Return to Canada

[william webster]

RE: the recent flight POP - YYZ

a report by a friend

I have arrived safely in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada after a 2 day journey that started with a 5 hour drive over a mountain range to the Puerto Plata Int'l Airport on Friday to catch the last repatriation flight to Canada. It was organized by the Canadian Embassy and Dominican officials. There were actually 2 flights to accommodate demand.
The embassy stated that it would be the last flight for the "foreseeable future" and now I know why. The plane that came to get us was the only aircraft anywhere at the Puerto Plata airport. There were no other flights and all stores were closed. When we got to Toronto, Canada's largest airport, it was a ghost town with no open shops and rows of jetliners parked, with engines and wheels wrapped up, now that they are no longer in service.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner I took to Vancouver on Saturday had 150 vacant seats and Air Canada agents told me that daily direct flights between the 2 cities was reduced from 12 to 3. The Vancouver airport likewise had an airliner parking lot and very little activity. I then waited in Vancouver for 7 hours to catch a small air craft to Victoria Int'l Airport. Masks were mandatory in all planes and airports.
I am now in 14 day isolation as instituted by the Canadian gov't back in late March. The Brits have dropped the ball with the management of Covid 19. Waiting until June 1st to institute a 14 day isolation period is simply negligent. We have half the population of the U.K. in Canada and 10% of their fatality rate.
We are opening up gradually in British Columbia effective tomorrow. We have 119 fatalities in B.C. and the curve has been completely flattened.

 

[Seamonkey]

It would be interesting to know how much POP airport charged West Jet to open the airport for that one flight.

 

[william webster]

seats were $800 Cdn

 

[El Rey de Mangu]

seats were $800 Cdn

43,400 Rupee

 

[Russell]

Enjoy Victoria. I went to Technical Institute there a lifetime ago..Also poster to Comox and Holberg.
The flight out of POP was too close for me to actually make a decision to go onboard....Was the second flight full as well?

 

[william webster]

Not me Russell, my friend posted the report elsewhere

I too am curious about the second flight....
there were a lot of requests for seats - it seems

 

[Seamonkey]

seats were $800 Cdn

Yes that is the price of a seat, but I'd like to know what West Jet had to pay the airport to use it. It wasn't just the regular tax to open the airport for one flight.

 

[Russell]

It was the Government of Canada who chartered the flight...so the Government of Canada would have had to pay the airport fees...no doubt very expensive.
Costs would include Customs, Security,Immigration, Cleaning maintenance and the airplane staff.... and it goes on... once shared by many airlines at the same time; now only two flights in two days by one charter.
The $825. CDN quoted ticket price (to me) was cheap considering the one way costs I had to pay in the past ...... From POP to Halifax (USD) $770.00 one way from Halifax to POP one way 27 Dec. 2019...$911.00 CDN.
When you book from POP you pay in American Dollars, but from Canada in Canadian dollars. I now have my agent in Canada buying tickets from Canada to keep the CDN Dollar price.
Air Canada states that as of now, and without any other unforeseen situations they should break even in three years as the result of CV-19.

 

[Russell]

And the $825, was just to Toronto ... $1475.00 to Halifax ..

 

[Ecoman1949]

And the $825, was just to Toronto ... $1475.00 to Halifax ..

I used to get a seat for $600 retu

And the $825, was just to Toronto ... $1475.00 to Halifax ..

I used to get return airfare on Westjet from NL via Toronto to POP for $600 last year. Regular price not seat sale. Now the cost is $800. That’s a bare bones ticket. Luggage and seat selection not included. Air Rouge (Air Scrooge) Air Canada’s cheapie charter service is worse. Nothing included in the price. If your in economy class, they drop you off and then land and let the business class passengers get off. 😂😂

 

[Astucia]

RE: the recent flight POP - YYZ

a report by a friend

I have arrived safely in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada after a 2 day journey that started with a 5 hour drive over a mountain range to the Puerto Plata Int'l Airport on Friday to catch the last repatriation flight to Canada. It was organized by the Canadian Embassy and Dominican officials. There were actually 2 flights to accommodate demand.
The embassy stated that it would be the last flight for the "foreseeable future" and now I know why. The plane that came to get us was the only aircraft anywhere at the Puerto Plata airport. There were no other flights and all stores were closed. When we got to Toronto, Canada's largest airport, it was a ghost town with no open shops and rows of jetliners parked, with engines and wheels wrapped up, now that they are no longer in service.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner I took to Vancouver on Saturday had 150 vacant seats and Air Canada agents told me that daily direct flights between the 2 cities was reduced from 12 to 3. The Vancouver airport likewise had an airliner parking lot and very little activity. I then waited in Vancouver for 7 hours to catch a small air craft to Victoria Int'l Airport. Masks were mandatory in all planes and airports.
I am now in 14 day isolation as instituted by the Canadian gov't back in late March. The Brits have dropped the ball with the management of Covid 19. Waiting until June 1st to institute a 14 day isolation period is simply negligent. We have half the population of the U.K. in Canada and 10% of their fatality rate.
We are opening up gradually in British Columbia effective tomorrow. We have 119 fatalities in B.C. and the curve has been completely flattened.

We know people who were on both the Thursday and Friday flights. Going to Winnipeg and Calgary, so needed to overnight in Toronto. NEITHER were directed to an approved "transit hotel or facility". They just checked into a regular hotel and moved along the next day. However, another person we know landed in Montreal recently and was immediately escorted directly to an approved quarantine facility for overnight stay and flight to Toronto the next day.

 

[william webster]

for my inquiring, mistaken friend --- Sunny Solar

RE: the recent flight POP - YYZ

a report by a friend

I have arrived safely in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada after a 2 day journey that started with a 5 hour drive over a mountain range to the Puerto Plata Int'l Airport on Friday to catch the last repatriation flight to Canada. It was organized by the Canadian Embassy and Dominican officials. There were actually 2 flights to accommodate demand.
The embassy stated that it would be the last flight for the "foreseeable future" and now I know why. The plane that came to get us was the only aircraft anywhere at the Puerto Plata airport. There were no other flights and all stores were closed. When we got to Toronto, Canada's largest airport, it was a ghost town with no open shops and rows of jetliners parked, with engines and wheels wrapped up, now that they are no longer in service.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner I took to Vancouver on Saturday had 150 vacant seats and Air Canada agents told me that daily direct flights between the 2 cities was reduced from 12 to 3. The Vancouver airport likewise had an airliner parking lot and very little activity. I then waited in Vancouver for 7 hours to catch a small air craft to Victoria Int'l Airport. Masks were mandatory in all planes and airports.
I am now in 14 day isolation as instituted by the Canadian gov't back in late March. The Brits have dropped the ball with the management of Covid 19. Waiting until June 1st to institute a 14 day isolation period is simply negligent. We have half the population of the U.K. in Canada and 10% of their fatality rate.
We are opening up gradually in British Columbia effective tomorrow. We have 119 fatalities in B.C. and the curve has been completely flattened.

 

[El Rey de Mangu]

for my inquiring, mistaken friend --- Sunny Solar

Nice story. Reads well, actually. Little or no use to most folks, however. Closed shops, ghost towns, reduced flights, masks, etc. Yawn

 

[bob saunders]

Nice story. Reads well, actually. Little or no use to most folks, however. Closed shops, ghost towns, reduced flights, masks, etc. Yawn

Only the airports, most of British Columbia was open except gyms, bars, and schools. Buses were free until tomorrow, when almost everything is reopened, with social distancing and health precautions. Both of my sons haven't missed a day of work since the whole thing started.