ETA Canada Travel Pass News

When the pandemic brought the cruise industry to a halt, many operators gave customers credit for future travel however getting a cash refund from the operators was like pulling teeth in the cold and for some, impossible.

Following an investigation by the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in Washington, new reimbursement rules have been put in place and have been in effect since April 18.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in Washington launched an investigation which ultimately resulted in new industry rules and regulations for cruise operators.  The updated rules came into effect on April 18 2022.

A cruise is defined as “non-performing” if the voyage is cancelled or has been delayed for three days or more.

The updated cruise rules state that in the event of a “non-performance” of a cruise, passengers are entitled to a full refund of the entire deposit, including incidental costs.

The FMC has announced that cruise lines are required to post clear instructions on how a passenger can request and receive refunds on their websites.  It is expected that all operators adhere to the updated rules and supply refunds within a reasonable time.

The updated rules apply to all cruises scheduled after April 18, 2022, for all cruises scheduled prior to this date the previous operator’s refund conditions will still apply.

The FMC website has the most up to date information regarding refund regulations and an option to file a complaint against a cruise operator’s refund policies if a passenger believes the refund policy is not inline with the new rules.

The federal government has improved domestic employment-related regulations for temporary foreign workers to promote employment.

To overcome the nationwide labor shortage, the Federal Immigration Department has changed and applied various matters from the 4th, including extending the validity period of the LMIA, which is applied by domestic employers when hiring foreigners, from 9 months to 18 months. did.

In addition, the maximum time period of employment for workers has been extended for those who are working through the high wage and global talent stream to three years, previously being two years. These measures will provide more opportunity for workers to obtain permanent residency.

The limit on the number of seasonal workers employed at farms was removed and the working period was increased from 180 days per year to 270 days per year.

The changes will see sectors including manufacturing, hospitality, construction, health and residential care facilities hiring up to 30% of their total workforce in low-wage positions through the temporary migrant worker program.

The ban on LMIA applications for low-wage jobs in the lodging, food service, and retail sectors in areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher was ended, and applications can be made in these areas as well.

However, the impact of these measures on the Korean American industry, which is suffering from a labor shortage, is expected to be negligible.

“The extension of the validity period of the LMIA means that if foreigners staying abroad had to enter Canada within 9 months, this period was extended to 12 months,” said Lim Cheol-soo, CEO of Canada Plan Immigration and Study Abroad Consulting. These measures are meaningful in terms of resolving the labor shortage problem for Canadian society, but they are almost unrelated to restaurants, the main business of Koreans,” he explained.

The tourism industry is pouring out complaints about the corona restrictions at Pearson Airport.

The Ontario tourism industry has urged the federal government to lift coronavirus restrictions on the recent delays in immigration at Pearson Airport.

Chris Bloer, president of the Wenzhou Tourism Association, said on the same day, “Anything needs to be done before we lose our international standing and the expected profit from overseas business travelers and tourists.”

Federal Transport Minister Omar Algabra said on the 11th that although airport security is increasing staff, the lack of manpower is probably not the main reason as the number of flights is still at 70% of pre-pandemic levels.

Although there is a shortage of manpower, the Canadian Air Transport Security Agency revealed that customs clearance processing time is being delayed due to corona-related inspections of inbound travelers, implying that various additional procedures due to the corona are the main cause of delays in procedures.

On the other hand, Onju also showed a calming phase of the corona virus that day. The number of new cases increased by 165 from the previous day, but decreased by 540 from a week ago. The number of deaths, inpatients, and intensive care patients decreased by 18, 225, and 30, respectively, from a week ago.

Is it because the federal government neglected to supply and supply security personnel?

Due to the lifting of travel restrictions due to the corona crisis, major airports across the country, including Toronto Pearson Airport, are crowded. Due to the crowds of travellers, the waiting time before boarding the plane is long, causing complaints.

The Federal Air Transport Security Service (CATSA), which is responsible for screening passengers and baggage, said on the 2nd that “the time to pass through the checkpoints is being delayed as travel demand recovers.”

New Democratic Party lawmaker Matthew Greene said, “I visited Pearson Airport on the morning of the 2nd to return home to Ottawa, and I was amazed.  Congestion at the airport is expected to continue for the next several weeks.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Al-Habra said the government is in talks with related ministries to secure adequate manpower, but it could take several weeks to normalize.

CATSA provides current waiting times at Pearson Airport through its website.

Air Premia claims to be Korea’s first ‘hybrid’ airline and are about to start routes to Canada. This is good news for Koreans who have a narrow selection of airlines to Korea.

If a new airline enters the Korea-Canada route, which is currently operated by only two airlines, Korean Air and Air Canada, improvement in service and price reduction is expected due to competition to attract customers.

Founded in 2017, Air Premia received the government’s air transport business license in 2019 and is scheduled to start service between Los Angeles and Singapore around June or July of this year. After that, it plans to advance into long-distance routes such as Vancouver, Hawaii, and Spain.

