This was a day that held out considerable hope for many in the travel business in the United States and Canada. No such luck. Reuters reports that The Biden administration on Thursday said it was extending a requirement that non-U.S. citizens crossing land or ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The requirements were first adopted in November as part of reopening the United States to land crossings by foreign tourists after the borders had been closed to most visitors since March 2020. The rules were set to expire tonight, April 21. There’s no Read more
Air Canada today said it is donating 100 million Aeroplan points to support the Canadian government’s initiative to bring Ukrainians to Canada. The points will contribute towards facilitating transportation and can be used on flights operated by Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners including Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, SWISS, United Airlines and other carriers. The Shapiro Foundation is also contributing to this effort and Miles4Migrants, a non-profit charity will manage and facilitate the flight bookings. “Together with our employees, we are ready and prepared to assist and support the Canadian Government’s plans to bring Ukrainian people to Canada. With our Read more
The latest modest increase in coronavirus cases in the U.S. is not deterring travel planning in 2022. According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, only 19% of travelers say that COVID-19 will greatly impact their travel decisions in the next six months. That’s the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic more than two years ago. “Barring a major reversal in the course of the pandemic, COVID-19’s impact on the travel and tourism industry appears to be tailing off,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “Concerns about gas prices and other inflationary Read more
The Canadian polling company Leger published a study about Canadian airports this week. After surveying residents in each respective market, here’s what they came up with. What do YOU think? Add a comment to the comments section. 1. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) (Reputation Score: 71) 2. Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) (Reputation Score: 65) 3. YUL Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (Reputation Score: 64) 4. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) (Reputation Score: 59) 5. Calgary International Airport (YYC) (Reputation Score: 55) 6. Winnipeg International Airport (YWG) (Reputation Score: 48) 7. Edmonton International Airport (YEG) (Reputation Score: 40) 8. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTO) (Reputation Score: 31) 9. Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) (Reputation Score: 25) 10. Jean Lesage International Airport Read more
Canadian searches for international flights are outweighing those for domestic trips, but flights within Canada remain very popular, a new study says. Kayak.com looked at flight searches for the week of April 10 and compared them three years ago, prior to the pandemic, and then to a month ago. For three year comparisons, they found Dubai led the way, with searches up 105% since April of 2019. Next was Halifax at 97%, followed by Istanbul at 90%. For month-over-month comparisons, searches for flights to Frankfurt were on top, with a gain of 17% from March to April of this year. Read more
Air Transat is pleased to be back in Dublin, after over two years of forced suspension due to COVID-19. The airline operated its first flight between Toronto and Dublin (TS230) yesterday evening, which will be offered five times a week at the height of the season. Until the end of October, the airline will operate these flights with its new-generation Airbus A321neoLR aircraft. As of March 6, all COVID-19 travel restrictions were removed for travelling to the Republic of Ireland. Visitors no longer need to complete a passenger locator form to travel, nor do they need proof of vaccination or Read more
Lynx Air will launch its inaugural Toronto-Calgary flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport today. Canada’s new ultra-affordable airline will initially operate four services a week between Toronto and Calgary, increasing to daily services as of April 18. Toronto Pearson Airport will quickly become a busy hub for Lynx, with the addition of daily service between Toronto and Vancouver on April 28 and a twice weekly service from Toronto to Winnipeg on May 5. All services will be operated out of Toronto Pearson Airport’s Terminal 1. By summer, travelers in the Toronto region will be able to fly out of John Read more
