WestJet said today that it will continue to postpone flights through the end of March in order to comply with Canada’s ongoing mandated Covid testing regulations. These cuts are a continuation of the flight cancellations announced by the airline last month. Westjet announced a 20% flight cut till the end of February 2022 in January.
The firm indicated in a press statement that the company continues to negotiate continued uncertainties and impediments confronting travel, and are so announcing a further extension of its scheduled schedule consolidations up to March 31, 2022.
“For the past two years, WestJet has gone above and beyond to ensure the safety of our passengers throughout their journey,” stated Harry Taylor, Interim President and CEO of The WestJet Group. “Travel warnings, limitations, and testing requirements were supposed to be transitory, but our industry has now reached a stalemate that is jeopardising our airline’s and sector’s recovery.” The moment has come to propose a plan ahead that is consistent with our global peers, reflects current statistics, and makes travel accessible and inexpensive for Canadians once more.”
The press statement went on to attack Canada’s stringent foreign travel rules, claiming that with duplicative PCR testing necessary for asymptomatic fully vaccinated passengers, air travel remains Canada’s most tested, but most limited consumer activity. WestJet continues to lobby for the restoration of merely surveillance border testing and the abolition of quarantine and isolation for travellers awaiting results after returning to Canada. The airline is also urging the federal government to develop a road map for the recovery of the travel and tourist business that is scientifically sound and takes into account the current reality of the Covid-19 epidemic.