Ongoing Crisis in Canadian air travel

[Northendzone]

so to close the loop on our attempt at air travel this summer.....we have decided to hold off going tot he US until next spring and we will do a spring golf trip to palm springs

our trip to the US in august would have cost us almost $1,000 each with taxes and fees and whatnot. And we then would have to fund ground transportation, meals, activities etc in San Diego

We decided we did not want to spend the money right now and the potential for choas at the airport was not appealing to me in the least.

We will go to fernie for a week, and will hopefully take a weekend in Banff - we looked at Lake Louise, but good grief the price of Hotel rooms.....

Originally Posted by Northendzone

so in april 2020 my wife and i had booked travel to LA - a week before we were supposed to go, travel was shut down and since then we have had a credit with Delta as we booked the flight via our RBC VISA rewards.

We are now trying to use our credit to book a flight to san diego in august, and it has been a struggle to get in touch with the right team at RBC. wife was on hold twice over the weekend for a total of 3 hrs. i was on hold this morning for 2.5hrs and then the power went out at home and my call was dropped.

when my wife looked at the flight we wanted there were only three seats left.

We seemingly cant do this transaction on-line....my wife may explode if we cant make these arrangement and we lose these credits.

As for me, i'd be happy going to fernie for 10 days to bike and golf as air travel has become too annoying.....

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by activeStick

Do you have priority boarding? Because it sounds like overhead space for carry on bags are getting full every flight.

Nope but I always put my bag under the seat to avoid all that crap and those parents panicking about all of their stuff.

Plane lands, I grab it and walk off no problems.

[timun]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

Well picking this up as I'm back home. Ariived in Dulles with no luggage which was not a surprised and we essentials in our carryons. Nobody from AC at Dulles to assist except one fellow who was reteiving luggage which had missed other flights. <clipped for brevity>

As someone who also travels to the DC area to visit family, I've always had issues at YYZ at the best of times. It's a horrendous airport to connect through.

Ottawa International Airport was also kind of problematic, the one time I transferred through there. You can't pre-clear customs in Calgary, because the terminal at Ottawa isn't set up such that you'll stay in the secure area when catching your next flight. You have to go up two floors from the arrivals level, leave the secure area, and then sit and wait for your name to be called at US customs at a small lounge near one end of the terminal. I was shocked at how rinky-dink the airport at our nation's capital is; the population in the area is similar to Calgary and Edmonton, but their airport is much, much smaller than YYC.

Montreal and Chicago-O'Hare were pretty painless though. And you obviously already know well enough to book flights into DCA rather than Dulles.

[Ryan Coke]

You can only pre clear customs to the US in the airport your actually going to the US from, not from an original departure airport where you still have a connection. YVR, YYZ, wherever. You have to go through customs at the airport the US flight is departing from.

It’s not an YOW thing.

[chemgear]

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2482921

Tracking via airtag

[sureLoss]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1547583790649774085

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...520313?cmp=rss

Flights are delayed at Calgary International Airport this morning, as the airport's navigation system is currently experiencing an outage.

A spokesperson with the airport confirmed to CBC News that a system outage with NavCanada has led to WestJet experiencing some intermittent issues.

Morgan Bell, a spokesperson with WestJet, said the outage was impacting the airline's check-in, flight planning and payment services on its website.

[chemgear]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada...lers-1.5987380

OTTAWA - The federal government is bringing back mandatory random testing for air travellers coming into Canada, starting July 19.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by chemgear

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada...lers-1.5987380

OTTAWA - The federal government is bringing back mandatory random testing for air travellers coming into Canada, starting July 19.

Well I timed it right … returning July 18!

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

Well I timed it right … returning July 18!

Considering the delays, cancellations, etc . . . that's what you think!

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Considering the delays, cancellations, etc . . . that's what you think!

Haha, true! I’m supposed to get into Calgary at 10pm, so that’s cutting it close. Although I go through Toronto first. Not sure how that works since now you’re supposed to go somewhere else for the test.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by chemgear

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada...lers-1.5987380

OTTAWA - The federal government is bringing back mandatory random testing for air travellers coming into Canada, starting July 19.

It's like they can't help themselves.

[Fuzz]

The testing will be conducted offsite, either at in-person appointments at “select testing provider locations and pharmacies,” or using virtual appointments and self-swab tests.

“We are going to be able on an ongoing basis to keep monitoring the entrance of variants, and where those variants come from, and monitor the situation at the borders, which we know is key to protect the health and safety of Canadians,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in an interivew on CTV News Channel on Thursday.

