Swoop Airlines is adding significantly more capacity in Atlantic Canada and Ontario as it adds a half-dozen new planes. The Calgary-based company “will significantly expand its domestic network, adding non-stop flights to Newfoundland and increasing service in Atlantic Canada,” officials said today. “The ULCC will also add six new routes and capacity in Ontario and the Prairies in preparation for Canada’s busy summer travel season. The airline’s announced expansion comes as Swoop reports significantly increased passenger numbers and record bookings domestically.” Swoop, Canada’s leading ultra-low fare airline, also announced it will grow its fleet from 10 to 16 aircraft Read more
Canada
There’s more encouraging news today about a travel rebound. According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, the rapid decline in new COVID-19 cases nationally has travelers gearing up planning for both domestic and international travel. The percentage of travelers who say that coronavirus will greatly their decision to travel in the next six months dropped from 32 percent in early January to 24 percent in early February. And the number of travelers who reported they are changing their travel plans because of COVID-19 fell from 58 percent to 49 percent in the same time period. “Barring Read more
Australia today said it will open to fully vaccinated visitors as of Feb. 21. New Zealand has a plan to welcome foreign travellers over the next six months or so. And then there’s Canada, which continues to treat the tourism and travel industry like some kind of pariah. While other countries recognize the value of travel and tourism to their economies, Canada continues its over-the-top testing regulations, which discourage Canadians from travelling abroad and also discourage visitors from spending their money in Canadian cities and towns that are desperate for tourism dollars. WestJet last month clipped its flight schedule by Read more
WestJet has further extended its schedule reductions by 20% through March. “As WestJet continues to navigate ongoing uncertainty and barriers facing travel, the airline is announcing a further extension of its planned schedule consolidations through to March 31, 2022,” officials said Monday morning (Feb. 7). The company on January 18 announced a 20% flight reduction through February 28, 2022. Air Canada Vacations and Transat also have seen a reduction in flights this winter. An Air Canada spokesman this morning said it has nothing further to report on the issue. “For two years, WestJet has gone above and beyond to keep Read more
Canada’s chief health officer says provincial vaccine passports and other health measures need to be “re-examined” as Canada deals with the Omicron variant. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that Canada needs to find a more “sustainable” way to deal with COVID-19 and that all existing public health policies, including provincial vaccine passports, need to be “re-examined” in the coming weeks, the CBC reports. “What we need to do going forward, as we emerge out of this Omicron wave, is recognize this virus is not going to disappear,” she said. “We do need to get back to Read more
