WestJet is celebrating a milestone in recovery with its highest single-day guest count since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the airline is expected to fly an estimated 48,000 guests on more than 450 flights. “Today’s milestone is a direct reflection of our guest’s desire to return to the skies and their renewed confidence in air travel,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of WestJet. “This is a strong signal for demand and the recovery of our industry as we look ahead to the busy summer travel season.” This summer, WestJet is set to return its network to near pre-pandemic levels, Read more
Canada
As COVID–19 restrictions are lifted and more and more Canadians look to travel abroad, the government of Canada says it’s making it easier to renew your passport. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, today announced the expansion of the simplified renewal application process for Canadian passports. Beginning today, March 31, Canadians in Canada and abroad can now use the simplified process to renew an expired passport as long as it was issued within the last 15 years. The Trudeau government said the simplified process Read more
A new era has come for travel to Canada today (April 1, 2022). As of April 1, fully vaccinated residents and visitors coming into Canada no longer have to show a negative result from a COVID-19 test. That means Canadians can travel out of the country and not have to worry about finding an expensive COVID-19 test. They also don’t have to worry that they’ll be denied entry to the country because of a positive test result. It also means foreign visitors can avoid pricey tests and the worry of testing positive prior to their flight. Read more
With demand ramping up and COVID-19 travel restrictions dropping around the world, Air Canada will more than double its capacity this year. Canada’s largest airline said on Wednesday that capacity will jump 150% this year compared to 2021. That’s encouraging, but still represents about 75% of their 2019 levels. Officials said they expect capacity to reach 95% by 2024. “The overall recovery is indeed getting closer,” Air Canada’s chief commercial officer Lucie Guillemette said at the company’s annual investor day on Wednesday. Guillemette said new routes are being added out of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and that officials are encouraged Read more
In a move that took some observers by surprise, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped its notice of risk for cruise travel. After more than two years of warning would-be cruisers about how dangerous cruise travel could be during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlanta-based CDC today dropped its warning entirely. “CDC is removing the COVID-19 Cruise Ship Travel Health Notice,” spokesperson Dave Daigle, spokesperson for the health agency, told USA TODAY. The CDC issues travel health notices to let travellers know about current health issues that could impact their plans. The group had cruise at Read more
