The 1980s

Many regulations governing the Canadian airline industry finally loosened in 1987, and Air Canada and CP Air / Canadian Airlines went head to head for market share. Meanwhile Wardair, offering holiday charter flights since 1962 and beloved for its personalized service, came into its own in the 1970s and 1980s. The decade ended with the sale of Wardair to PWA Corp., and it was absorbed into Canadian Airlines.

On the tour operator side, Sunflight was Canada’s largest tour op, and ITC package holidays were selling like hotcakes. And more and more travellers got their feet wet with cruising, popularized by TV’s The Love Boat. The show, which debuted in 1977 and ran until 1986, has often been called ‘the greatest product placement ever’, and sent thousands of travellers to their travel agents for cruise bookings.

In Jamaica, a charismatic entrepreneur named Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart took the all-inclusive concept (pioneered in the 1950s by Club Med) to new heights with Sandals Resorts, starting in 1981 with Sandals Montego Bay.

The big threat to retailers? Not the Internet - not yet. For now it was tollfree 1-800 numbers and ‘going direct’ that raised the ire of travel agents. Consortiums thrived and so did retail chains, including American Express, Thomas Cook and Sears Travel.

TRAVELWEEK WAS THERE: Travelweek’s first full decade was one of growth and new direction, with editor Jill Wykes taking over the reins from Wayne Lahtinen in 1983. Lahtinen remained as publisher, with associate publisher and managing editor, Paul Vickers. Jill left Travelweek in 1988 for CATO and later, Sunquest. Patrick Dineen was named Travelweek’s editor in 1988.