AC overseas Air Bridges to North America.

[em-sk]

Air Canada announced they will continue to operate a limited number of international "air bridges" between one or more of its Canadian hubs and the cities of London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Hong Kong.  The domestic network is dramatically reduced to just major centers and the US network is also dramatically reduced to just a few flights into New York, Boston, Washington, , Chicago, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.  

 

https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2020-03-18-Air-Canada-Provides-Update-on-Ongoing-COVID-19-Response 

 

The Canadian government has closed the boarder to non-Canadian citizens and permanent residents.  However it did leave open some exemptions including international connecting passengers transiting Canada.  

 

We will have to see how all of this works out.  But the number of options are closing we may be at the point soon where the only overseas links are government mandated.  

 

Independent of the "air bridge" WestJet and Air Canada have been chartered by the government to operate special repatriation charters for Canadians who can't access commercial flights to get home.  

 

Strange times we live in just now.  The air bridges are about keeping functional cargo routes for critical goods and providing a commercially accessible path to people to get back to their home countries.   I hate to say it but I think this is going to be around for a lot longer than a month.  This looks more and more like the airline industry that would have existed in the 50s-70s.

[em-sk]

On 3/21/2020 at 10:31 PM, em-sk said:

Air Canada announced they will continue to operate a limited number of international "air bridges"....

 

Just as an update Air Canada has announced they are now joining WestJet is shutting down all flights to/from the US.   That basically just leaves Delta and AA flying between the two countries.   So far it looks like Air Canada is keeping the flights to Asia, and Europe unchanged. 

 

In the past week the Trump administration has proposed reducing travel restrictions on the Canada/US boarder.  The Canadian government has said it is far to early and has tightened restrictions a bit.