is marlin travel still in business

Leveraging Marlin Branding: Entrepreneurs Notice “Almost Immediate Transformation”

Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) announced the recent establishment of three agencies under the Marlin Travel banner by three members – Anita Spier, Yogesh Anand, and John Fraser. Transat said, "these experienced travel agency owners have witnessed the appeal of the Marlin Travel brand within the Canadian travel landscape."

  Fruitful Brand Transitions

"Anita Spier was astounded by the almost immediate transformation in customer response when she transitioned from her long-standing banner to the Marlin Travel brand. Her agency, located in the same spot for as long as she can remember, underwent a significant shift in recognition."

"Upon seeing the Marlin Travel banner, people would walk in and inquire if our agency had been there for a long time. It was as if they hadn't noticed the presence of a travel agency all along. Notably, our previous banner attracted primarily local customers, but now, I'm noticing a growing influx of customers from beyond our immediate region. To me, this is irrefutable evidence that the Marlin Travel brand is etched in people's minds; it's a brand they recognize and, most importantly, trust, as it has been a steadfast presence for many years," notes the owner, who boasts 35 years of travel industry experience. She further highlights that "this heightened visibility is not only evident on the streets but also online: since our brand change, website traffic, and bookings have been steadily increasing."

This success prompted her to inaugurate a second Marlin Travel branch in Fonthill, Ontario, last summer.

For Yogesh Anand, who owns four travel agencies in Ontario, the transition to the Marlin Travel brand was exceptionally positive. "The Marlin Travel brand is a national symbol of recognition, and its physical and online presence distinguishes us from other agency networks," he maintains. This 20-year agency owner expanded his portfolio by opening a fourth Marlin Travel agency last spring in Mississauga, Ontario.

  Benefiting from Three Decades of Marlin Travel Strength

John Fraser, the proprietor of 11 Marlin Travel agencies, primarily in British Columbia, recently inaugurated his 12th agency in St-Albert, Alberta, just outside Edmonton. For this Alberta-native entrepreneur, who has remained loyal to Marlin Travel for over 30 years, it's a source of pride to reintroduce the Marlin Travel brand to the outskirts of Edmonton, where it originated over three decades ago. 

"I have been with Marlin Travel as a franchisee my entire 39 years in the travel industry. I have watched the company change and evolve over the years. To me, the people I have worked with and who have taught and supported our group are the backbone of our relationship with the Marlin Travel brand." 

Dianne Jackson, the recently appointed Director of Franchisees and Affiliate Members for English Canada at TDC, underscores that "as a franchisor, TDC is committed to providing unwavering support to its Marlin Travel agency owners on both B2B and B2C fronts. This includes exclusive and lucrative programs, as well as a multitude of impactful marketing initiatives, such as our recent campaign highlighting our 5-star advisors, all designed to ensure agency owners are well-equipped to run their businesses effectively and to maintain high consumer awareness."

More information on Transat's website . 

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Entrepreneurs leverage Marlin Travel brand recognition for new agencies

November 22, 2023

Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) has announced the recent establishment of three agencies under the Marlin Travel banner by three esteemed members – Anita Spier, Yogesh Anand, and John Fraser. These experienced travel agency owners have witnessed the exceptional appeal of the Marlin Travel brand within the Canadian travel landscape.

Anita Spier was astounded by the almost immediate transformation in customer response when she transitioned from her long-standing banner to the Marlin Travel brand.

Her agency, located in the same spot for as long as she can remember, underwent a significant shift in recognition.

“Upon seeing the Marlin Travel banner, people would walk in and inquire if our agency had been there for a long time. It was as if they hadn’t noticed the presence of a travel agency all along. Notably, our previous banner attracted primarily local customers, but now, I’m noticing a growing influx of customers from beyond our immediate region. To me, this is irrefutable evidence that the Marlin Travel brand is etched in people’s minds; it’s a brand they recognize and, most importantly, trust, as it has been a steadfast presence for many years,” notes the owner, who boasts 35 years of travel industry experience.

