scheduling hierarchy but emphasized that agents or call centres can still intervene to secure better connections. “It will always have to be in harmony,” she said.
At a Leisure Travel breakout session, one agent asked Sevi Anagnostis, Key Account Manager at WestJet Vacations, whether recent hiring and training issues that have been plaguing the company’s call centre have been resolved. According to Anagnostis, the situation is now under control, with about 20 new agents brought over from the airline arm in the last three weeks. “The reality is it’s really difficult to find agents, train them and retain them. So, it’s great that this group from the airline side wanted to come over because they at least understand the industry. Now, they just need some time to get up to speed on the leisure side of the business,” she said.
Sevi also fielded a question about group booking capabilities, confirming that WestJet Vacations will be launching an instant quote tool in the first quarter of 2026. “Right now, obviously quotes are done manually but we’re slowly starting to build up. We’re very excited about groups – we just need a bit more time to get there, but we’ll get there.”
The Leisure Travel panel (from l-r) – Brent Carnegie, Canlink Travel; Sevi Anagnostis, WestJet Vacations, Beata Kaminski, Expedia TAAP; and Rob Pugliese, Collette
NDC ADOPTION: “WE NEED TO EMBRACE IT”
Airline panelists highlighted the growing adoption of NDC across global carriers and the impact it will have on air travel. Air Canada’s Acs said that the airline is “already there” in terms of NDC, having recently announced GDS Apollo coming on board. She also noted that the airline will be “sunsetting” aircanada.com/agents, “a platform you’re familiar with and probably log onto every day” but one that regularly crashes as it’s powered by 20-year-old technology. “We will be transitioning to Air Canada Connex, an NDC platform with modern technology and new functionality and improvements being added every week.” Acs also encouraged agents to provide feedback about the new platform so that Air Canada can better support them.
Mason Spencer, Account Executive-Canada at Air New Zealand, described the airline’s cautious approach to NDC so far, observing market developments before selecting an aggregator. “We haven’t yet chosen an aggregator on that front, but that will be coming into place next year,” he said. Similarly, Annique Slowey, Key Account Manager, Commercial at WestJet confirmed plans to roll out NDC in mid-2026 with Accelya as its provider and noted the airline is currently testing with select partners.
Daryl Herbert, Agency Support, Manager at Uniglobe Travel (Canada) underscored the inevitability of NDC adoption and cautioned agents to not be left behind. “By 2030, almost 95% of your business is going to be through NDC. I know it’s been contentious and that there’s resistance – change can be difficult. But we need to embrace it, otherwise we’ll be at a competitive disadvantage.”
IMPROVING ON-TIME METRICS
Airline partners also emphasised the role of technology in improving customer experience and operational reliability. Acs explained that Air Canada is using advanced tools and AI to better understand customer needs and manage its network. She highlighted an internal program called ECX (Elevating the Customer Experience), which focuses on monitoring on-time performance and other metrics, noting that realistic connection times improve passenger satisfaction and reduce costs related to irregular operations. “We’ve actually widened the space between some of our connections and are now offering realistic connections that work. It saves our passengers money and time,” she said.
Air New Zealand’s Spencer highlighted the airline’s cultural approach to service, centred on hospitality and treating passengers like family. “Manaakitanga, which means hospitality, is a massive part of who are and what we do,” he said. Spencer also noted the airline’s push to become a leading digital airline, with the recent promotion of Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar to the role of CEO.
Stacey Nishikawa of United Airlines shared examples of technology-driven solutions, including the airline’s Connection Saver tool, which saved 725,000 passenger connections in 2024. “It takes the decision out of the gate agent’s hands to hold the flight for connecting passengers,” she explained. United has also invested in curbside baggage drop, digital check-in and app features that show gate-to-gate directions and provide proactive updates during delays.
WestJet’s Slowey described similar efforts to reduce friction and enhance the guest experience. She described a tool that identifies passengers at risk of missing connections and rebooks them automatically on partner airlines if necessary. “Whereas that used to take manual intervention, now it’s system led, and then it’s just a quick check if that’s the right thing for our guest,” she said.
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