Airlines
Time For The U.S. To Recognize AZ, WTTC Says
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is urging the U.S. government to speed up approval of the UK’s AstraZeneca vaccine in order to help restore vital transatlantic travel. WTTC points out that while this week’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine by the U.S. CDC is a positive, it still doesn’t currently recognize AstraZeneca as an approved COVID-19 vaccine. So, even if the Biden Administration allows borders to reopen, the CDC’s non-recognition of AstraZeneca will be a significant barrier to transatlantic travel between the UK and the U.S. As a result, the WTTC, says...
Air Canada Makes Full Vaccination Mandatory For All Employees
Air Canada is making it mandatory for all employees of the airline to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to report their vaccination status as of Oct. 30, 2021. In addition, the airline is making full vaccination a condition of employment for any individual hired by the company. The carrier notes that since the beginning of the pandemic it has been a leader in the adoption of science-based measures in response to COVID-19. This has included the airline being among the first to require pre-boarding temperature screening of customers, obligatory onboard mask-wearing policies and...
Air Canada Connects With Munich
Air Canada has released additional details of its planned Munich (MUC)-Toronto (YYZ) schedule. The loosening of restrictions enables foreign nationals who have been fully vaccinated with the Canadian government-accepted vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and J&J) at least 14 days prior and who meet specific entry requirements to enter Canada for non-essential travel. Jean-Christophe Hérault, Regional Sales Manager Germany, Switzerland, Austria & Eastern Europe at Air Canada, said: “As travel restrictions ease across the globe, we are committed to rebuild our...
Sunwing Ups Sun Lift Out Of Toronto, Montreal
Sunwing is adding a number of new routes from Toronto and Montreal with direct flights to St. Maarten, Aruba and Los Cabos. Andrew Dawson, president of tour operations at Sunwing, said that: “Following positive customer demand for our initial destinations of Cancun, Punta Cana and Montego Bay, and based on increasing demand to travel in the early fall, we decided to expand our flight service and destination offerings ahead of schedule.” Dawson continued: “Our customers are looking for even more choice and flexibility. We’re excited to help them plan their dream getaway with...
WestJet Takes Off To California
WestJet is reintroducing non-stop service between Orange County/ Anaheim and Calgary. Initially, it will operate twice weekly, beginning Nov. 4, 2021, and quickly transitioning to three times weekly on Dec. 7, 2021. Additionally, the airline moves from summer flights to providing year-round service between Calgary and San Francisco that will operate twice weekly, beginning Oct. 31, 2021. John Weatherill, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer for WestJet, said: “We are excited to increase connectivity between the Golden State and Alberta, another step toward strengthening our...
Delta, Travelport Sign New Deal
Delta Air Lines and Travelport have unveiled the details of what they’re describing as “a transformative global distribution agreement, designed to further enhance value-generation for the entire travel retailing ecosystem, including travel management companies, agencies, corporations, and travellers. The multi-year content distribution agreement gives Travelport-connected travel buyers simplified access to Delta’s enriched content through the Travelport+ platform with enhanced retailing capability to better understand, compare and customize offers for travellers. Jeff Lobl,...
WestJet Restarts Calgary-Paris Service
WestJet has restarted its non-stop route between Calgary and Paris using 787 Dreamliner aircraft. With the restart of service to Paris, WestJet becomes the airline serving the most European destinations, direct from its global hub in Calgary. WestJet introduced twice-weekly, non-stop, service between Calgary and Amsterdam on August 5 and is currently serving London (Gatwick) two times weekly, with both markets increasing to three-times weekly in September. John Weatherill, Chief Commercial Officer for WestJet, said: “We are thrilled to bring back this historic route between...
IATA Travel Pass Recognizes EU, UK Digital Certificates
IATA has announced that the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) and UK NHS COVID Pass can now be uploaded into the IATA Travel Pass as verified proof of vaccination for travel. Travellers holding an EU DCC or UK NHS COVID Pass can now access accurate COVID-19 travel information for their journey, create an electronic version of their passport and import their vaccination certificate in one place. That information can be shared with airlines and border control authorities who can have the assurance that the certificate presented to them is genuine and belongs to the person presenting...