January 4, 2021

Oh Canada: True North Strong and PCR-Tested

Effective this Thursday, January 7, Canada will require all international travelers arriving into Canada to have tested negative for the virus. The test must have been a PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure to Canada.

The new policy applies to all passengers five and older and must be presented at the check-in desk prior to boarding the aircraft to Canada. Passengers will also be required to score at least 70% on an NHL history test and select a drawing of Wayne Gretzky out of a lineup or risk denied boarding. 

Airlines have been pleading with the government to eliminate the quarantine in favor of stricter testing requirements. It appears the government was only half-listening, because despite adding the test requirement, Canada is not altering its 14-day mandatory quarantine for all visitors. This means anyone arriving in Canada must have a negative test and undergo a 14-day quarantine. While the combo of a test and quarantine might be enough to discourage visitors, the fact that we’re heading into the dead of winter should keep voluntary travel to Canada down on its own.

Those violating the self-quarantine face stiff penalties including up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines plus a required one-season stint sitting with screaming parents at youth hockey games.


Qantas Hopeful for July 1 Reopening of Australia’s Borders

After drinking way too much champagne on New Year’s Eve, Qantas has surprisingly opened international travel bookings for flights beginning July 1. It’s an optimistic move considering the airline has shut off all international travel since March with — until now — no sign of a change.

Flights available include its famed Kangaroo route to London/Heathrow and to Los Angeles. Missing on the restart are routes such as its Project Sunrise route from Sydney to New York/JFK. Brisbane to Chicago/O’Hare, which was initially slated to begin on April 15, does not have a new date to begin either. Sydney to Santiago, Chile is also not yet ready to return, but the airline does plan to resume flying to Johannesburg on July 1.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is optimistic that his airline can resume flying all over the world this summer, but admits that it’s not a guarantee, stating “for some of our big destination like the United States and the UK, it’s going to need a vaccine given the high prevalence of the virus in both of those locations.”


Ryanair to Cancel 12 UK Domestic Routes, Blames Brexit Rules

\

After an argument with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Ryanair has chosen to take its ball routes away and go home.

The airline and CAA are in disagreement on the UK government’s wet-lease policy prohibiting airlines with a large presence in the UK relying on foreign-registered aircraft for its operation in the country. Ryanair’s use of foreign-registered aircraft in the UK is a new development — in fact, its fleet just became foreign-registered at midnight on Friday when the UK and Ireland became officially foreign. Prior to Brexit, they were one big happy EU family.  Now, not so much.

Ryanair’s objection (one of many objections, if we’re honest) is that, according to the airline, the CAA made this restriction on December 21, giving it just 10 days to comply. The CAA claims this is long-standing policy and Ryanair is full of it. Ryanair is definitely full of it, but it doesn’t mean it is wrong on this issue.

The best job to have for job security during the pandemic must be staff attorney at Ryanair. This issue will surely end up in court at some time in the coming months, but in the meantime, it will end 12 domestic routes, likely sending those planes on routes elsewhere until Ryanair gets angry about something else and takes someone else to court.


Saudi Arabia and Qatar Agree to Reopen Airspace

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar are in agreement to re-open land, sea, and air borders effective immediately. With the agreement, Qatar Airways will no longer have to contort itself around Saudi Arabian airspace for the first time since 2017 when Saudi Arabia joined Bahrain, Egypt, and the UAE with a blockage on Qatar.

The agreement was announced by Kuwait, which had been mediating the U.S.-led deal between both countries. Following its success in the Gulf, Kuwaiti negotiators are expected to fly to the United States tonight to help Major League Baseball make a decision on whether or not it will keep the DH in the National League for the 2021 season and beyond. (It’s rumored that Kuwait secretly despises the DH, so we support this plan.)

Qatar’s location on a peninsula bordering Saudi Arabia — the only country Qatar shares a border with — caused significant rerouting for flights. Saudi Arabia’s land mass is 20 times that of Qatar, dwarfing the nation while creating major navigational challenges. Perhaps the only group unhappy with today’s announcement are those comfortably ensconced in Qatar Airways’ Q-Suites product who will now have less time to enjoy it.


Stray Bullets Strike MEA A321s

Four brand-new A321neo aircraft belonging to Middle East Airlines were found to have been struck by stray bullets during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Beirut Thursday night.

Per AvGeek law, even though the shootings were in celebration and not an act of violence, the perpetrators, if found, will be immediately sentenced to live in the overhead bins on those airplanes either for 30 days or until the aircraft are ready to re-enter service, whichever is longer.


Airline Potpourri

  • American will join Alaska in eliminating the emotional support animal loophole, allowing only qualified service animals in its cabin for free. Expect the other major U.S. domestic airlines to follow suit soon.
  • Flybig, the newest Indian airline startup and big brother to Flysmall, inaugurated operations with a flight yesterday from Indore (IDR) to Ahmedabad (AMD).
  • Guizhou Airlines has taken delivery of its fourth A320neo.
  • Lao Airlines has indefinitely suspended its charter services. If you need to find alternate charter options within Laos, Cranky Concierge is always just a click away.
  • Qantas will swap the aircraft on its Kangaroo Route — London/Heathrow to Sydney — from an A380 to a Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it resumes the route on July 1.
  • Pakistan International Airlines owes $6 billion to gold and copper exploration giant Tethyan Copper Company (TCC). The High Court of Justice in the British Virgin Islands — where PIA is incorporated, because of course it is — will hold a hearing where it could its assets seized by the court. This is sure to end well for everyone involved.
  • Qatar is increasing its frequency to 10 weekly flights from Doha to São Paulo/Guarulhos. It is also adding its QF code onto 45 additional LATAM Brasil flights.

Andrew’s Moment of Levity

A man walked into a liquor store and the guy behind the counter asked “Do you need any help?” And the man said “Yes, but I’m here to get bourbon instead.”