Airlines
Alghabra Named New Transport Minister
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a cabinet shuffle today that included a new Minister of Transport and he also confirmed that the Canada-US border would remain closed for non-essential travel until Feb. 21. The cabinet shuffle came following the announcement by Navdeep Bains -- the now outgoing Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry -- that he would not be running in the next election. Mississauga Centre MP Omar Alghabra is moving into the Cabinet to take over the Transport portfolio. Marc Garneau moves from Transport to Foreign Affairs, while François-Philippe...
Porter Plans March 29 Restart
With the surge of COVID-19 cases and current public health measures, Porter Airlines says that it has revised the tentative restart date for its services to March 29, 2021. Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, said that: “With the introduction of vaccines, we are more optimistic about determining a date in the near-term to reintroduce flights than at any point since the pandemic began.” Deluce continued: “More time is needed to assess the vaccine’s influence on current travel restrictions and when it is appropriate to begin operations again. We expect to...
Ground To A Halt
IATA reports that the recovery in passenger demand -- which had been slowing since the Northern hemisphere’s summer travel season -- came to a halt in November 2020. The airline industry association notes that: Total demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 70.3% compared to November 2019, virtually unchanged from the 70.6% year-to-year decline recorded in October. November capacity was 58.6% below previous year levels and load factor fell 23.0 percentage points to 58.0%, which was a record low for the month. International passenger demand in...
Arriving Travellers Will Now Need Test To Enter UK
Passengers arriving from all international destinations will now be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result before departing for England to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally. The new requirement was announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and beginning next week inbound passengers arriving by boat, plane or train will have to take a test up to 72 hours before departing the country they are in, to help protect against the new strains of coronavirus such as those seen in Denmark and South Africa. The move comes in response to...
No Other Option
WestJet is making significant cuts to its schedule as the airline continues to face volatile demand and instability in the face of continuing federal government travel advisories and restrictions. The Calgary-based carrier said that as a result of the reduction in capacity, the equivalent of 1,000 employees across the WestJet Group of Companies will be impacted through a combination of furloughs, temporary layoffs, unpaid leaves and reduced hours. There will also be a hiring freeze implemented. Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO, said that: “Immediately following the federal...
WestJet Unveils 737 MAX Return-To-Service Plan
WestJet says it plans to return its fleet of 737 MAX aircraft to passenger service in a phased and transparent approach. The move follows the announcement from Transport Canada (TC) on Dec. 17, 2020 where TC safety experts validated the aircraft design changes and outlined requirements for Canadian carriers. Transport Canada's validation followed that of the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) on Nov. 18, 2020. Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO, said: “As we continue working with Transport Canada on the additional Canadian requirements, our first MAX will be ready to return...
New Pre-Departure Requirements Now In Effect
Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau issued an Interim Order formalizing new COVID-19 testing requirements for all air travellers coming to Canada, and providing additional guidance to airline operators and the travelling public regarding the new pre-departure testing requirement that was announced on Dec. 31. This Interim Order supports COVID-19 health requirements made by Canada’s Minister of Health under the Quarantine Act. Effective midnight on Jan. 7, 2021 (00:00 EST or 05:00 UCT), regardless of citizenship, all travellers five years of age or older must provide...
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...