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COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders

Return or travel to canada.

For all travellers entering Canada by air, land or marine mode:

• Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is not required
• Pre-board testing is not required
• COVID-19 pre-entry and arrival tests are not required
• Quarantine after you enter Canada is not required
• to save time at the border, you can use Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN to submit your customs and immigration declaration before flying into Canada
• Pre-boarding tests for cruise passengers are not required
• As always, travel documents are required
• Health checks to board planes and trains are not required
• It's strongly recommended that you wear a well-constructed and well-fitted mask or respirator while you travel

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 , you shouldn't travel to Canada.

If you feel sick or experience any symptoms of COVID-19 during your travel to Canada or upon arrival, you should:

• inform the flight attendant, cruise staff or a border services officer upon arrival. You may be referred to a Quarantine Officer for a health assessment and further direction.
• avoid taking public transportation
• check provincial or territorial requirements for what you need to do if you’re symptomatic or have tested positive for COVID-19

Travelling in and out of Canada

• International travel advice and advisories
• COVID-19 and international travel
• Proof of vaccination
• Find out if you need a visa

Wearing masks on planes and trains in Canada is not required.

• It's still strongly recommended that you wear a high quality and well-fitted mask or respirator while you travel

Situation in Canada

• COVID-19 guidance, vaccines, limiting the spread
• Summary data about travellers, testing and compliance

The Government of Canada will continue to monitor the situation. See the COVID-19 border measures backgrounder .

Travel company Sunwing reaches deal to pay refunds to more customers

Sunwing says it has reached a deal with the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp. for financing to allow more customers to receive refunds.

The travel company says customers with non-refundable bookings whose vacations were cancelled due to the pandemic, and who have received a future travel credit or travel vouchers, can now request a full refund.

Sunwing says customers who wish to keep their travel credit may do so.

• Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox

It says future travel credits are available for travel up to Sept. 30, 2026.

To request a refund, eligible customers and travel agents must submit a request through an online COVID-19 refund request form by Aug. 27.

The new policy applies to hotels, flights and vacation packages booked on or before Friday for scheduled travel from Feb.1, 2020 onward.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2021.

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Frustration grows as Sunwing doesn't give refunds for cancelled flights despite taking taxpayer aid

Airline offers credit vouchers to affected passengers, but many just want their money back.

Social Sharing

Glenn Waddingham can barely contain his frustration.

"This is a terrible way to do business," he said. "How is this even allowed to happen?"

The 62-year-old from Victoria Harbour, Ont., is referring to the fact that unlike other large Canadian airlines, Sunwing is still not offering refunds for flights it cancelled due to the pandemic. Some of those flights were cancelled more than a year ago, leaving many customers in the same frustrating situation as Waddingham.

He and his wife had planned a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to the Margaritaville resort on Grand Cayman Island for March 2020, but the airline cancelled the flight after Ottawa warned against non-essential international travel. 

• Updated Federal government, Air Canada reach deal on relief package that includes customer refunds
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Sunwing, a low-cost carrier based in Toronto that flies to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, has offered travel credit vouchers to affected passengers. But Waddingham said he doesn't need a voucher; he needs the $3,600 he paid for the trip. 

"I want a refund. I'm unemployed. I could use the money," he said. "I'm shocked that the Better Business Bureau and the federal government is allowing one tour operator to act in this manner." 

Other airlines issue refunds

Hundreds of Sunwing customers who want refunds are part of a Facebook group called Sunwing Complaints. Many are angry that the airline has still not refunded its customers for flights cancelled because of the pandemic despite accepting federal loans that were contingent on such refunds. 

They point out that both Air Canada and Air Transat began issuing refunds as soon as they received hundreds of millions of dollars from Ottawa in April. But Sunwing is sticking to its credit-voucher-only policy despite having accepted a $375-million financing deal from Ottawa in February.

Like several other large Canadian employers, such as GoodLife Fitness, Gateway Casinos, Air Canada and Air Transat, the company was able to secure a loan through a special pandemic-related program called the large employer emergency financing facility (LEEFF).

Sunwing did not reply to the CBC's email and telephone requests for comment. 

Jillian Wilson, 30, of Stratford, Ont., isn't impressed with the airline. 

"To hear that they've gotten a government fund or bailout and are still refusing to give refunds is very, very disappointing," she said.  

