Airlines
WestJet Marks A Milestone
WestJet is set to restore service and connectivity to over 95 destinations across the its domestic, transborder, sun and international network as of December. John Weatherill, chief commercial officer for WestJet, said that: “As Canadians confidence in travel grows, the return of service to 95 destinations marks a major milestone in rebuilding our network to pre-pandemic levels.’ Weatherill continued: “We have our sights set on restoring our global network to reach more than 100 destinations and continue to focus on alleviating the current travel barriers in place for our...
AC Connecting Western Canada To Quebec City
Air Canada is adding two new seasonal services departing from Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City to Vancouver and Calgary. Flights to Vancouver will start on May 20, 2022, with up to three flights a week and service to Calgary will debut on May 21, 2022, offering up to four weekly flights. The new routes will be operated by Air Canada Rouge on an Airbus A319, featuring Premium Rouge and Economy services, product enhancements including upgraded streaming entertainment and options to purchase high-speed wi-fi. Services to Vancouver and Calgary are in addition to two...
U.S. Restrictions Ease And Flight Bookings Soar
Bookings of flights to the United States have soared following its announcement that it would reopen to vaccinated foreign travellers in November. By mid-October, weekly bookings exceeded 70% of pre-pandemic levels, reports ForwardKeys. In new research, ForwarKeys says that on Sept. 20 -- when the White House said that visitors from the United Kingdom, Ireland, the 26 Schengen countries, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil would be allowed to enter the USA, without being subject to quarantine, provided they were fully vaccinated – there was an immediate reaction, with...
It’s Time To Deliver On Commitments
IATA is urging governments to use the commitments reached at the ICAO High Level Conference on COVID-19 (HLCC) to make real progress towards restoring global air connectivity. During that meeting, states declared their commitment to 14 measures which, if acted upon, would enable airlines to meet the demands of consumers worldwide for a revival of air travel. In particular, two commitments need the most urgent action by governments. These are: ‘We commit to taking effective measures to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and other communicable...
Transat Names Pagano To New Post
Transat has appointed Maria Pagano as its Senior Director, Brand & Customer Experience. Pagano brings over 15 years of marketing strategy and branding experience in the civil and commercial aviation industry. Xavier Szwengler, Vice President of Marketing and International Markets at Transat, said: “I’m thrilled to have Maria join our team. Her cutting-edge expertise, data-driven culture and global vision of tourism, and more specifically of air travel, will be a significant asset in the deployment of our strategic plan.” In her new role, Pagano will oversee the...
Air Canada Offering Comprehensive Self-Testing Option
Air Canada is introducing new testing products -- including portable self-administered COVID-19 molecular and antigen test kits -- through a partnership with Switch Health. Using the Switch Health COVID-19 RT-LAMP Kit, customers can test themselves while travelling abroad prior to their flight to Canada to meet federal government testing entry requirements without the need to visit a foreign COVID-19 testing clinic. These tests are conducted under the remote supervision of a Telehealth professional from Switch Health and include an electronic report suitable for travel. Mark Nasr,...
WestJet Group Takes Of With Safety Above All
The WestJet Group is sharing details of the evolution of its Safety Above All program to reflect mandatory employee vaccination and mandatory traveller vaccination, in line with the Canadian government mandate. Effective Oct. 30, 2021, The WestJet Group will implement the federal government's mandatory vaccination policy for air travellers and will operate as a fully vaccinated airline, managing minimal accommodations pursuant to human rights law. Ed Sims, WestJet Group, president and CEO, said that: “The implementation of these policies mark a major confidence milestone for our...
UPDATE: Standardized PoV, More Support Announced
Canada now has a standardized proof of vaccination. Details of it were announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday (Oct 21), who explained that -- in collaboration with provinces and territories -- a standardized Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination is now available to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, and will be available in the other provinces soon. The Prime Minister also said that Canada is engaging with international partners to obtain recognition and acceptance abroad, so...