Spier continued: “This heightened visibility is not only evident on the streets but also online: since our brand change, website traffic, and bookings have been steadily increasing.”

For Yogesh Anand, who owns four travel agencies in Ontario, the transition to the Marlin Travel brand was exceptionally positive.

“The Marlin Travel brand is a national symbol of recognition, and its physical and online presence distinguishes us from other agency networks,” he maintains.

This 20-year agency owner expanded his portfolio by opening a fourth Marlin Travel agency last spring in Mississauga, Ontario.

John Fraser, the proprietor of 11 Marlin Travel agencies primarily in British Columbia, recently inaugurated his 12th agency in St-Albert, Alberta, just outside Edmonton.

For this Alberta-native entrepreneur, who has remained loyal to Marlin Travel for over 30 years, it’s a source of pride to reintroduce the Marlin Travel brand to the outskirts of Edmonton, where it originated over three decades ago.

Said Fraser: “I have been with Marlin Travel as a franchisee my entire 39 years in the travel industry. I have watched the company change and evolve over the years. To me, the people I have worked with and who have taught and supported our group are the backbone of our relationship with the Marlin Travel brand.”

Dianne Jackson, the recently appointed Director of Franchisees and Affiliate Members for English Canada at TDC, underscores that “as a franchisor, TDC is committed to providing unwavering support to its Marlin Travel agency owners on both B2B and B2C fronts. This includes exclusive and lucrative programs, as well as a multitude of impactful marketing initiatives, such as our recent campaign highlighting our 5-star advisors, all designed to ensure agency owners are well-equipped to run their businesses effectively and to maintain high consumer awareness.”

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TDC welcomes new Marlin Travel agency in Regina

Post date: Sep 13 2021

Date: Sep 13 2021

By: Travelweek Group

MONTREAL — Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) is celebrating the opening of a brand new Marlin Travel agency in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Owned by travel industry veterans Heather Calvert and Sheena Revet, who between them boast more than 40 years of experience, the new agency opens at a particularly poignant time for retailers, who have struggled throughout the global pandemic.

L to R: Heather Calvert, Sheena Revet and Kimberley Wood

Said Kimberley Wood, National Director, Franchise and Affiliate Members for TDC: “We are pleased to be able to count on the enthusiasm, willingness and professionalism of our members to help us rebuild the tourism industry on a solid foundation, particularly by demonstrating to clients the great added value of booking with a travel professional. The TDC network will continue to be proactive and support its members to benefit from the trend that seems to go towards a gentle but sustained growth to travel.”

On associating with the Marlin Travel brand, Revet said it was a “natural” move, “even conditional to our adventure as travel agency owners because the notoriety and trust that travellers have for this brand is so significant.

Calvert added: “Not to mention the unconditional support owners receive from the Transat Distribution Canada team, which also reflects on our clients and makes for a win-win situation.”

TDC is the largest full-service travel agency network in Canada, with some 300 brick-and-mortar travel agencies, websites, a call centre and independent contractors representing the agent@home program. For more information go to transat.com.

Tags: Lead Story, Marlin Travel, Regina, TDC

Maritime Travel Inc. began with a single storefront, called  Maritime Travel , in 1949. Since then, we’ve become the largest independent travel agency in Canada. Today, our retail operations consist of over 100 locations from coast to coast with 13 locations branded LeGrow’s Travel in Newfoundland and Labrador, several branded Voyages Maritime in Quebec and Northern New Brunswick and the remainder branded Maritime Travel right across the country. Combined, our retail operations generate annual sales of over $350 million and employ over 500 people.

On May 16, 2002, we changed our name from Maritime Marlin Travel to Maritime Travel. When we originally affiliated with Marlin Travel in 1986 to provide our customers with a national network, we gained the ability to use the “Marlin” name within Atlantic Canada. This affiliation served us well for many years. However, with our acquisition of The Bay Travel in 2002, now Maritime Travel @ the Bay giving us locations nationwide, we no longer needed this affiliation to meet customers’ needs across Canada. Maritime Travel better reflects who we are – a Maritime-owned and headquartered company with a truly national reach.

