Airlines
Pivot Partners With Waterloo International Airport
Pivot Airlines has entered a formal arrangement with the Region of Waterloo International Airport to provide scheduled domestic air service to Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor and Montreal. The carrier indicated that it is excited to form a true partnership with the Region of Waterloo International Airport by having their support in helping develop regional markets aimed at serving Waterloo Region. Service commences upon receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals and is contingent upon a loosening of COVID-19 travel-related restrictions; flights will be operated with Canadian made CRJ...
CHHB Urges Government To Extend CEWS
A newly formed coalition representing people with a stake in this country's ailing tourism trade is calling on Ottawa to extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy well into next year, warning that if the federal government goes ahead with its planned phase-out of the subsidy, widespread travel industry bankruptcies could follow. Ottawa plans to begin reducing the subsidy -- which offers businesses struggling with a drop of 50% or more in revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic to have the federal government pay for 75% of their firms' salaries -- as of Sept. 26 and then eliminate...
Sunwing Adds Complimentary COVID-19 Insurance
Sunwing has partnered with Manulife to offer COVID-19 Coverage to Canadians at no additional cost when booking their long-awaited vacation. Designed to cover emergency medical and quarantine costs associated with COVID-19, this coverage is included in all Sunwing vacation packages (excluding cruises) and air only bookings with Sunwing Airlines (for a duration of 21 days or less) made between now and Oct. 31, 2020 for departures from Oct. 16, 2020 up to and including May 31, 2021. The COVID-19 Emergency Medical Certificate of Insurance includes, but is not limited to, medical...
COVID-19 Insurance Compliments Of Air Canada
Air Canada will be including complimentary COVID-19 emergency medical & quarantine insurance for eligible customers booking round-trip international flights. The coverage, available for new bookings made in Canada from Sept. 17 (today) until Oct. 31, 2020, inclusive, provides emergency medical and quarantine insurance designed to give customers added confidence when booking flights and travelling abroad. Lucie Guillemette, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Air Canada, said: “At Air Canada, we know people have personal, family and business reasons to...
Sun Destination Update From WestJet
WestJet released an updated schedule designed to get Canadians to and from key destinations while supporting the economic recovery of Canada through continued domestic flying. Beginning Oct. 4, 2020 WestJet will offer operations to and from 48 destinations including 39 in Canada, three in the U.S. and three in Mexico, two in Jamaica and one in the U.K. Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet chief commercial officer, said: “This fall we continue to offer guests stringent safety measures and travel that meets their needs during this extraordinary time.” He continued: “As more...
UNWTO Reports International Arrivals Plunged 93% In June
According to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals plunged 93% in June 2020, compared to June 2019 – driving home the severity of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the travel and tourism industry. For the first half of 2020, the UNWTO’s barometer reports that international tourist arrivals plummeted 65% -- representing an unprecedented decrease, as countries around the world closed their borders and introduced travel restrictions in response to the pandemic. In recent weeks, however, a growing number of destinations have started to...
Canada-US Border To Remain Closed To Oct. 21: Report
According to a report from the CBC, the Canada-US border closure will be extended to Oct. 21. Quoting a source “with direct knowledge of the situation,” the CBC story indicates that the federal government will extend the border closure another 30 days and the CBC is also reporting that its source indicated that Canadians should “expect the possibility that the border “will remain closed for longer.” The report of the extension of the border closure comes just a day after the UNWTO released its latest World Tourism Barometer which showed that international tourist arrivals...
Look At The Alternatives
IATA is urging the Canadian government to support the COVID-19 testing initiatives of Air Canada and WestJet as a means to safely reopen Canada to international and domestic travel without the need for blanket quarantine measures. The airline industry association points out that international traffic to Canada has plummeted since quarantine measures were introduced in March 2020. Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, said: ‘‘There are alternatives to the quarantine measures currently in place that can both keep Canadians safe as well as revive the...