She and her partner were married by a justice of the peace in February 2020 and planned to celebrate with friends and family at a beach wedding ceremony in the Dominican Republic a month later. They estimate their group of 40 guests is out of pocket about $70,000 altogether because their flights were cancelled. 

" My husband likes to call it an interest-free loan to Sunwing," she said. 

Wilson is as baffled as many other customers about why the airline hasn't followed Air Canada and Air Transat in refunding customers for flights cancelled due to COVID-19.

Special loans for the other airlines

There is a difference, however, between the federal aid Air Canada and Air Transat have received and what Sunwing has negotiated so far. The other airlines arranged additional loans from the government specifically to fund passenger refunds, on top of their LEEFF loans.  

However, the government says it actually imposed conditions on Sunwing's LEEFF loan: the airline had to agree to set aside the money it had received from customers for tickets to ensure they could eventually be refunded. No timeline was set for paying customers back.

A statement sent to CBC News from the office of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says, "As part of the LEEFF loan that Sunwing received in February 2021, Sunwing committed to refunding its customers for pandemic-related cancellations."

The email sent by press secretary Katherine Cuplinskas also says, "As an industry-wide refund process is now in place, the federal government fully expects Sunwing to uphold its commitment to refund customers and conversations continue with the airline to ensure this happens."

Asked why it's taking so long for customers to receive those refunds, especially since Sunwing was told to set the money aside, Cuplinskas said that's a question for the airline.

The delay could be due in part to the fact Sunwing and the government are currently negotiating a separate refund loan.

The expectation is the airlines will start repaying the loans once travel picks up after the pandemic is under control.

Ian Jack, vice-president of public affairs with the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), a retail leisure travel vendor, said the situation with Sunwing is unfair to customers.

"Arguably, Sunwing has had a bit of a double benefit here. They've got the government loans and they've got all that customers' money," said Jack, who serves as a consumer advocate for issues related to transportation.

• Airlines disappointed by the lack of a bailout plan in federal fiscal update
• The Big Spend As passengers pushed for refunds, Air Canada got more than $400 million for wage subsidy

He also acknowledges that Sunwing, like all airlines, is in a tough spot.

"Nobody would want to be trying to run an airline these days," he said. "And certainly over the past year or so, we have to have some sympathy for a carrier that's just been sideswiped and almost had its business shut down."

Customer concerns

Even so, he said, Sunwing customers have had to wait far too long for refunds.

"It's really unconscionable how long this has taken. It's been over a year now since the skies were originally shut down due to COVID. The government needs to revisit this with Sunwing and say to them, 'Look, get the money flowing.'"

Glenn Waddingham is nervous about whether that will happen.

"My fear is that Sunwing is going to go bankrupt and then we're going to be part of their debtors and we're getting nothing."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dianne Buckner has reported on entrepreneurs for two decades. She hosts Dragons' Den on CBC Television and is part of the business news team at CBC News Network.

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Sunwing updates its travel coverage and introduces new worry free plus option, giving canadians even more opportunities to vacation with confidence.

Sunwing updates its travel coverage for winter

The tour operator is helping customers get more value for their winter getaways

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Sunwing is helping its customers prepare for the unexpected this winter with even more options to travel with peace of mind. Effective September 19, 2022, the tour operator is updating its Worry Free insurance offerings and is introducing Worry Free Plus, a new coverage option to further meet the travel needs of customers and ensure they can vacation in paradise with confidence.

“Demand for winter and holiday travel is at its peak and, as Canadians gear up for their upcoming getaways, we want to meet customers where they are and provide them with more travel coverage options to suit their specific needs,” said Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations for Sunwing. “We’re pleased to continue providing affordable Worry Free coverage and introduce our new Worry Free Plus plan which offers more flexibility for last-minute changes, including the option to transfer their package. Plus, customers can opt for added security by adding Manulife Global Travel Insurance’s medical and quarantine coverage to either Worry Free option for even greater peace of mind when travelling this winter.”

Customers who book their getaways from September 19, 2022 onward will continue to have the option to purchase Sunwing’s Worry Free plan for only $49, offering one change to their vacation package or cancel altogether up to three days before departure. The new Worry Free Plus plan is available for $99, an upgraded coverage option that allows customers to make one change, including the ability to transfer their package* up to seven days before departure, or cancel their vacation package up to three hours before departure.