In December 2009, the company hired 36 senior travel counsellors who had been with BCAA Travel prior to BCAA closing its travel operations.  Between 2009 and 2013, there were numerous acquisitions in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, including ATCO Travel in the fall of 2010.

Maritime Travel Inc. is also committed to staying one step ahead of our competition in the ever-changing travel industry. We believe that good people are particularly critical to our ongoing success. Hiring the best staff and providing them with attractive compensation packages and benefits has helped us to build and maintain a highly educated and experienced team of experts. In fact, many of our staff have been with us for over 10 years. Maritime Travel Inc. also provides extensive training programs for all our staff, and we continuously invest in leading-edge technology to stay competitive. Many of the technology solutions we have incorporated have had a significant impact on all aspects of our service, from operational efficiencies in the retail shops to innovative solutions for our business travellers, like online booking tools.

Recognized for its leadership and employee satisfaction, Maritime Travel has been named one of the Top 20 Best Employers in Canada for 2020 by Kincentric in its annual study. The country’s premier benchmark for excellent workplaces, The Best Employers in Canada program publicly recognizes organizations that have created great work environments. It’s the 11th consecutive award for Maritime Travel. Maritime Travel has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Platinum Club for 17 consecutive years. Prior to that, it had been named one of Canada’s Best Managed companies since 1998.

Maritime Travel Inc. is a fully integrated travel company specializing in all aspects of travel, including developing, packaging, marketing, and distributing travel products and services.

Air Charters

Operating since 1999,  Maritime Travel Air Charters  offers a convenient, often cost-efficient charter service for our clients. This gives our clients — with two or more persons traveling — significant opportunities to save money and time, all with the added freedom of flying on their own schedule.

Air Consolidation

Launched in 1999, Discount Air serves as an internal consolidator for our retail network, sourcing international fares that are far more competitive than scheduled fares. This means huge savings for our customers. Sourcing and negotiating the availability of attractive fares is the greatest challenge faced by most agents. By providing an in-house service with fares online, Maritime Travel Inc.’s retail operations enjoy a significant competitive advantage.

Business Travel Management

Maritime Travel Inc.’s Business Travel Management operations offer business travel services and products to companies of all sizes. Operating under the Maritime and LeGrow’s brands, we service over 25 per cent of all business travel accounts in Atlantic Canada. Our leading-edge e-commerce Travel Smart Suite of products and “Confirmed” Business Travel Program are two of the many exclusive services we offer our customers.

Inbound Services

Maritime Travel Cruise Services began as a small ground-handling company, servicing cruise ships arriving at Cape Breton Island. Today, Maritime Travel Cruise Services has expanded its service throughout Atlantic Canada, providing ground-handling services for companies such as Holland America and Princess Cruises, among others.

Maritime Travel Conventions

Maritime Travel purchased Convention Connections, now known as  Maritime Travel Conventions , as part of the acquisition of Atlantic American Express operations in November of 2005. This division has been in business for ten years, coordinating inbound convention services for organizations around the world. The services include negotiating and managing hotel room blocks, as well as coordinating flights and event planning.

Meetings and Incentives

Maritime Travel Meetings & Incentives  provides organizations with professional consulting and coordination of meetings, conventions and incentive programs. Companies face continuous operational challenges, such as building and maintaining morale, keeping staff turnover down and motivating their teams, all of which can be addressed with a well-planned and executed incentive program. The Maritime Meetings & Incentives team has broad expertise in developing meetings and incentive programs, from delivering client incentive trips hosted by our own president to developing incentives that can be driven or serviced from our regional branch network.

Retail Travel

Maritime Travel Inc. operates over 100 retail locations across the country under the brands, Maritime Travel, LeGrow’s Travel, Airline Reservation Center, and Maritime Travel at The Bay. Our retail operations offer vacation travel services and products through all three distribution channels: travel agencies, a national call center and Internet sites. Our size and market share have allowed us to develop exclusive products and services, such as our Maritime Travel Insurance and Exclusive Payment Options.

