Airlines
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...
Government Lifts Global Travel Advisory
ACTA is clearly pleased that the federal government has lifted its global travel advisory and returned to its pre-COVID-19 country-specific risk assessments, but it's disappointed that the government's Level 4 advisory against cruise travel remains in place. ACTA president, Wendy Paradis said that the industry association is “pleased the government has returned to a risk-based approach to travel advisories for fully-vaccinated travellers.” She pointed out that: “This approach follows the recommendations ACTA and Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable partners have been making...
Flair Expands Schedule In Canada, the U.S.
Flair Airlines will continue to grow with the deployment of four brand new 737 MAX aircraft in April and May 2022. Two additional aircraft will be added to Flair’s Toronto base, bringing the total there to five. A second aircraft will be added to Flair’s Edmonton base and a third aircraft to its Vancouver base. Flair’s Spring 2022 schedule will expand from twelve aircraft to sixteen, delivering 33% schedule growth. It will add 14 new routes, including service to four new destinations. Three new cities will be added to Flair’s network in the US -- San Francisco,...