Montreal, Quebec-headquartered Air Canada has today welcomed an announcement by America’s 50th state that Canadian visitors will no longer be subjected to a 14-day quarantine. BoeiFrom November 20, 2020, Canadian citizens and residents are now eligible to be exempt from Hawaii’s quarantine rules via a pre-travel testing process.
When speaking about Hawaii’s move in an Air Canada press release, Managing Director of Sales Planning at Air Canada Timothy Liu said:
“We applaud Governor Ige’s announcement that Hawaii’s science-based, pre-travel testing initiative is now available for Canadians to be exempt from mandatory quarantine requirements on arrival in Hawaii, and we are very pleased Air Canada is a preferred airline in Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program. We have long advocated for safe and science-based strategies over blanket quarantines to enable a safe and secure resumption of air travel. Air Canada’s industry-leading Air Canada CleanCare+ suite of biosafety standards and preventative measures across its operations means customers can always book and travel Air Canada with confidence.”
The press release went on to say that additional details about Hawaii’s pre-travel testing requirements will be available shortly on the airlines’ website, aircanada.com.
Air Canada to fly to Hawaii from Calgary and Vancouver
Starting December 17, Air Canada will offer three weekly flights to Honolulu and four weekly flights to Maui from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The Canadian national flag carrier will also provide flights to the Hawaiian Islands from Calgary, Alberta. Flights from Calgary International Airport (YYC) will begin on December 18 and increase to multiple flights per week throughout the winter.
Because rules can change without notice as we battle COVID-19, Air Canada passengers are advised to check the Government of Canada website and those of their final destination. It may also be possible for Alberta residents to take part in a joint Canadian government and Alberta province pilot project that tests arriving passengers in Calgary as a part of reducing quarantines.
Air Canada will use a Boeing 787-9 for Hawaii flights
According to Air Canada’s website, both six-hour nonstop flights from Vancouver and seven-hour nonstop flights from Calgary will be operated using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
The aviation enthusiast website Planespotter.net says that Air Canada has 29 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with an average age of 3.9 years. Seating on Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners are laid out in a three-class configuration with 30 business class suites, 21 premium economy seats, and 247 standard economy seats.
Air Canada to codeshare with Qatar Airways
In other Air Canada news, it was announced a couple of days ago that the Star Alliance member would codeshare with Qatar Airways on flights between Toronto and Doha. The move comes ahead of Air Canada introducing three weekly nonstop flights between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Hamad International Airport (DOH).
By introducing flights to the Gulf state, Air Canada passengers can connect to Asia and Australia using Qatar Airways’ vast network of routes.
As we start to move towards the colder months in the northern hemisphere, many people in Canada will be happy that Air Canada is adding flights to Hawaii. The bonus of this is that they will be able to enjoy a lovely tropical vacation without being subjected to quarantine. When they return to Canada, they will, however, under the current guidelines, need to quarantine for 14 days.
Are you ready to take advantage of Air Canada’s flights to Hawaii? If so, please tell us about your plans in the comments.