Wholesale Operations

Launched in 1999, Holiday Escapes (formerly Maritime Holidays) continues to expand its programs and destinations. Holiday Escapes has made considerable investments in software that allows our agents to book online while giving our branch network access to products that sometimes are exclusive, yet always the best price for our customers.

Maritime Travel awarded as a Best Employer Canada for 2023

HALIFAX, NS – Maritime Travel has been recognized as a Kincentric Best Employer Canada for 2023. Kincentric’s robust annual assessment identified Maritime Travel as excelling across critical people factors – employee engagement, and the organization’s agility, engaging leadership, and talent focus.

The award recognizes organizations that have transformed their people practices to drive better business results. Part of Kincentric’s measurements involved an independent survey of all Maritime Travel employees.

“Our travel agents are among the best in the business. They are our strength,” says Gary Gaudry, President, Maritime Travel Inc. “We’re delighted to know they are also among the most highly engaged workforces in the country. This is particularly rewarding when you consider the global workforce challenges of the travel industry brought on by the pandemic.”

Some of the award’s benchmarks include employee’s perceptions of senior leadership, people-manager effectiveness, enabling employee productivity, and valuing and appreciating employees.

Based in Halifax, Maritime Travel has been in business since 1949 and is one of Canada’s largest independent travel agency chains, with more than 90 locations coast to coast, employing close to 400 travel agents. The company was recently named a Platinum Club winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for 2023. Prior to that, it has been named one of Canada’s Best Managed companies every year since 1998.

For more information, please contact: Carol Buchanan, President, Retail Operations at 902-421-7559 [email protected] www.maritimetravel.ca

Corporate Travel Comeback: Airlines Say They’re Seeing Gains

Meghna Maharishi , Skift

May 16th, 2024 at 3:09 PM EDT

Once at a standstill as a result of the pandemic, road warriors are returning to business travel as corporations implement more return-to-office policies and in-person client meetings.

Meghna Maharishi

Since the pandemic, airlines have reported record results quarter after quarter. International and premium travel have been the main drivers. But in the most recent quarter, airlines got a big boost from a segment many thought was long gone: business travel. 

For Delta, corporate bookings were up 14%, with the financial services, technology and customer service industries leading the increase. 

Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s president, said that 90% of the companies it surveyed on corporate travel said they plan to increase travel in the second quarter. That could set Delta to deliver record corporate revenues during the latter half of the year. 

Returning to Pre-Pandemic Norms

Pre-pandemic, corporate travel was a trillion-dollar business . But it’s been slow to return. As people returned to offices, businesses cut back on travel budgets — meetings with clients were instead conducted over video conferencing platforms like Zoom. 

Jonathan Kletzel, PwC’s U.S. airline and travel practice leader, said business travel is not quite completely at pre-pandemic levels, but higher airfares have led to revenue gains for airlines.  

“We’re at a point now where enough of the volume has come back at a higher price that people are saying, ‘OK corporate travel is back,’” he said.

Kletzel said mostly bigger corporations with bigger travel budgets and return-to-office policies have driven the uptick in corporate travel. 

“You are seeing a lot of companies go back to work and because those companies are going back to work, now they want to see their suppliers there as well,” Kletzel said. “So there’s an opportunity to go visit clients.” 

Corporate Bookings Fuel Q1 Revenues

United Airlines also saw corporate bookings increase 14% in the first quarter. “The strength of the business traffic rebound is a nice development for an airline like United,” said Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer, during a call with analysts. 

And West Coast-based Alaska Airlines said it is seeing a surge in business travel as the tech industry rebounds from the pandemic. Corporate bookings for Alaska were up 22% in the first quarter, and business travel for the carrier has now recovered to 2019 levels. 

American is seeing slightly similar results as its competitors but hasn’t seen the same significant increases in bookings among larger corporations that have contracts with booking platforms for business travel. 

American chief commercial officer Vasu Raja said the carrier has seen more bookings from smaller- and medium-sized businesses. 

“It’s really being driven by unmanaged corporations that continue to come back to American Airlines,” he said in a call with analysts. “Managed corporates, contracts and corporations are growing a little bit less than that, but still high — in the mid- to high single digits.”

