Air Canada is marking Black History Month by featuring the achievements and contributions of its Black employees to aviation, including an inaugural, Black History celebratory flight. Flight AC914 from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale and return flight AC917 today, operated with a wide-body Airbus A330-300 aircraft, is being flown with a Black crew of two pilots and eight flight attendants. Air Canada’s Black History celebratory flight was also planned and supported by Black managers and employees on the ground and behind the scenes. “We salute and acknowledge the achievements and contributions of Air Canada’s Black employees who brought forward their idea Read more
Canada
The Canadian government says it should be able to announce changes to COVID-19 travel restrictions next week. Speaking at a press event today in Ottawa, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said that “the worst of Omicron is behind us” and that “we should be able to communicate changes next week.” Canada has been requiring all travellers, including Canadians with two vaccinations or even two vaccinations and a booster, to take a PCR-style COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their scheduled departure. That rule has come under increasing fire, with two well-known Canadian doctors on Thursday calling the testing “futile” and “obsolete.” Read more
Two prominent Canadian doctors are calling for an end to Canada’s “futile” and “obsolete” PCR testing rules. Speaking at a Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable press event at Toronto Pearson Airport, Dr. Zain Chagla, Infectious Diseases Physician and Associate Professor at McMaster University, said COVID-19 testing at the border doesn’t make any sense. “Travel is no more risky than other activities and there is no scientific reason to single it out,” Chagla said. “When first put in place, Canada’s travel rules were designed to keep COVID-19 out of the country. Now that the virus is here and community spread is Read more
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
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
