Newsletter

New COVID-19 test requirement for entry into Canada 

Please be advised of the new entry requirements being imposed by the Government of Canada that may affect your upcoming flight to Canada.

The Government of Canada has advised that effective January 7, 2021:

• All customers five years of age or older entering Canada from an international destination are required to provide, prior to boarding a flight, a negative COVID-19 PCR test.

• The test must be taken within 72 hours of departure from the flight to Canada. Some exceptions apply.

• At present, the Government of Canada has not yet finalized or published a list of testing facilities for every country. Visit https://travel.gc.ca/ for official updates.

• If your flight to Canada departs from one of the recognised countries identified by the Government of Canada as a country where PCR testing is deemed unavailable, you may still travel, however upon landing in Canada, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days in a Public Health Agency of Canada quarantine location.

• Even with a negative COVID-19 PCR test all passengers entering Canada will still have to complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

You do not need to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test if:

• Your flight to Canada is prior to January 7; and/or
• You are only transiting through a Canadian airport from one international destination to another, without entering Canada.

Please note that we do not control these directives and that details are subject to change. We recommend you visit https://travel.gc.ca/ for official updates from the Government of Canada. They have also published a list of frequently asked questions about the new testing requirement. 

Airlines including Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Transat have all posted updates to their websites with the new requirement, as well as resources to help passengers get their PCR tests done.

Here’s a list of info pages:

For Air Canada, click here.

For WestJet, click here.

For Sunwing, click here.

For Air Transat, click here.

Air Canada adds WiFi payment via Aeroplan points

Air Canada passengers have a new option to buy in-flight WiFi service. The carrier now offers the ability to pay with Aeroplan points on board.

Passes are available starting as low as 850 points for select flights under 2 hours, and some example prices for entire flight passes include:

• Toronto - Montreal: 850 pts
• Toronto - Vancouver: 1,400 pts
• Toronto - London Heathrow: 2,100 pts

Members can redeem their points by visiting aircanadawifi.com onboard the aircraft, selecting the desired pass they want, and logging in with their Aeroplan number and password. 

Under the Air Canada Altitude Elite status program, customers choose which benefits they prefer rather than being given the full complement of options. In that case, the Gogo connectivity pass was added to the list of Altitude Select Privileges, joining upgrade credits or reduced requalification requirements.

Since the introduction the all-access pass for top tier elites in the program, it has further improved, now it has a full year pass at either the 75k or 100k level. Previously the 75k level received only a 6 month pass.

Business Review

This is a time like no other. Never before have we seen our industry affected on a global scale like it is today.  Things will be different, but we will get through it. COVID-19 has changed, and will change, the way we travel and do business.

During this time, while travel is not an option for the vast majority, it’s the perfect time for travel managers to review and re-evaluate travel programs and build strategies to re-engage travellers to be ready for when travel resumes.  Along with how best to ensure all travellers have access to essential information and participate in the program.

Now is the time to contact your Uniglobe Business Development Manager to schedule a business review, identify and implement new travel technologies, review current and new reporting capabiliteis, travel policy review and compliance, the list goes on and on.   We are here to help update and incorporate new strategies which means you can revise your program to fit your needs and you will be ready when its safe to travel again.