On top of Copa resuming service, Royal Jordanian resumed AMM-YUL-DTW some time ago as well. 1 weekly service.

Also, AC restarted YUL-GRU last week. 2 weekly service, supposedly year round. I had my doubts about this route returning, but glad to see it made the cut.

Also, YUL-BOG (new route) is on track for a January 16 start, 1x weekly.

All good news. Slowly but surely, the international network YUL enjoyed pre-COVID is taking shape once again, albeit at reduced frequency.

PEK, PVG and NRT will probably be the last intl routes to resume, but I'm confident in that happening, if not in 2021, for sure by 2022.

I think summer 2021 will look vastly better than summer 2020. By next september, any Canadian that wants to get vaccinated will have been able to, meaning those same Canadians will feel more comfortable travelling outside the country if need be. This will inevitably translate into more passengers and therefore more flights.

Countries should start relaxing entry rules by next summer as well. We are finally starting to see the tail end of all this COVID mess. If we can only survive this global winter surge of COVID cases.

I think it's pointless now to talk about Westjet and Quebec in the same sentence, at least for the next little while.

YQB-YYC would be a perfect route for an AC A220.

Air Canada also resumed Hawaii ops this week too. Yesterday to HNL, and today to OGG. WS resumed its Hawaii ops today from YVR and tomorrow from YYC.

Was good seeing a AC widebody at the international terminal again.

For Air Canada's A220, do you think YQB-YYC is more likely to come before YQB-YVR?

In terms of AC, they’ll probably run YQB-YVR first, before YYC.

As of midnight tonight. All flights from England are Suspended.

Air Canada has oddly only cancelled inbound flights from LHR so far. They have 2 flights currently en route to the UK. Are they just going to ferry the aircraft back empty?

WestJet’s next flight to LGW is on Tuesday.

Cargo flights are exempt. So are outbound flights to the UK. It's a 72 hour ban, for now.

It’s a 72 hour ban, for now. They can either return empty, with cargo, relocate elsewhere to Europe and return with cargo, or wait out the 72 hrs and hope the ban doesn’t get extended, in order to return with passengers.

My bet is they’re coming back with cargo. It can get expensive to leave planes on the ground at LHR when alternatives are possible.

Do we know if WestJet has finally managed to get some reasonable cargo business on its flights to Europe. Air Canada looks to be moving a lot of cargo across the pond.

Looks like they’ve cancelled it in both directions now until Thursday. WS is currently unaffected as their next inbound from the UK isn’t until Thursday which is beyond the 72 hour threshold.

I wonder why it’s initially only 72 hours?

Probably done on purpose to enable people to fly back to Canada in time for Christmas.

This new virus is a rapidly evolving situation. They probably need 72 hours to evaluate before deciding on whether to resume normal operations or make the ban permanent. Looking at the rapid ban on flights from the UK around the world (except the US!!) I wonder if there isn't more to this new strain . . .

Interesting Doug Ford mentioned in his briefing today that Toronto airport's roof isn't leaking (as Trudeau said) but has no roof at all and the rain is pouring in. He said 100% of people entering Toronto from overseas are not quarantining.

That would kind of defeat the whole purpose.:shrug:

You can't leave Canadians stranded overseas though. If anything, they should be running the flights and only letting Canadians on it going westbound. And requiring a quarantine on this end, by force if necessary.

Well, Australia has, in the name of being able to closely monitor returnees. The Covid numbers speak for themselves.

Maybe that'll come after this 72 hour period.

At this point anyone who choose to travel internationally did so at their own risk. :shrug:

Honestly, to think that this new strain of COVID isn't here already is stupid.

UK, through their advanced genome testing, was the first country to prove a new strain was active. Doesn't mean it's the only country with the strain.

And yet, some cases with the new strain have been found in Australia already. What does that tell you?

Exactly. Putting stupid restrictions that don't accomplish anything isn't the way to go. Coronaviruses mutate. This is a fact. We know this already. There are probably several strains of the virus around the world already, and even here in Canada. Restricting flights form the UK to Canada for 72 hours is nothing more than posturing. It accomplishes nothing.

Wear a mask, wash your hands often, social distance, and get vaccinated. These are what people - and the government - should do/preach. If people want to travel to the UK and back, let them. Biontech/Pfizer has tested it's vaccine on 20 different variants and is confident its product works on all of them.

We still have idiots here refusing to wear masks in airports/planes. Mostly in Alberta. WestJet is the hardest hit airline.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/air...ovid-1.5850825