(Calgary) WestJet Airlines is bracing for an “immediate and dramatic” increase in demand now that the Government of Canada has moved to remove pre-entry COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated travellers.
Posted at 2:12 p.m.
Ottawa announced Thursday that as of 1er April, travelers arriving in Canada by air, land or sea from any country will no longer need to provide a negative COVID-19 test result to enter, as long as they have received at least two doses of an accepted vaccine.
The move comes after months of lobbying by Canada’s travel industry, which had argued that the requirement to seek out and pay for a rapid antigen test before boarding a return flight was an unnecessary barrier to family and professional trips.
“Our view is that the desire to travel has remained throughout the COVID (pandemic), but has not translated into demand for bookings due to the restrictions that have been imposed on the industry,” WestJet Chief Commercial Officer John Weatherill said in an interview Thursday.
In February, the federal government announced that doubly vaccinated air and ground travelers would no longer need to present a negative molecular test result, such as a PCR test, before departing for Canada.
The government has also lifted a mandatory self-isolation requirement for unvaccinated children under 12 returning to the country, as well as a blanket travel advisory against overseas travel.
Weatherill said WestJet has seen a dramatic increase in bookings as a result of these changes, meaning the vacation week many Canadians are taking in March is shaping up to be the busiest time for the airline since March. start of the pandemic.
“In some cases, we are approaching the levels of demand that we saw in 2019, before the pandemic, and that is really encouraging for us. Spring break and the spring travel season are going to be pretty busy for us,” said Weatherill.
Particularly popular Europe
Earlier this week, WestJet announced it would restore 94% of its pre-pandemic routes for the summer. Most notably, it is restoring and even adding capacity to its transatlantic schedules — with increased service between Halifax and European destinations like Paris, London, Glasgow and Dublin, as well as nonstop service between Rome, Italy, and WestJet hub in Calgary.
Weatherill said WestJet’s investments in its European network reflect its optimism about demand and the impact of lifting travel restrictions this summer.
“This is the fastest growing region for us at the moment. It is in the European region that we have the most bookings at this stage, compared to before the pandemic,” he said. “I think it’s really because of pent-up demand. »
Many travelers have been booking March Break at the last minute this year, Weatherill observed, a trend that has existed throughout the pandemic and likely intensified in 2022, due to the rapid rise and fall in cases attributable to the Omicron variant.
“But I expect as we recover from COVID, we’ll see a reversal of that trend, and people will go back to a more normal booking curve,” he added.
Still, Mr Weatherill said the pandemic had fundamentally changed the way airlines plan their networks and schedules.
“We learn a little more with each wave, and we have become much more flexible and adaptable,” he assured. “We have been able to adapt our schedule as needed depending on what is happening with travel restrictions or the virus itself […] and as we go forward, it will be the same. »