For added travel security, vacationers can purchase the Manulife Global Travel Insurance + Worry Free or Manulife Global Travel Insurance + Worry Free Plus plans, starting from $99 and $149 respectively. With these plans, customers will enjoy the same benefits of Sunwing’s Worry Free coverage options, plus emergency medical coverage, quarantine coverage for fully vaccinated passengers, unlimited trip interruption coverage following departure, including baggage loss, damage and delay, plus flight and travel accident insurance.

Worry Free refunds* will be paid as a Sunwing travel voucher when purchased within 48 hours of booking. Note that vacationers who purchased Worry Free prior to September 19, 2022, for travel from this date onward, can rest assured knowing their insurance coverage will not change but will be automatically upgraded to Worry Free Plus. No action is required from our customers.

Sunwing is giving all Canadians more choice this winter, including the Manulife Pandemic Travel Plan for as low as $4 per day, with emergency medical coverage and quarantine expenses for travellers and fully vaccinated cruise vacationers in the unlikely event they contract COVID-19 on their getaway.

*Terms and conditions apply.

About Sunwing

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from airports across Canada to popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing customers benefit from the assistance of the company’s own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. The company supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid.

For more information:

Melanie Anne Filipp Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations Sunwing Travel Group 1-800-387-5602  |  [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b533f3d4-7db6-4bb5-b0cd-b9f9fbcd8d4e

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I Just Tested Positive for COVID. Should I Get on the Plane Anyway?

This is an ethical dilemma many of us are now facing: Is it OK to fly when I’ve got COVID? Outside’s travel expert weighs in.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

I’m about to go on spring break, and if I test positive for COVID before flying home, I can’t afford to isolate for five days in a place or miss extra work. It seems like everyone is coughing and sneezing on planes these days, and folks are opting to fly anyway. As much as I want to be a conscientious traveler, why should I pay another thousand bucks to stay in a hotel and quarantine for five days when nobody else appears to be doing that? —Weary of the Pandemic

You’re right. Most Americans are tired of dealing with pandemic rules and regulations—including the government. On January 30, President Biden announced that, as of May 11, the administration would officially shift away from treating COVID as a national public-health crisis and instead begin to manage it more like the flu or other seasonal respiratory disease. But does that mean we should be flying if we’re infected?

If you travel, even infrequently, and haven’t yet grappled with this question, chances are you will. I found myself in the throes of such a predicament right before the holidays. I was on assignment in Antarctica on a 100-passenger cruise ship, and although cruises were considered a hotbed for the coronavirus in the early days of the pandemic, almost two years later, any fear of catching the virus had faded from my mind. I should have known better and read the obvious signs: namely, being welcomed aboard by masked staff.

In hindsight, I probably should have taken a COVID test before flying home to New Jersey for Christmas to see my virus-phobic mom and immune-compromised aunt. But I’d been vaccinated, did not feel sick, and assumed that if anyone on the ship had gotten sick, we would have been alerted.

On the ten-hour leg of my flight from Buenos Aires to Houston, I sat next to a lovely elderly couple from the cruise, both of whom were vigilant about keeping on their N95 masks. Two days after I returned, I received an email from a passenger I’d befriended, who reported that at least a dozen people on the cruise had come down with COVID—including the couple I sat next to on the plane.

“Yes, I felt like an asshole,” a friend of mine who recently flew home when she thought she might have COVID admits. “Yes, I worried that I could’ve infected someone with a weak immune system. But people are coughing and sniffling on planes and in airports all the time.”

Thankfully, I tested negative, but the incident made me realize how easily I could have unknowingly gotten my family sick, perhaps with serious consequences. It also made me consider what the travel repercussions of testing positive might have been: missing Christmas with my family and having to quarantine alone in Ushuaia, Argentina, for at least five days (as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

When I mentioned the situation to a friend, she admitted she’d recently taken a flight to Oahu, even though she knew she had COVID. “It’s so unethical, but I honestly was adamant about this trip,” she confided. “I needed a vacation, and I felt totally fine. I wore a mask, obviously.”

With Relaxed COVID Requirements, Many Sick Travelers Have Opted to Fly

We all have our reasons for traveling while sick. For better or for worse, sidestepping COVID guidelines has become much easier for travelers. For more than a year, providing timely proof of a negative COVID test ahead of your flight was a pricey, stressful hassle. So, as a road warrior, I was relieved when the CDC dropped this mandate for domestic travel last June. (Regulations for international travel have largely followed suit, with very few nations still requiring testing or proof of vaccination for inbound passengers; a full list of country-specific entry requirements can be found here .)