It’s not just airlines. Earlier this month, Hyatt said it was seeing strength in business travel as well. Revenue from hotel stays by transient business travelers rose 6% in its most recent quarter, and forward bookings were showing substantial gains.

Airlines Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date

What am I looking at?  The performance of airline sector stocks within the  ST200 . The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies.

The Skift Travel 200 (ST200)  combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number.  See more airlines sector financial performance . 

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Tags: alaska airlines , american airlines , business travel , business travel newsletter , corporate travel , delta air lines , Post Pandemic Recovery , united airlines

Photo credit: A traveler holds a boarding pass in an airport. Joshua Woroniecki/Pixabay Joshua Woroniecki / Pixabay

Detroit Tigers lineup vs. Miami Marlins: Gio Urshela back from injury, playing third base

Detroit Tigers (21-20) vs. Miami Marlins (11-32)

When:  6:40 p.m. Tuesday.

Where: Comerica Park in Detroit.

TV: Bally Sports Detroit. (Have Xfinity but still looking for a way to watch BSD? Here are some other options .)

Radio:  WXYT-FM (97.1). ( Tigers radio affiliates ).

All things Tigers: Latest Detroit Tigers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Weather report: 66 degrees and cloudy, 13% chance of rain, 11 mph winds.

Probable pitchers:  Tigers RHP Reese Olson (0-4, 2.52 ERA) vs. Marlins LHP Ryan Weathers (2-4, 4.54 ERA).

•  Box score

Tigers lineup :

• CF Matt Vierling
• 2B Andy Ibáñez
• LF Mark Canha
• DH Riley Greene
• 1B Spencer Torkelson
• 3B Gio Urshela
• RF Wenceel Pérez
• SS Javier Báez
• C Jake Rogers

ANOTHER YOUNG ARM? Detroit Tigers' Jackson Jobe now rated top minor league pitcher by MLB Pipeline

Game notes: Reese Olson has been so much better than his record indicates. Not a little bit better, not a lot better, soooo much better than his 0-4 record shows.

Entering Tuesday, Olson has made seven starts this year and in five of those starts, he's allowed one earned run or less. Since his second start of the year when he allowed six earned runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he's improved his ERA in every start.

When Olson left the game in his last start on May 8 against the Cleveland Guardians, it looked like he was finally going to get his first win. Thanks to a four-run fourth inning, the Tigers were up, 4-2, when he exited the game after the sixth inning. Although the Guardians had two runs on the board, only one of them was credited to Olson. He had once again done his job. Then, the Tigers' bullpen proceeded to give up one run in each of the eighth, ninth and 10th innings as the Tigers once again lost a game in which Olson started.

Somehow, despite his 2.52 ERA, the Tigers are just 1-6 in games that Olson has pitched in this season, with the lone victory his first start of the year when the Tigers made a late comeback to beat the New York Mets.

The good news for Olson is that the baseball-viewing public does not value wins and losses like it used to (thank you, Moneyball), and outside of the numbers in the win and loss columns, Olson's statistics look really good, especially considering it's his first full season in the big leagues.

Oh, what's that? You want more good news for Olson? I've got it for you.

Tuesday's opponent, the Miami Marlins, will provide Olson with about as good of a chance as he's going to get at finding a win. The Marlins have the fewest wins in baseball and already seemingly waved the white flagwhen they sent Luis Arráez (who, like the wins and loss statistic, is a relic of another time) to the San Diego Padres for a package of prospects.

After a rough stretch in which the Tigers have lost their last three series, the timing of the Marlins matchuo (for the team and for Olson) couldn't have been better.

The two squads will finish off their series on Wednesday before the Tigers have an off day on Thursday and then head to Arizona for a new series with the Diamondbacks, last year's National League representative in the World Series.

TIGERS NEWSLETTER: What history tells us about Spencer Torkelson's slow start

Live updates

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Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver; Editing by Leslie Adler and David Gregorio

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Asian stocks ease on uncertainty over timing of U.S. rate cuts

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