March 16 - It was a gruelling weekend for travel agents and suppliers. A number of airlines and tour operators have updates in the wake of the federal government’s global travel advisory, announced Friday, warning Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada, a warning that set off an unprecedented wave of rebookings and cancellations.

 

Sunwing notes that the federal government has given assurances that flights arriving back to Canada from sun destinations including those in the Caribbean and Mexico will operate as scheduled and will be able to land at the airports they were supposed to arrive at. The government had said on Friday that flights returning from Canada from international destinations would only be permitted to land at a handful of airports to allow for more coronavirus screening.

 

Looking ahead to spring, airlines including Air Canada and Air Transat have announced suspended routes to Europe and beyond. Several of Air Canada’s Europe routes have been either delayed or suspended entirely for the summer. Other Air Canada routes both to the U.S. and destinations worldwide are also temporarily suspended. Air Canada says it will continue to monitor the evolving situation closely in consultation with the Public Health Agency of Canada, Transport Canada and Global Affairs and will update its schedule as needed.

 

Here’s the latest, with more updates posted as soon as they are available:

 

Air Canada

 

US & Canada

• Toronto-Abbotsford – Full summer suspension • Toronto-San Jose – New route launch postponed until June 1 • Toronto-Portland – Seasonal startup delayed until June 30 • Montreal-Seattle – New route launch postponed until June 1

 

 

Europe & Middle East

• Toronto-Copenhagen – Temporary suspension March 17 – April 30 • Toronto-Dubai – Temporary suspension March 29 – April 24 • Toronto-Madrid – Temporary suspension March 18 – May 1 • Toronto-Budapest – Seasonal startup delayed until May 2 • Montreal/Toronto-Barcelona – Seasonal startup delayed until May 1 • Montreal-Athens – Seasonal startup delayed until April 10 • Toronto-Athens – Seasonal startup delayed until April 9 • Toronto-Israel – Temporary suspension March 18 – March 30Toronto-Milan – Seasonal startup delayed until June 4 • Toronto-Rome – Temporary suspension March 10 – April 30 • Montreal-Venice – Full summer suspension • Montreal-Marseille – Full summer suspension • Montreal-Bordeaux – Full summer suspension • Toronto-Brussels – New route launch postponed to June 3 • Ottawa-London (LHR) – Temporary suspension April 7 – 30

 

Asia

• All routes to the People’s Republic of China – Suspension extended to April 30 • Toronto-Hong Kong – Suspension extended to May 31 • Toronto-Seoul (Incheon) – Suspension extended May 31. Last flight from Toronto departs March 21 • Calgary-Tokyo (Narita) – Seasonal startup delayed until June 30

 

South America

•  Montreal-Lima – Earlier route cancellation, last flight April 30

 

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Air Transat

With Air Transat’s cancellations on its temporarily suspended routes, in some cases it may be possible to re-route passengers on another Air Transat flight. In cases where it isn’t possible to re-route, Air Transat says the total amount of the client’s reservation will be credited to their file for future travel within one year of the original initial travel date.

 

 

To Italy

• Montreal-Rome, TS302 – Temporary suspension April 10 – 24 • Montreal-Rome, TS402 – Temporary suspension April 23 and April 30 • Toronto-Rome, TS386 – Temporary suspension April 10 – 24

 

To England

• Vancouver-London, TS576 – Temporary suspension April 10 – 24 • Vancouver-London, TS752 – Temporary suspension April 12 – 26 • Vancouver-London, TS274 – Temporary suspension April 15 – 29

 

To Canada

• London-Vancouver, TS577 – Temporary suspension April 11 – 25 • London-Vancouver, TS757 – Temporary suspension April 13 – 27 • London-Vancouver, TS275 – Temporary suspension April 16 – 30 • Rome-Toronto, TS387 – Temporary suspension April 11 – 25 • Rome-Montreal, TS303 – Temporary suspension April 11 – 25

 

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Sunwing

Sunwing says the federal government has given assurances that flights arriving to Canada from sun destinations including those in the Caribbean and Mexico can continue to operate as scheduled and will be able to land at the airports they were supposed to arrive at.

Sunwing says passengers who wish to return home early can seek out the services of a Sunwing Experiences rep in destination and/or by phone. Flight changes in these cases can be made free of charge and flights are subject to availability. Passengers who choose to return home early will forfeit the unused portion of their vacation.

With Sunwing’s updated change policy, customers with a departure date March 14 – April 14 who booked their vacation before March 4, 2020 and did not purchase travel insurance or a Sunwing Worry Free Cancellation Waiver can cancel and receive a future travel voucher in the value of the original package price paid. All cancellations are subject to a $100 admin fee per person, collected at time of cancellation. The future travel voucher can be redeemed against future travel for departures up to and including March 31, 2021. For bookings with departure dates from May 1 onwards, the company’s standard terms and conditions apply to changes and cancellations.

 

 

For new bookings made March 4 – 13, Sunwing will waive any admin fees associated with the first change to the booking. New travel dates must be given at the time of making this first change. This applies to bookings with a departure date up to and including June 24. Any change must be requested at least seven days prior to travel or normal conditions will apply.

For new bookings made March 14 – 31, Sunwing will allow customers to cancel their booking and receive a future travel voucher. A $100 change admin fee per person applies. Any difference in fare will also apply. This applies to all new bookings with a departure date from now up to and including June 24.

There are also options available for those who the Sunwing Worry Free Cancellation Waiver, and also options for those who purchased third-party travel insurance.

Source: Travelweek

 

 

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