Quarantining while traveling has also been a costly and inconvenient part of the pandemic, as anyone who has been required to do it can attest. Now given the choice of traveling with COVID or hunkering down and isolating, which could cost thousands of dollars in hotel fees, room-service meals, missed work, and child care, many choose to fly infected with the coronavirus. And there are no rules stopping them from boarding a plane.

Last August, Ellen (not her real name) started to feel a tickle in her throat on the final day of her weeklong trip to Kauai. “I thought, Oh shit, I cannot get COVID right now,” she recalls. Her first vacation since pandemic travel restrictions had relaxed was, it turns out, anything but relaxing: The town of Hanalei felt super crowded. Restaurants averaged two-hour waits for dinner. And everything, from her Airbnb to meals, was expensive.

In this transitional period of the pandemic, many people are already treating COVID like the flu or a cold, says Henry Wu, director of the Emory TravelWell Center in Atlanta.

“By the last day of the trip, I started feeling run-down, and I really wanted to get home,” she says. “I didn’t want to be isolated in a last-minute, overpriced hotel room for five more days on the island and deal with flight-change costs. Not to mention my partner and I were due back at work.”

Ellen decided not to test before her flight back to the mainland, rationalizing that germs were everywhere and other passengers on her flight likely had COVID, too. She took extra precautions to assuage her guilt, double-masking with N95’s and sanitizing her hands more frequently than she normally would. But by the time she got home from the red-eye flight, she had a fever and sore throat, and when she finally took a COVID test, it was positive. Her partner, who had been around her unmasked at the height of contagion, never got sick.

“Yes, I felt like an asshole,” she admits. “Yes, I worried that I could’ve infected someone with a weak immune system. But people are coughing and sniffling on planes and in airports all the time.”

Amid the height of cold and flu season, it can seem like everyone traveling has a sniffle and the majority of people aren’t letting any illness—a common cold, COVID, or RSV among the top three this year and difficult to discern, based on symptoms—cancel big plans. In mid-January, Jamie DeLancey flew from Denver to San Francisco to watch the 49ers play in the NFL’s wild-card championship game, with what he assumed was a bad cold. He’d come down with COVID before and this felt different, so he did not test, noting that he hasn’t found such tests to be reliable. While he wore a mask on his flights, he didn’t wear one at the game.

In this transitional period of the pandemic, many people are already treating it like the flu or a cold, says Henry Wu, director of the Emory TravelWell Center in Atlanta. “In a way, that’s a logical rationale if you’re vaccinated and unlikely to get sick,” he says. “But that’s not the reality for some people who are elderly or immune-compromised. In many ways, things haven’t changed. If you’re sick and in contact with them, you could put them in the hospital.”

The CDC continues to advise avoiding travel if you are sick with or have tested positive for COVID, and isolating for at least five days after your positive test if you’re either asymptomatic or your symptoms first appear; following these guidelines, you should test again on day six and then wear a high-quality mask, such as an N95, when outdoors between days six and ten if you are around others, including on a plane. Whether the masses of travelers adhere to these is another thing altogether, as we’ve all seen play out on airlines.

How to Avoid Frustration, Fees, and Questionable Choices if You Get COVID Before or During a Trip

When Ross Holbrook flew from Denver to San José del Cabo, Mexico, with his wife and two young daughters last May, he watched his seatmate chug a bottle of DayQuil cold medicine. Holbrook was vaccinated and wearing a mask, but on day three of their family vacation, he tested positive for COVID; by day eight, his wife and one of the girls were also positive. Their Airbnb had a pool, so they made the best of things, but due to the mandatory quarantine rules in effect at the time, the family estimates they spent nearly $3,000 extending their car and Airbnb rentals. “We did consider driving home,” he says, but that idea was abandoned as impractical.

Five extra days in a destination like Mexico or Hawaii can cost a small fortune, not to mention difficult to find a room at the height of spring break or summer travel. What if you can’t afford to isolate and stay extra days in a place if you get COVID? Should you put off travel completely? Not necessarily, but you should have a COVID game plan that protects others, says Richard Martinello, the medical director of infection prevention at Yale New Haven Health in Connecticut.