If the Vancouver route starts, the Toronto route can also be expected. Air Premia applied for permission to operate the Incheon-LA route with the U.S. Department of Transportation in July last year and is awaiting approval in the first half of this year.

The ‘Hybrid Service Carrier’ promoted by Air Premia refers to a new concept airline created by taking only good points for customers, such as premium services from large airlines and low fares from low-cost airlines.

The plan is to secure and operate 10 Boeing 787-9s, which are mid- to long-range aircraft, by 2024.

The new airline says it will provide consumers with a variety of choices and benefits while providing business-class services, including introducing premium economy seats with good cost-effectiveness, providing high-quality in-flight meals and Wi-Fi, and large seat monitors.

In particular, the maximum seat width is 42 inches, which is the widest among models in the same class. The price is said to be 80% of that of its competitors.

Minimize food waste, fly with wind currents, delay engine start. Thanks to a series of measures, an Air France plane has halved the CO2 emissions of its Paris-Montreal flight.

The objective of this series of measures? Complete the most eco-responsible long-distance commercial flight in the world in a challenge offered by the Skyteam airline alliance. For two weeks in May 16 airlines will compete against each other to achieve the most eco-friendly flight possible.

Measures and guidelines were put into place before and during the flight including asking passengers to evaluate and limit the volume and weight of their luggage.  Passengers were also encouraged to select their meals prior to departure in a bid to reduce food waste.

The captain also practiced eco-piloting, which notably includes planning his trajectory according to wind currents and the use of a single engine before take-off. By doing so fuel consumption reduced by 3 to 4%.

In addition, ground operations including pushing back the plane, transporting crews by bus, and moving luggage were carried out using electric vehicles, explains the director of Air France KLM Canada, Catherine Guillemart.

An Airbus A350 was selected as it consumes 20 to 25% less fuel and emits a third less noise pollution than previous generations of aircraft.

According to Mehran Ebrahimi, professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) and director of the International Observatory of Aeronautics and Civil Aviation, Skyteam’s eco-responsible flight challenge is “a good gesture” but based on “a lot of marketing”.

The use of more advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, as in the Air France flight, is a good start, argues the expert.

But we also must completely rethink our relationship to the plane and to travel, he adds. “If we take a plane flight from Montreal to Toronto, even if there are all the possible ecological measures on board, it does not make sense. The journeys that we can make by train or public transport, we should not do it by plane,” he says.

The airline Air Canada suffered a news in the first quarter of 2022, but its operating income more than tripled compared to the same period of 2021, a sign of an acceleration of the recovery, according to the company.

Air Canada suffered a net loss of 974 million Canadian dollars (714 million euros) in the first quarter of 2022, less significant, however, than that observed in the same period last year.

“Travellers are returning, revenues are growing, our networks are recovering and our finances, including our liquidity, are very strong,” said Michael Rousseau, CEO of Air Canada, presenting the financial results for the first three months of the year. year. During this quarter, the carrier’s operating revenue was C$2.573 billion, about three and a half times more than in the first quarter of 2021.

“The significant improvement in Air Canada’s year-over-year results in the first quarter is tangible proof that a recovery is underway,” said the leader. Like other airlines, Air Canada – headquartered in Montreal – saw a slowdown in business at the start of the year due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions.

 

Rebound in March

The carrier notes, however, that its results “rebounded quickly in March” after the lifting of health measures, including the lifting of the obligation to present the negative result of a PCR test on arrival in Canada for foreign travellers. Air Canada, which recorded higher passenger volumes in March than in December and sales that “reached more than 90% of their March 2019 level”, expects its recovery to accelerate further “by the end of end of 2022 and beyond” with an increase in travel after two years of restriction in the world.

The airline embarked on a program this month to facilitate the air transport of Ukrainians fleeing the war to Canada. “We are doing our part by helping to transport Ukrainians to Canada with a substantial donation of 100 million Aeroplan points,” the company said in a statement. These points should make it possible to transport up to 10,000 people to Canada as quickly as possible.

To revive regional aviation, the Legault government is counting on new discounts that will allow all Quebecers to fly to the regions for $500 or less starting this summer. Expected for almost two years, the plan must be officially unveiled this Tuesday in Mont-Joli.

With this approach, the government wishes to counter the sometimes-justified perception that it costs more to make Montréal-Gaspé than Montréal-Paris.

“The idea is to give Quebecer’s access to all of Quebec,” explained a source familiar with the matter. “By intervening on the price, we think we can create new demand.

As of this summer, companies that join the program will be required to advertise round-trip flights of a maximum of $500, all costs included. The carriers will be compensated in some way by the State for the difference in prices without the consumer having to take steps to be reimbursed, learned Le Devoir.

The timing is not insignificant. The government was waiting for spring to associate the unveiling of the plan with the promotion of the tourist season. The Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, was also expected alongside the Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, for the announcement this morning in Mont-Joli.

More than twenty routes will be eligible in the regions of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Côte-Nord, and Nord-du-Québec.

