WestJet enhances no-charge COVID-19 travel insurance offering with U.S. coverage

WestJet has made this announcement:

WestJet has announced guests traveling to, through or from the United States are now eligible for the airline’s enhanced $200,000 CAD COVID-19 travel insurance coverage for air-only and vacation reservations.

The enhanced coverage will retroactively include all bookings made as of September 18, 2020 and will increase by $100,000 CAD to include up to a maximum of $200,000 CAD at no additional charge to eligible guests.

Any WestJet air-only reservation including WestJet Vacations bookings for travel to and from the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe (including U.K.) and inbound to Canada will be eligible for the coverage for up to 21 days for travel into and including August 31, 2021 through new partner TuGo^®. For one-way travel reservations, coverage is available for up to seven days.

“Our research shows that a lack of COVID insurance is a considerable barrier to travel and our guests were seeking the inclusion of U.S. destinations to our travel insurance offering,” said Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. “Eligible guests travelling to and from the destinations we serve can now have an added layer of confidence knowing they are covered for up to $200,000 CAD against unforeseen medical costs related to COVID-19 when booking with WestJet.”

TuGo’s COVID-19 coverage for WestJet guests includes^*:

COVID-19 coverage for emergency medical related expenses for eligible guests with COVID-19 while outside of Canada (or for visitors travelling to Canada) for up to a maximum limit of $200,000 CAD per insured person if they have tested positive or have been diagnosed for COVID-19 while on a trip.
Trip interruption coverage if the Canadian Government’s travel advisory changes to “Avoid all travel” (level 4) while at any of the travel destinations.

Inclusions:

- Medical and related expenses, such as medical treatment in hospital if a guest tests positive for and is diagnosed with COVID-19 during their trip.
- Emergency transportation back to Canada or home country (including up to $5,000 for repatriation in case of death).
- Quarantine meals and commercial accommodation expenses up to $150/day (or up to $300/day per family) to a maximum of 14 days.
- Up to $500 combined for a one-way economy flight home, unexpected meals and commercial accommodation expenses.
- Travel insurance is automatically included at time of purchase on WestJet flights or vacation packages on or after September 18, 2020, for travel between September 18, 2020 and August 31, 2021.
- Certain exclusions, limitations and conditions apply. Learn more from the Certificate of Insurance.

WestJet has built a framework to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly. From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline invested quickly in hygiene and safety measures to mitigate the risk throughout the entire travel journey, investing millions of dollars’ worth of equipment, cleaning and additional measures to protect those who had to fly. The airline continues to invest, test and trial multiple additional safety measures to ensure safety above all.

*Exclusions apply. Not available for travel including cruises.

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Hawaiian Airlines to offer guests drive-through pre-travel COVID-19 tests

Hawaiian Airlines has made this announcement:

Hawaiian Airlines is making it easy for travelers to finally take a long-awaited Hawai‘i vacation with convenient drive-through COVID-19 tests in select U.S. mainland gateways that will allow guests to bypass the state of Hawai‘i quarantine and begin enjoying the islands from the moment they arrive.

Hawaiian’s partnership with Worksite Labs will give guests exclusive access to drive-through PCR testing ($90 for results within 36 hours, or $150 for day-of-travel express service) from dedicated, conveniently located labs. Hawai‘i’s hometown carrier expects to start offering the Droplet Digital PCR shallow nasal swab tests – a “gold standard” COVID-19 screening that meets state of Hawai‘i guidelines – around Oct. 15, when travelers who test negative within 72 hours of departure will be exempt from Hawai‘i’s 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

Hawaiian’s initial labs will be operational near Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) international airports, with more testing locations coming soon at its other U.S. mainland gateways.

“As Hawai’i’s leading airline, it is critical to ensure that access to testing does not impede travel to Hawai‘i, for visitors or our kama‘āina (residents),” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines. “Our testing option will offer Los Angeles and Bay Area travelers superior value and we look forward to expanding the program and bringing additional choices to more of our gateway cities as we welcome guests back with our industry-leading Hawaiian hospitality, while keeping our community safe. We’re grateful to the state of Hawai‘i for its partnership in developing the pre-travel testing program.”

“Worksite Labs is proud to offer Hawaiian this innovative solution as we work to combat the current pandemic and provide more testing options so travelers can understand their COVID-19 status and enjoy their trip to Hawai‘i while stimulating the local economy,” said Gary Frazier, CEO of Worksite Labs.

Hawaiian Airlines is actively developing additional testing partnerships to support travelers’ needs, with more to be announced soon. The state of Hawai‘i also continues to expand its list of partners for testing.

In addition to offering its guests convenient testing, Hawaiian has implemented a comprehensive health and safety program covering all aspects of their journey.