“We all have busy lives, but as part of society, we have responsibilities not to put others in harm’s way, like not driving drunk,” he says. “Putting yourself in prolonged close contact with fellow travelers when you are knowingly sick, whether with COVID or any other contagious virus, is irresponsible. You never know who you’re sitting next to on a plane. If they’re immune-compromised, even a cold could push them over the edge to serious illness.”

Martinello acknowledges that the average traveler can’t afford to miss five additional days from work and home, so if you must travel sick, he suggests driving rather than flying or another form of public transportation. That said, if a partner or friend will be driving with you, they should be aware that you’re sick, he says, so they are consenting and can test and isolate appropriately.

Stuck somewhere like Hawaii, where flying home is the only option? Take every precaution to limit contagion spread. Wear an N95 mask. Paper surgical masks are the next best option, and homemade cloth masks even have some value in preventing the spread of germs, he says. You can also request to be moved next to an empty seat.

Check Your Airline’s COVID Policies

Several airlines, including Delta and United, continue to waive change fees for travelers looking to rebook due to COVID. Hawaiian Airlines will allow a one-time ticket change (with the difference in fares charged) for the same circumstances. Purchasing travel insurance for a flight also covers most COVID cancellations and rebookings.

Such thoughtful policies have prompted some travelers to make the morally conscious decision when illness sets in. Carmino DeMecurio was one of those people. He was booked to fly from New York City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a business trip on January 19, but tested positive for COVID on January 16. He canceled the entire trip and said Delta immediately issued him an e-credit for a future flight. He was able to call in remotely for his meeting. “It wasn’t ideal to be the only person on a screen, but out of respect for others, it seemed like the right decision,” he says.

Consider Getting Travel Insurance

While airlines can be accommodating, quarantine lodging accommodations can be the real zinger for travelers. According to a spokesperson for the American Hotel and Lodging Association, it’s up to individual hotels to decide whether to offer a discounted rate if a guest must extend a stay due to quarantine. If you’ve splurged on a big trip, or you’re traveling far from home, trip insurance might be a smart investment. Allianz Travel Insurance recently added an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement to some of its plans. Under this new policy, if you have proof—a PCR test or a physician’s note—that you’ve tested positive for COVID during a trip, you can be reimbursed for unused, prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs, as well as additional accommodation and transportation costs incurred, depending on which situation applies.

Allianz’s OneTrip Basic policy, for example, offers up to $10,000 in trip cancellation and trip-interruption benefits per insured person, while the OneTrip Prime , the company’s most comprehensive policy, covers up to $100,000 in trip cancellation and up to $150,000 in trip-interruption benefits, with the option to tack on what’s called a Cancel Anytime upgrade, an option that reimburses travelers for up to 80 percent of prepaid, nonrefundable expenses for a trip that must be canceled for almost any reason not already covered by the policy.

According to an Allianz spokesperson, travelers can typically expect to pay 5 to 6 percent of the cost of their vacation for a standard travel-insurance policy. Actual prices will fluctuate based on a traveler’s age, state of residence, primary destination, length of stay, and total cost of their trip. For example, a 34-year-old from California traveling to Africa for a $9,700 three-week safari would pay $443 for a policy.

So should you travel with COVID if you come down with it on your upcoming spring-break trip? That depends on how prepared you are with a contingency plan, an adequate insurance policy, and the risk you’re willing to take when it comes to your personal health and the health of others, as you can still be hospitalized and even die from the virus. Not least is the ethical consideration of it all. Martinello advises travelers to follow the simple golden rule of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And if you don’t trust your fellow air passengers—which, as this article reflects, are generally as eager to get away or get home as you are—do everyone a favor and wear a mask.

Any number of concerns are on our radar as we plan our next trip, from serious issues like how destinations are working to mitigate tourists’ environmental impact to inconveniences like months-long passport wait times. In this column, our travel expert Jen Murphy will be addressing your questions about how to navigate the world. Check out her previous  column, on how to avoid bed bugs during your next hotel stay, here . 

