Travel restrictions and uncertainty caused by the Omicron variant continue to affect demand among airlines. Result: Transat AT and WestJet extend their schedule reductions.
Updated yesterday at 5:01 p.m.
For the parent company of Air Transat, the capacity reduction will last until the end of April, that is to say two months. As for the winter season, the reduction will total 22%.
“The decline in capacity is spread across the various markets such as sun destinations, Europe and the United States,” said a spokesperson for the Montreal tour operator, Pierre Tessier, on Monday, adding that this was not accompanied of layoffs.
He also agreed with the big boss of WestJet, who asked the Trudeau government to lift the requirements in place after canceling 20% of its scheduled flights in March.
The Calgary airline’s interim CEO Harry Taylor said travel advisories and drug testing requirements were meant to be temporary, but after two years the industry crisis had reached its peak. paroxysm.
“It is disappointing that Canada is treading water in its approach and continuing to make travel inaccessible and punitive for Canadians and incoming tourists,” he said in a statement.
WestJet is requesting periodic testing on arrival only, rather than mandatory molecular testing before takeoff and after landing, for fully vaccinated international passengers.
The Calgary company is also calling for an end to quarantines for travelers awaiting results when they return from overseas.
Canada remains the only G7 country to require molecular testing before departure and upon arrival, Taylor noted, asking the federal government to set a timetable for the resumption of travel and tourism.
WestJet is requesting periodic testing on arrival only, rather than mandatory molecular testing before takeoff and after landing, for fully vaccinated international passengers.
Transat AT had already reduced the number of its flights by 30% for the months of January and February. According to data from the firm Cirium, the tour operator has already canceled 56 flights in March and another 33 in April.
With The Canadian Press