Canadians hoping to jet off to a sunny vacation, you may have to wait. WestJet announced that will be extending their suspension of select international flights until at least June 4th.
This includes flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. The airline has stated that passengers with affected tickets will be notified. Any cancellations will be refunded “regardless of fare class booked where WestJet initiated the cancellation.”
“We are extending our suspension with the clear expectation that as more Canadians are vaccinated, government policy will transition,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “We continue to advocate for the replacement of mandatory hotel quarantines with a testing regime that is equitable and consistent with global standards at all points of entry into our country. Alongside an accelerated and successful vaccine rollout, this policy transition will support the safe restart of travel and help stimulate the Canadian economy, where one in ten jobs are tourism related.”
WestJet initially suspended flights from Canada to sunny destinations in January after following instructions from the federal government in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Both the government and prime minister of Canada continue to encourage Canadians to avoid discretionary travel. Case numbers continue to rise in Canada, including variant strains. Vaccination roll out in the country has been slow compared to others.
While this will be sad news for Canadians looking for a Spring or Summer trip, hopefully, flights will resume soon.
“We remain focused on a long-term solution that will serve the best interests of Canadians,” said Sims. “A safe travel-restart framework is the most effective way to support those interests and restore jobs.”