Starting at check-in, guests must complete a health acknowledgment formindicating they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and will wear an adequate face mask or covering at the airport and during the flight. Guests 2 years of age and older who are unable to wear a face mask or covering due to a medical condition or disability must undergo a health screening to board.

Hawaiian’s “Keeping you Safe” enhanced cleaning includes frequent disinfecting of lobby areas, kiosks, and ticket counters, electrostatic aircraft cabin spraying, plexiglass barriers at staffed airport counters, and sanitizer wipe distribution to all guests. The carrier, which has been operating a reduced schedule since March due to the pandemic and resulting travel restrictions, will continue to leave 70 percent cabin capacity through October to allow for onboard distancing.

All travelers arriving in Hawai‘i or flying between the islands must now also complete the state’s online Safe Travels Hawai‘i form.

Emirates to resume flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Harare and Mauritius, boosting global network to 92 destinations

Emirates has announced it will resume flights to Johannesburg (October 1), Cape Town ( October 1), Durban (October 4) in South Africa; Harare in Zimbabwe (October 1); and Mauritius (October 3). The addition of the five points will expand the Emirates’ global network to 92 destinations, as the airline gradually resumes its operations while prioritising the safety of its customers, crew and the communities it serves around the world. Emirates’ African network will also now extend to 19 cities.

Customers flying in and out of Emirates’ three South African gateways can safely connect to Dubai and to an array of onwards connections to Europe, the Far East, Middle East, West Asia and Australasia. Flight schedules for Emirates’ South African destinations will be available on emirates.com later this week.

Emirates will operate to Harare with two weekly flights linked to its Lusaka service. The linked services will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key destinations across Europe, the Far East, the Americas, Australasia and West Asia with one convenient stop in Dubai.

Flights from Dubai to Mauritius will initially operate once a week on Saturdays, supporting the Mauritian government’s repatriation efforts to bring its citizens home, and enabling the recovery of the country’s tourism industry by safely connecting leisure travellers from Europe, the Far East and the Middle East to the popular Indian Ocean island destination.

Emirates aircraft photo gallery:

Avianca to restart international operations from Colombia

Avianca will gradually resume its international operations from Colombia on September 28, 2020 and will increase flights to different destinations, after the respective authorizations.

Initially, the company will operate to 16 international destinations from Bogota and Medellin:

September 28: Flights from Medellin to Miami and New York.
October 1: Operations from Bogota to Guayaquil, Quito, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Miami and New York.
October 15: Flights to Cancun, Guatemala City, La Paz, Punta Cana, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santiago de Chile, San Salvador, Santo Domingo and Washington

The initial fleet for the international operation will be 34 aircraft, including Airbus A319s, Airbus A320s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. During these months, the entire fleet underwent preventive maintenance checks to protect its general condition and ensure its availability.

During this time, Avianca implemented biosecurity protocols with the highest standards to give its travelers the confidence to fly again. These protocols were successfully tested on more than 400 special flights carrying more than 45,500 people seeking to return home. In addition, the company reached new destinations from Bogota such as Rome, Paris, Shanghai, Zurich and Brussels.

Avianca aircraft photo gallery:

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to Victoria Falls

Ethiopian Airlines has announced the resumption of its flight services to Victoria Falls, African’s most spectacular natural sites effective October 6, 2020.

Facemasks will be mandatory for travel and are requested to satisfy destination entry requirements such as PCR COVID-19 Clearance certificate issued by the recognized facility within 48 hours from the date of departure, in line with WHO guidelines.

Ethiopian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

United Airlines becomes first U.S. carrier to make COVID-19 tests available to customers

United Airlines today became the first U.S. airline to launch a COVID-19 pilot testing program for travelers that could make it easier for them to manage quarantine requirements and entry conditions of popular destinations around the world. Starting on October 15, customers traveling on United from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Hawaii will have the option to take a rapid test at the airport or a self-collected, mail-in test ahead of their trip.

The rapid Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test – administered by GoHealth Urgent Care and their partner Dignity Health – provides results in approximately 15 minutes and will be available to United customers on the same day as their flight departing from SFO. The mail-in test option will be administered by Color and it is recommended that customers initiate testing at least 10 days prior to their trip and provide their sample within 72 hours of their trip.

The airline worked closely with Hawaii officials to ensure that any United customer – both visitors and Hawaiian residents returning home – who tests negative on either test would not be subjected to the state’s current 14-day quarantine requirement. United currently offers more flights to Hawaii than any other major network carrier including daily service between San Francisco and Honolulu (HNL), Maui(OGG) and Kona (KOA). The carrier plans to increase service to Hawaii on October 15, including the resumption of service between San Francisco and Lihue (LIH) and additional flights between San Francisco and Maui and Kona.

“Our new COVID testing program is another way we are helping customers meet their destinations’ entry requirements, safely and conveniently,” said Toby Enqvist, Chief Customer Officer at United. “We’ll look to quickly expand customer testing to other destinations and U.S. airports later this year to complement our state-of-the-art cleaning and safety measures that include a mandatory mask policy, antimicrobial and electrostatic spraying and our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration systems.”

