"I'm wondering what happens if I don't pay for a seat ... I am booking a flight with Air Canada and seats have gone up to $44.00 each way. That seems outrageous to me! If I am willing to sit in a middle seat can I just not book one? Or do I risk getting bumped?" The first thing to consider: your odds of being bumped at all If we take a look at the statistics for U.S. airlines from the U.S. Air Travel Consumer Report for the 4th quarter of 2021 (see page 41), here's how it breaks down... Total number of passengers flown: 187,763,441 (over 187 *million*. Let it sink in as to how large a numbe ..read more

With the news that Canada will be dropping all covid related entry requirements for all visitors on October 1st, I thought I'd take a look at some of the metrics for how 'back to normal' travel is for Canadians overall. 2019 is the standard by which travel normality is judged. Ease of returning to Canada: 10 / 10 As of October 1st, entering Canada will be back to the way it was in 2019 for all travellers. All travellers entering Canada by land or air will no longer have to: - use ArriveCAN - undergo random testing - provide proof of vaccination - undergo pre-arrival testing - carry out covi ..read more

It's no secret that we Canadians pay some of the highest cellular rates on the planet. And when we travel the Canadian cell phone companies squeeze us even harder, charging up to $15 per *day* to 'roam like home' the moment you send a single e-mail in other countries. To avoid these high prices many Canadians buy a local SIM card when they arrive at their destination country and use that instead. Buying a local SIM card generally costs less than $20-$30 and gives you more data than a person is likely to use on their entire trip. There are some inconveniences when doing this though. Namely ..read more

"Who will now be tested upon arrival into Canada?" All air travellers who have been in a country other than the U.S. in the past 14 days even if they arrive in Canada via the U.S "How will this work? What about connecting flights?" There have not been many specific details released but it's likely going to be a similar process to what we saw earlier in the summer, and during the Alberta pilot program. When you arrive in Canada you'll either be asked to take a test in the airport or given a test kit to take home. You then quarantine at home for approximately 24-48 hours until you receive you ..read more

North America:       Canada, Mexico, The United States, Hawaii Caribbean:       no restrictions: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico       negative test required: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Barths, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands       quarantine required: Grenada       test & quarantine: C ..read more

For many of us, international travel is off the table right now. Two of the biggest obstacles are the lack of any medical insurance options that cover COVID-19, and the fact that you need to self-isolate for 14 days when you return. But technically, as of this month, there are places that are welcoming tourists back, including Canadians. Below, I've tried to focus on the destinations you can reach with a non-stop flight (aka 'direct') from Canada, and the dates those flights are expected to start from Canada, if they haven't already. There are certainly other places you can travel to, and ot ..read more

Aeroplan has just announced a new offer that allows members to get 50% of their miles back from award travel within Canada or to/from the United States. Here's what you need to know: - Valid on all flights operated by Air Canada between July 1 and October 15, 2020 - The flights must be booked before July 1st. - The Aeroplan miles will be credited back to your account within three weeks after the qualifying flights are completed. - Valid on all Air Canada flights across Canada and the US, including Hawaii. - You need to have the full number of miles in your account at the time of booking. You ..read more

I have a trip planned for March / April - should I be cancelling? - The Government of Canada has stated that if you're returning from outside the country, you should self-isolate yourself from society for 14 days. At this point, this isn't a legal requirement, and nobody is being forced into ' mandatory quarantine'. But it's your moral obligation to help stop the spread to those who are vulnerable. That's also 14 days without going back to work, etc. - François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Foreign affairs has stated that Canadians abroad are encouraged to come home now. "We ..read more

As you can imagine, the airlines are going through a tough time right now. Worldwide, they're projected to lose $113 billion in 2020. Swoop has released a promo code, with the following offer, when booking 2 tickets: - pay the normal price for the first fare (base fare + taxes & fees) - pay only the taxes and fees for the second fare If you're booking for 4 or 6 passengers, every 2nd fare will have the base fare removed from the price. Overall I'd say on Swoop's more expensive routes, you're likely saving about $25-$50 per passenger off the usual prices. On some of their routes the ba ..read more

I often see people wondering what happens if they intentionally miss a leg of their ticketed flight. For example, let's say you booked a flight from Your Hometown to Final Destination City, but it has a layover in Desired City on the way there. And Desired City is where you actually want to end up. You can certainly leave the airport once you get to your layover at Desired City. You're not breaking any law, assuming you meet all the usual requirements for visiting somewhere. Just make sure to travel only with carry-on, unless you're absolutely sure there's a way to retrieve your checked lugga ..read more