Airlines
Another Blow For Travel Agents
Clearly 2021 didn’t start the way the industry had hoped for, in fact, ACTA said that the new year brought another blow to travel agents and the industry with the federal government announcing a pre-boarding testing requirement and giving the industry only a week to prepare. ACTA president Wendy Paradis said: “This latest development has put travel agents in an even more precarious situation and ACTA cannot stress enough the acute need for urgent financial support for Travel Agents and the entire travel industry including airlines, airports, tour operators and travel...
Ontario Launches Pearson Testing Program
Ontario is launching a new, voluntary and free border testing pilot program at Toronto Pearson International Airport for eligible international travellers returning to Ontario to help quickly identify and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the province. The announcement was made by Premier Doug Ford, Deputy Premier, Christine Elliott and Minister of Health, and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. The Premier said that: “With over 60,000 international passengers coming into Pearson airport every week, we can't take any unnecessary risks. That's why we're putting in place this new pilot...
NACC Reacts To New Testing Requirements
The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) was quick to respond to the federal government’s Dec. 30, 2020 announcement that it is implementing a plan that will require all international passengers arriving in Canada to have a negative PCR test result 72 hours prior to their arrival. NACC president and CEO, Mike McNaney said in a statement that: “Over the course of the pandemic, the Canadian aviation industry has been calling on the government for months to introduce a coordinated and systematic testing regime, in conjunction with industry, in order to avoid a rushed and...
New Rules Take Effect Jan. 7, 2021
As 2020 wound down, Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced that effective Jan. 7, 2021 at 12:01 am EST, all air passengers five years of age or older will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before travelling from another country to Canada. In making the announcement, Garneau indicated that the implementation date provides all airlines, both foreign and domestic, adequate time to comply with the new requirements. Documentation of a negative laboratory test result must be presented to the airline prior to boarding a flight to Canada. The test must be performed using a...
IATA ‘Deeply Frustrated’ By Canada’s New Air Rules
IATA is expressing “deep frustration” with Canada’s new COVID-19 testing requirement for all arriving air travellers that will take effect on Jan. 7, 2021. For months, the association says the industry has been calling for systematic testing to re-open borders without quarantine measures, but these pleas have fallen on deaf ears, especially in Canada. Now, in a decision that can only be described as the ‘worst of both worlds’, the government is mandating that passengers provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours...
YQM Receives ACI Health Accreditation
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on air travel but a significant number of health and safety measures have been put in place by airports and airlines at all steps of the aviation journey to ensure travellers feel safe and reassured throughout their travel. Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport’s (YQM) commitment to health and safety has been recognized by Airports Council International (ACI) and YQM is now accredited in its Airport Health Accreditation program (AHA). This new program is designed to help reassure the travelling public that airport...
ACITA Commission Recall Petition Is Ready To Sign
The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA) reports that the Clerk of Petitions for the House of Commons has announced today that Petition e_3029 is now Published and open for signatures -- https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3029 The petition was drafted by ACITA and sponsored by MP Marc Dalton (Pitt Meadows-Mapleridge, BC) when the threat of commission recalls was first made public by Tour Operators (Westjet and Transat) announcing that they would provide refunds for trips cancelled due to COVID-19. It outlines the Commission Recall...
St. Kitts & Nevis Suspend BA UK Flights
St. Kitts & Nevis has temporarily suspended British Airways flights from the UK. The suspension began on Dec. 26, 2020 and will continue to Jan. 2, 2021. And officials noted that an update will be given in relation to the Federation resuming service. In addition, any International Traveller who arrives from the UK will be required to quarantine at their hotel and not “Vacation in Place” for the duration of their stay or mandatory 14-day quarantine in the Federation, for Dec. 26, 2020 to Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has reported a new strain of coronavirus which, according to the...