United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Air Transat suspends operations as Canada imposes Caribbean flight ban
Air Transat is shutting down normal flight operations until 30 April after Canada imposed harsh new travel curbs.
The federal government is suspending all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean though April and all inbound travelers must quarantine for three days at a hotel on their own expense.
"Those with negative test results will then be able to quarantine at home under significantly increased surveillance and enforcement," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
"With the challenges we currently face with Covid-19, both here at home and abroad, we all agree that now is just not the time to be flying," the PM said.
Air Transat will only operate special flights to repatriate Canadians.
"We are putting in place the measures requested by the Canadian government, including not travelling to the South. This forces us to temporarily suspend all our flights, including to Europe," said Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat.
"We will do everything we can to return our customers back to Canada. We obviously share the government’s objective to protect Canadians from Covid-19, including the new variants, and this is what all of our personnel have been doing in recent months."
It plans to operate dozens of flights over the next two weeks to fly Canadians home.
It said customers with scheduled return flights until 13 February will keep their original flight.
As a leisure airline, vacation flights south to the Caribbean and Mexico make up a high proportion of Air Transat’s schedules.
All other carriers including Air Canada, WestJet, and Sunwing have cancelled their services to all Caribbean destinations and Mexico.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Sustainable Tourism: Don Welsh on Community Values and Global Collaboration
Jane Cunningham: Enhancing European Engagement in Tourism
Kristin Dunne: Navigating Destination Strategy
Revolutionizing Mobile Connectivity: Boris Bijlstra on HUBBY eSIM
Capturing Glasgow’s Vibrancy: An Interview with Susan Deighan, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life
Lebua Hotel & Resorts: Rajan Khurana on Hospitality and Bangkok’s Charms
Sustainable Tourism and Growth: Insights from Chiravadee Khunsub from Tourism Authority of Thailand
Revolutionizing Travel: SmartSIM USA’s Dale Takio Unveils the Power of E Sims
TravelMole Interview with Hishan Singhawansa, Deputy CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka
Unveiling the Essence of Magari Tours: A Dive into Authentic Italian Experiences
EU airports bring back 100ml liquid rule
British Airways passengers endure 11-hour 'flight to nowhere'
CLIA: Anti-cruise demos could cause itinerary changes in Europe
Co-pilot faints, easyJet flight issues ‘red alert’
Gatwick braces for strike