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees

Rule makes it easy to get money back for cancelled or significantly changed flights, significantly delayed checked bags, and additional services not provided  

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule that requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed. The new rule makes it easy for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags, or fail to provide the extra services they purchased.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

The final rule creates certainty for consumers by defining the specific circumstances in which airlines must provide refunds. Prior to this rule, airlines were permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund. As a result, refund policies differed from airline to airline, which made it difficult for passengers to know or assert their refund rights. DOT also received complaints of some airlines revising and applying less consumer-friendly refund policies during spikes in flight cancellations and changes. 

Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:

• Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.  
• Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.  
• Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.

DOT’s final rule also makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.  

The final rule improves the passenger experience by requiring refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.   
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.  
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.    
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees, regardless of whether the taxes or fees are refundable to airlines.

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to consumers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees, as well as any related policies.

In addition, in instances where consumers are restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease, the final rule requires that airlines must provide travel credits or vouchers. Consumers may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their request. Travel vouchers or credits provided by airlines must be transferrable and valid for at least five years from the date of issuance.

The Department received a significant number of complaints against airlines and ticket agents for refusing to provide a refund or for delaying processing of refunds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, refund complaints peaked at 87 percent of all air travel service complaints received by DOT. Refund problems continue to make up a substantial share of the complaints that DOT receives.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Thanks to pressure from Secretary Buttigieg and DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard, all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov .  
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.   
• Under Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.  
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.  
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.  
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs.

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect against surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, and the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.  
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.   
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity . The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

The final rule on refunds can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. There are different implementation periods in this final rule ranging from six months for airlines to provide automatic refunds when owed to 12 months for airlines to provide transferable travel vouchers or credits when consumers are unable to travel for reasons related to a serious communicable disease. 

Information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

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Sunwing to require full COVID-19 vaccination for all new and existing employees

Post date: Sep 2 2021

Date: Sep 2 2021

By: Travelweek Group

TORONTO — Sunwing will require all new and existing employees across all Canadian divisions to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The move is in line with Sunwing’s commitment to health and safety, and also adheres to the federal government’s Aug. 13 announcement that all employees in federally regulated sectors, including airlines, must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of October.

Sunwing employees will have until Sept. 13 to provide proof of their full vaccination status or their intention to vaccinate. For employees who are not yet vaccinated and plan to get vaccinated, they will also be required to provide proof of their full vaccination status no later than Oct. 18.

“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our top priority at Sunwing,” says Stephen Hunter, CEO of Sunwing Travel Group. “Vaccinations are proven to be the most effective tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting broader public health. As a Canadian company, we want to continue to do our part to help end this pandemic, protect our families and those vacationing with us, and to support the travel industry’s full recovery.”

Sunwing’s new policy will apply to employees across all Canadian divisions, including those who will be working from home on a part-time or full-time basis, as per vaccination guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada for the entire population. Accommodations will be made for those with qualifying medical or religious exemptions.

Sunwing’s commitment to health and safety in the workplace and throughout the customer’s vacation experience includes Safe with Sunwing program was developed last summer under the advisement of global healthcare leader Medcan. In addition to advising on the Safe with Sunwing program, Medcan experts led by Dr. Peter Nord, Chief Medical Officer at Medcan and Sunwing’s acting Chief Medical Advisor, also provide ongoing support for employee and customer health and safety.  

Sunwing notes that it was the first Canadian airline to use AEGIS Microbe Shield treatment on all its aircraft and has hosted vaccination awareness sessions for employees in the winter and spring, with additional sessions planned for the coming weeks.

Sunwing is the latest Canadian airline to confirm mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for its employees. Porter Airlines was first out of the gate on Aug. 18, announcing that aligning with its Sept. 8 restart of service, team members must be fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours of the start of their shift. On Aug. 25 Air Canada announced that all Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and ACV employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and report their vaccination status, by Oct. 30. All new hires must also be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Tags: Lead Story, Sunwing

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COVID-19 international travel advisories

If you plan to visit the U.S., you do not need to be tested or vaccinated for COVID-19. U.S. citizens going abroad, check with the Department of State for travel advisories.

COVID-19 testing and vaccine rules for entering the U.S.

• As of May 12, 2023, noncitizen nonimmigrant visitors to the U.S.  arriving by air  or  arriving by land or sea  no longer need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• As of June 12, 2022,  people entering the U.S. no longer need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test . 

U.S. citizens traveling to a country outside the U.S.

Find country-specific COVID-19 travel rules from the Department of State.

See the  CDC's COVID-19 guidance for safer international travel.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

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