This doesn't make much sense. Rapid tests can't tell you the variant. I could see some value to finding what is coming into Canada from where with a small number of random samples, but they don't seem to be doing that.

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by chemgear

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2482921

Tracking via airtag

I havent checked luggage in over a decade. With all the lost luggage these days, I'd imagine it's a race to board to get bin space now more than ever.

I'm flying next month and will be interested to see the carry on luggage situation on my plane. Are airlines actually enforcing luggage size now?. I booked 1st class so I don't have to deal with any of that stress about worrying about carry on room.

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This doesn't make much sense. Rapid tests can't tell you the variant. I could see some value to finding what is coming into Canada from where with a small number of random samples, but they don't seem to be doing that.

Pure political theatre. There is literally no logical explanation. You can take off your mask as soon as you leave the airport, mingle at a party in between, take your test the next day, and be put on a 10 day quarantine while 95% of other travelers won the quarantine lotto and can spread as they wish.

At the same time ArriveCan is being made permanent, and the definition of fully vaccinated is coming to be changed to 'boosted within 6 months" with little scientific evidence to back that definition.

The political theatre is just a lot more blatant and visible when the measures can't even be reasonably argued for anymore.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This doesn't make much sense. Rapid tests can't tell you the variant. I could see some value to finding what is coming into Canada from where with a small number of random samples, but they don't seem to be doing that.

Originally Posted by Firebot

Pure political theatre. There is literally no logical explanation. You can take off your mask as soon as you leave the airport, mingle at a party in between, take your test the next day, and be put on a 10 day quarantine while 95% of other travelers won the quarantine lotto and can spread as they wish.

At the same time ArriveCan is being made permanent, and the definition of fully vaccinated is coming to be changed to 'boosted within 6 months" with little scientific evidence to back that definition.

The political theatre is just a lot more blatant and visible when the measures can't even be reasonably argued for anymore.

I'm not necessarily sure if this fits into the conspiracy theory realm but I have to wonder how much lobbying pressure there has been to bring back testing by companies that might have a significant stockpile of tests. If I'm not mistaken there are some "friends" of the Liberal party that were heavily invested in Covid testing during the pandemic.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This doesn't make much sense. Rapid tests can't tell you the variant. I could see some value to finding what is coming into Canada from where with a small number of random samples, but they don't seem to be doing that.

I think these are PCR tests, aren't they? I imagine they'll use this as one of the only sources of genomic surveillance given that PCR tests aren't really a thing for the vast majority of the population anymore.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by opendoor

I think these are PCR tests, aren't they? I imagine they'll use this as one of the only sources of genomic surveillance given that PCR tests aren't really a thing for the vast majority of the population anymore.

You would hope so, but the "virtual appointment self-swab" part makes me skeptical. I guess you could send it away, but I assumed those would be the same as other virtual tests, with a a rapid test.

[opendoor]

I think the other take home tests at the border were PCR tests that were processed at labs. Still, the whole thing is still kind of stupid; if they want to do genomic surveillance there are much easier and cheaper ways to do it.

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by opendoor

I think the other take home tests at the border were PCR tests that were processed at labs. Still, the whole thing is still kind of stupid; if they want to do genomic surveillance there are much easier and cheaper ways to do it.

They did this change as a direct result of mass complaining of airport delays that could be directly be attributed due to the testing. When the government announced the removal of mandatory tests, they made it very clear it will be coming back with a 'better' process.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/crisis...lays-1.5938402

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/corona...nada-1.5941945

"The Government of Canada recognizes the impact that significant wait times at some Canadian airports are having on travellers. We continue to work with airports, airlines, baggage handlers, and other partners to implement solutions to reduce delays as we approach the summer peak season," Transport Canada said in a statement on Friday.

It was counter productive to continue such testing for so long (especially as a result of Omicron going through pretty much the population and having zero effect on spread), yet they decided to bring it back with an offsite process with no noticeable benefit, and can now claim they are no longer the source of airport delays as a result of this change while still claim to keep Canadians safe from dangerous future variants.

Hence, political theatre

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Firebot

They did this change as a direct result of mass complaining of airport delays that could be directly be attributed due to the testing. When the government announced the removal of mandatory tests, they made it very clear it will be coming back with a 'better' process.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/crisis...lays-1.5938402

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/corona...nada-1.5941945



It was counter productive to continue such testing for so long (especially as a result of Omicron going through pretty much the population and having zero effect on spread), yet they decided to bring it back with an offsite process with no noticeable benefit, and can now claim they are no longer the source of airport delays as a result of this change while still claim to keep Canadians safe from dangerous future variants.

Hence, political theatre

It’s not political theatre, some one is being paid to administer those test. It’s grifting.