GoHealth Urgent Care Rapid Test

United first partnered with GoHealth Urgent Care in July to test its international flight crews at SFO. United now plans to expand that testing infrastructure to include customers who wish to be tested for COVID-19 pre-flight. Customers can schedule their visits online in advance for the on-site testing facility that is located at the international terminal and will receive their results in approximately 15 minutes. GoHealth Urgent Care’s dedicated COVID-19 testing area will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT daily.

“We are excited about expanding our partnership with United and continuing to support their proactive safety measures,” said Todd Latz, CEO of GoHealth Urgent Care. “Our on-site, real-time testing for passengers is yet another example of GoHealth’s nationwide efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 and ensure a safer return to normal activities and business operations.”

Color Physician-Ordered Self-Collection Test

United is working with Color to offer self-collected, mail-in tests for customers traveling to Hawaii. United will email customers traveling from San Francisco to Hawaii an invitation to purchase their physician-ordered Color self-collection kit at least 10 days ahead of their departure, collect their own samples at home 72 hours prior to their departure and return their test via overnight mail or to a drop box at SFO.

Color then processes those tests at their local, CLIA-certified COVID-19 testing laboratory and returns results via text and/or email within 24-48 hours. Color’s self-collection kit includes a plastic collection tube, a non-invasive nasal swab and instructions on how to properly collect a specimen.

“Convenient, widespread COVID-19 testing with fast and reliable results is critical to a return to normalcy and to accelerate the economic recovery,” said Caroline Savello, Chief Commercial Officer at Color. “We are proud to partner with United to support the safe and responsible return of travelers to the skies.”

Fiji Airways retires its only Boeing 737-700

Fiji Airways announced on social media the retirement and end of lease of its only Boeing 737-700 (DQ-FJF) on September 18, 2020:

The aircraft, named “Island of Koro”, was ferried to Teesside Airport.

Airbus rolls out the last Airbus A380

Airbus announced on social media the roll out of the last Airbus A380:

Wizz Air launches interactive travel planning map

Wizz Air has made this announcement:

Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and greenest* airline, has launched the Travel Planning Map, a new and continuously updated website search tool designed to help passengers determine which destinations in the WIZZ network they can fly to at that precise moment in time and helpfully inform them of coronavirus-related travel restrictions in place.

During these uncertain times, passengers can rely on Wizz Air’s Travel Planning Map to check operating routes and relevant travel rules using a colour-coded system. To use the map, passengers simply should click on their desired departure airport and then can choose from any available destinations in the WIZZ network. Countries and airports are colour-coded depending on restrictions – green meaning there are no restrictions to enter the country via air, yellow meaning there are partial restrictions (test/quarantine/residence) to enter the country via air and red meaning there is a full or partial entry ban to the country via air.

For further information on travel regulations, passengers can click on specific routes to take them to a country-specific travel information page which includes relevant links to local Government websites, useful travel pages and any pre-departure mandatory forms that need to be filled out.

The Travel Planning Map is updated daily at 18:00 CET, but Wizz Air recommends that passengers double-check entry requirements before departure as they might be subject to changes daily and the airline always encourages its passengers to purchase WIZZ Flex for ultimate peace of mind. By adding WIZZ Flex to a booking, passengers can rest assured that if circumstances change, or they simply wish to travel on a different date, or to a different destination, they can rebook on any WIZZ flight of their choice.

Wizz Air aircraft photo gallery:

SAS to restore the Copenhagen – Shanghai route

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS has made this announcement:

From September 29, 2020, it will once again be possible to fly direct from Scandinavia to China with SAS. There have been no direct flights since January 31, 2020, but SAS has now obtained approval from the Chinese authorities and is reopening the route from Copenhagen to Shanghai with a weekly frequency.

The reopening of the route is vital for trade. With the reopening of the route, SAS is aiming to meet demand for business travel and air freight services between Scandinavia and China.

At the end of October, SAS is also planning to resume flights to Beijing provided that SAS obtains the necessary approval from the authorities.

SAS will operate the Shanghai route using the new Airbus A350-900. This state-of-the-art aircraft will enable SAS to offer a unique travel experience. The aircraft has a much lower fuel consumption and up to 30 percent lower CO2 emissions than previous comparable aircraft.

SAS is currently flying to 75 destinations and operates up to 380 flights a day. SAS is monitoring market developments on a weekly basis and is ready to step up its services when travel restrictions are eased and demand for travel increases again.

As there is still uncertainty regarding restrictions and there are changes in travel advice, SAS offers travellers the option to change a planned journey/ticket for a SAS Travel Voucher, up to 16 days prior to departure, for all international travel, until January 15.

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