Travellers willing to subject themselves to hotel quarantine at their own expense upon return to Canada can still find a way to holiday in the sun, despite Canada’s airlines suspending flights to Mexico and the Caribbean through April 30 due to federally imposed restrictions.
US carriers, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines say they have no plans to stop offering service to sun destinations, raising questions about both the business fallout for domestic airlines and the measure’s effectiveness for slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Canadian airlines have already been losing market share over the last several months to foreign carriers, said Mike McNaney, president and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada. Now, however, the only routes available to certain destinations will be aboard foreign airlines selling flights with stopovers in US cities.
“We assume the government is also engaging foreign operators on this issue to ensure we are all taking the same concerted approach,” McNaney said. Transport Canada didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Canadians flying out of major cities will still be able to book trips to Mexico and the Caribbean as normal, provided they are willing to stop over at another airport. American and Delta, for example, are selling tickets for flights from Toronto to Cancun, with passengers connecting through cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Philadelphia.
American Airlines said Monday that it had no schedule changes to share. Delta said it would suspend its flight from Minneapolis to Winnipeg today (Feb. 3), in keeping with government restrictions limiting which airports can receive international flights, but planned to continue its scheduled service to Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canadian airlines had agreed to suspend flights to Mexico and the Caribbean until April 30, in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada.
The prime minister announced the suspensions along with stricter measures aimed at reducing international travel, including a requirement that entrants to Canada quarantine in a hotel at their own expense (reportedly up to $2,000).
On Monday, Bloc Quebecois transport critic Xavier Barsalou-Duval highlighted the fact that US airlines were still offering flights from Canada to sun destinations, saying in a statement that the latest round of suspensions put Canadian companies at a disadvantage.
Asked why Canadian airlines suspended routes while American carriers continue to operate flights to the same destinations, WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell said Transport Canada would have to clarify.
“Recognizing that air travel represents less than two percent of the transmission of COVID, the government asked us to stop flying to these destinations out of an abundance of caution, and we agreed,” Bell said.
The new restrictions were announced weeks after Canada implemented a requirement that all air passengers travelling to Canada produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure.