Newsletter

Air Canada & United Airlines Expand Codeshare Deal

Air Canada has signed a deal with United Airlines that expands the relationship between the companies in an effort to offer more flight options and better schedules between 38 destinations in Canada and the United States.

Service will include eight Canadian gateways and will speed recovery from the pandemic, according to Air Canada.  

Customers who search for flights between the Canada and the US on Air Canada or United’s websites and apps will find more flight options scheduled at more convenient times. Codeshare between the two carriers will also be expanded and members of both the MileagePlus and Aeroplan programs will have more accrual and redemption options.

Under the joint business agreement, subject to compliance with US and Canadian regulatory and antitrust requirements, the two airlines will now be able to:

• Coordinate their networks and schedules, enabling the carriers to offer customers more choice, including more flights throughout the day and more access to each airline’s seat inventory.
• Enhance codeshare on transborder flights, excluding certain US leisure markets and territories. The carriers anticipate customers will be able to connect to 46 transborder codeshare destinations with more than 400 daily frequencies in 2022 – with opportunities to add more codeshare destinations for domestic routes within Canada and the U.S.
• Sell seats on each other’s transborder flights and share revenue on flights between hub markets (where regulatory authorities and antitrust requirements allow), allowing the carriers to grow their overall capacities.
• Align customer policies for greater consistency and enable the seamless provision of onboard products, establish airport co-locations where available and provide extra value to each carriers’ frequent flyer programs.
• Allow the two carriers to work closer together to advance their sustainability objectives.

CATSA Updates (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority)

CATSA encourages all passengers to arrive at their departing airport well in advance of their flight. Many airlines advise passengers to arrive two hours in advance for domestic flights and three hours in advance for US and international flights.  

How are wait times calculated?

Wait times for queues at security screening are calculated through the scanning of boarding passes when you enter the beginning of the queue; and once again before you begin your individual screening process.

Wait times do not include:

• The time required to check in for your flight and drop your baggage at the air carrier counter
• The time required for you and your carry-on baggage to be processed through the screening process
• The time required to go through Customs for U.S. flights (in airports where available)
• The time required to reach your boarding gate.

Click here and select your city to see what the current wait times are at your Canadian departure airport.

Screening

Be prepared for screening.  Please ensure that all liquids, gels and aerosols in your carry-on baggage are in containers of 100ml or less and placed in a clear, 1L resealable bag. Click here for more information about carry-on baggage requirements.

The Return of Random Testing  

Mandatory random COVID testing has resumed for fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air to Canada’s four largest airports – Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. But this time those selected for testing won’t have to be tested at an airport facility.

When the program resumed on July 19, all testing for air travellers, both those who qualify as fully vaccinated and partially or unvaccinated people, will be completed either via an in-person appointment at select testing provider locations and pharmacies, or a virtual appointment for a self-swab test.

To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller to Canada, travellers must have been vaccinated with a primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine accepted by the Government of Canada for the purpose of travel at least 14 calendar days before entering Canada.

Air travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated and who are selected for mandatory random testing, as well as air travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated, will receive an email notification within 15 minutes of completing their customs declaration.

The email will contain information to help them arrange for their test with a testing provider in their region. Unvaccinated travellers can complete their tests by a virtual appointment or an in-person appointment with the test provider at their store or at select pharmacies and still respect their quarantine requirements.

All vaccinated travellers who are randomly selected for the border testing surveillance program must complete arrival mandatory testing requirements.

If the arrival test result is positive, they must go into isolation and follow the federal requirement to isolate for 10 days from the date of the test result. The government says this 10-day isolation is required, even if the isolation requirement is shorter in specific provinces or territories.

Travellers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated, unless exempt, must continue to test on Day 1 and Day 8 of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

All travellers must continue to use ArriveCAN to provide mandatory travel information within 72 hours before their arrival in Canada, and/or before boarding a cruise ship destined for Canada, with few exceptions.