Vaccinations now required to travel into and through Canada on planes, trains and boats
All Canadians aged 12 and older now need to show proof of vaccination if you want to hop on a flight or train ride to any other Canadian destination.
The new rules that took effect Tuesday, follow a one month grace period where negative molecular COVID-19 tests were allowed to board trains, planes and cruise ships. Now all travellers must be fully vaccinated.
Airlines West Jet and Air Canada say they have resources in place to check proof of vaccination. Attendants were spotted scanning barcodes Tuesday at Calgary International Airport.
“Customers can submit their proof of vaccination online ahead of travel,” read a statement from Air Canada.
“They have the option to do this either through the Manage My Booking tab up to 72 hours prior to travel or when they check-in online and obtain a boarding pass within 24 hours of their flight. We strongly encourage customers to use our online tools to save time at the airport and to make the airport experience more streamlined.”
Air Canada says its self-serve kiosks at the airport are unable to accommodate proof of vaccine documents at this time.
Each boarding pass will have a code that reflects an approved traveller, meaning their ticket will not need to be checked again.
Travellers at Calgary airport, Nov. 30, 2021
SAFE AND SECURE
For West Jet and Swoop Airlines, staff have been working on safe and secure technology to approve travellers at the gates.
“The introduction of a self-service solution ensures we can accurately and effectively validate 100 per cent of guests' vaccination status,” explained Stuart McDonald, WestJet’s interim Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer.
“Initially our agents had been manually validating vaccination status at various stages throughout the travel journey. We now have a Canada-wide technology solution that prioritizes guest privacy and ease of travel.”
WestJet says its automated technology will scan all provincial and territorial QR code’s, which contains each guest’s proof of vaccination.
These automated scans are available via the WestJet App, digital check in and at airport kiosks as of November 30.
“By automating the process through scans, our agents can focus on the higher touch aspects of assisting guests,” said McDonald.
A FEW HICCUPS
Gregory Cann and his wife were in Calgary for a wedding. Their flight home to Vancouver on Tuesday had a few hiccups, when one of them was able to approve their vaccine status online, while the other could not.
Cann says Ottawa did not streamline the process very easily.
“It’s taken awhile to get their act together but still for the public it’s just an exercise in frustration as it feels like we’re the ones that have to sort through how the hell to pull this altogether,” said Cann.
The Government of Canada says in order to board, all travellers must have received their second dose at least 14 days before their departure date.
The rules apply to anyone who is travelling by plane on domestic, trans border or international flights departing from Canadian airports, and rail passengers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.