This includes flights between major centers and regions (Montréal–Sept-Îles, for example), flights between regions (Gaspé–Mont-Joli) and flights to the most isolated destinations in the territory (to Blanc-Sablon or Anticosti).

In some cases, it won’t change anything since prices are already below $500. But prices tend to increase a lot now, especially for last-minute bookings, our source points out.

These well-priced tickets will not, however, be unlimited. Therefore, the mine worker who makes regular round trips between Montreal and Fermont will not have access to discounts for each of his trips. Beyond a certain number of purchases per year (two or three according to our sources), consumers will have to pay the usual prices, the target clientele being primarily tourists.

This plan has been eagerly awaited since the announcement, in the summer of 2020, of Air Canada’s withdrawal from several regional destinations such as Val-d’Or, Baie-Comeau, Mont-Joli, Gaspé and the Îles-de-la -Madeleine. At the time, the Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, had created a “crisis cell” with representatives of the industry and experts with the aim of rethinking the Quebec model of regional flights. “Everything is on the table,” he repeated. Since then, a series of proposals have circulated: creation of a system of calls for tenders, regional aviation authorities, etc. In a report submitted to the ministry last year, expert Jacques Roy suggested that services are structured around three carriers (Pascan, Air Creebec and Air Inuit). He also proposed to give a pivotal role to the Jean-Lesage airport in Quebec.

Air Canada eligible

In the meantime, the context has partly changed. Air Canada partially restored its services, and the TREQ cooperative, with its low-cost flight project, garnered support, from the Parti Québécois and certain unions. In our understanding, nothing would prevent a group like TREQ from participating in the new model which would be offered to all carriers offering flights to and from the regions. This means that even Air Canada may be eligible for the program.

The Department of Finance has released $261 million over five years to fund this new program. As for the airfare reduction program, which allowed residents of remote regions or regions deprived of the road network to be reimbursed between 30 and 50% of the price of their tickets, it will be maintained, but adapted.

Support measures for carriers and airports related to the pandemic will also be renewed by the end of the fiscal year. This is particularly the case with the Assistance program for the maintenance of essential regional air services during a health emergency, which will make it possible to reimburse the operating deficits of the companies responsible for essential services if new waves occur.

Air Canada said it had, over the Easter weekend, transported more than 100,000 customers in a single day, a first since the start of the pandemic.

“We had the great pleasure of welcoming 100,701 passengers on board our aircraft on April 15, 2022, and the volume of travellers is steadily increasing,” said Kevin O’Connor, vice president of network operations control, whose staff manage the day-to-day operations at Air Canada.

He believes that Air Canada has recovered from the effects of COVID-19 “operationally” and that the airline “is ready to transport its customers safely and in comfort during the busy summer period ahead of us”.

The last time Air Canada carried more than 100,000 passengers in a day was on March 13, 2020. During the pandemic, the volume of passengers dropped until it reached 2175 passengers on April 23, 2020, due to the almost complete paralysis of global air transport. In 2019, before the pandemic, Air Canada carried an average of nearly 150,000 passengers each day and recorded a record 187,000 customers on August 16, 2019.

Tourism picks up despite uncertainties

This return to a more normal volume of business at Air Canada confirms a trend already documented by Statistics Canada.

According to the latest available data, in January 2022 there were 2.6 million air travellers in Canada, a number that has more than tripled (+227%) in 12 months despite the fifth wave of COVID-19 which was raging in that time.

There is still a long way to go before reaching pre-pandemic levels of 2.6 million passengers in January representing only 37.9% of the volume observed in January 2019 More broadly, according to the March barometer of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism continued to recover in January 2022, with arrivals worldwide more than doubling (+130%) in January 2022, compared to January 2021.

“There were 12 destinations that had no COVID-19 restrictions in place as of March 24. A growing number of destinations are also easing and/or removing restrictions” the report read. UNWTO pointed out that “the high uncertainty stemming from Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine” as well as the travel restrictions in place due to the pandemic could however “disrupt the upward trend”.

New relaxations came into effect on Friday for international travel, including the removal of COVID-19 screening tests for passengers vaccinated before entering Canadian territory.

Travelers who have completed their vaccination schedule therefore no longer have to provide a negative result to be able to board a plane or ship bound for Canada.

Passengers may, however, still be subject to random PCR tests upon arrival at the airport, but they will not be required to self-isolate while awaiting the results.

Despite these reductions, other rules remain in force for travel during the pandemic.

Ottawa has thus maintained the obligation to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by Health Canada to board a plane, a train, or a boat. The use of the ArriveCAN application also remains in place to enter proof of vaccination and the information required for a possible quarantine plan. Travelers must submit this information within 72 hours of boarding.

If the submission to ArriveCAN is not completed, a screening test may be required upon arrival as well as a possible quarantine, regardless of the person’s vaccination status. For passengers who are partially or unvaccinated, testing requirements are still in effect. They must therefore provide a negative COVID-19 test result. Remember that changes could continue to be made depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation.