DigitalGhost

I saw that last night. I doubt it will be too much of an issue for anyone on here though. Whilst their flights to Canada were quite quick and cheap, the requirements for boarding a flight to Holland atm are ridiculous, especially if flying from the UK and a few other countries. There are certainly easier ways to make the journey.

They're the same company as Air France so I wouldn't be surprised if some of their routes get diverted through Paris in the short term.

Revin Kevin

Because we are in the North of England it was as easy and cheap to fly via Schiphol as Heathrow. It was just about the only way for us to fly direct to Calgary but I hear Air Canada are planning reinstating LHR - YYC in late March but things change daily so who knows? Probably best now to book your flight as close as you can prior to departure

DigitalGhost

I'm in pretty much the same boat as you. Manchester Airport is very close to my family home and just a short journey from my current flat but since AT aren't running their direct flights to Toronto atm, connecting elsewhere is the only way.

I looked at KLM which as you say was a fairly easy and cheap option however 2 things put me off. Firstly the connection time was ridiculously short for the flights I was looking at (around 1hr15m) and Schiphol isn't known for being a particularly nice airport to travel through when it comes to their security and the layout of the terminals themselves although admittedly I've never personally been there. Secondly, the testing requirements they placed on transit passengers seemed way over the top.

In my case connecting through LHR with Air Canada or BA seemed like the safer and better option. You only have to go through one lot of security and baggage checks and don't have to worry about any last minute restrictions being placed on you by another European country. Plus most restaurants and bars are still open in Heathrow atm unlike in the rest of the UK so you can just get there for your connecting flight and have a drink and some food whilst you wait. When I looked at the Schiphol website it said that pretty much everything in there including the food and drink services are closed.

Siouxie

Air Transat are fying from Manchester, to Toronto from 2nd May non-stop, according to their website

(and to Calgary with 1 stop at Toronto)

DigitalGhost

That would be too late for me sadly. It might work out OK in Revin Kevin's case though.

OrangeMango

I take it that's the end of the KLM Amsterdam to Calgary flight.

Would it be possible for a Canadian to travel from Europe via the US to Calgary to make use of the no quarantine option of entry in Alberta?

DigitalGhost

The US travel ban on the EU is due to expire on 26th January but apparently Biden will renew it. The only way to go via the US would be to go somewhere else for 2 weeks first e.g. Mexico.

OrangeMango

Are Canadians then banned from the US for good? I thought Canadians could travel to the US, but only if they are flying in, not via the land border?

DigitalGhost

It has nothing to do with nationality. It's where you're flying from and where you have spent the preceding fortnight. Europeans and Brazilians who have been in Canada, Australia, Asia etc for the last 14 days are still welcome to travel to the US on ESTA as normal.

Siouxie

I understand Canadians can travel to the US from Canada for essential purposes. https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-states
see also: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...countries.html
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/03/20/...elers-crossing

Please note it says "..who have BEEN in the following countries" not nationalities

OrangeMango

Well, nationality is always involved in this discussion, I take it. Aren't currently under pandemic restrictions only Canadians and PRs allowed into Canada? And Europeans, both Schengen and UK and Ireland are currently banned completely from entering the US as well as Canada?

But my real question was actually in relation to getting to Alberta from Europe via the US as a Canadian citizen. ( As the flight with KLM from Amsterdam to Calgary apparently doesn't go anymore ) The US would clearly not be the final destination, thus any US quarantine as Biden announced it wouldn't apply as it can't be completed in one single airline booking. Calgary would indeed be the final stop of the booking where all the testing would take place, that in addition to the testing prior to the flights.

DigitalGhost

Canada has chosen to block entry to all but its own citizens, PR's and some temporary residents. The US has not. The US only restricts access to people who have been in certain parts of the world in the last 14 days.

I'm not being funny but you've been asking questions about trying to dodge Canadian quarantine for quite a while now. In that time you could have done quarantine several times over. At this point, rather than trying to work your way around it, it might be better if you just wait it out until the whole thing has blown over. That might not be until 2022 but I can't see any other way really. By my understanding, the only way you can realistically travel to Canada and dodge quarantine at this point would be if you first flew to Mexico or somewhere else like the middle east and then caught a direct flight to Calgary from there.

The US has no concept of international transit passengers. It is one of the very few countries in the world that requires everyone to clear local immigration and customs. You can't just get off one plane, hang around in the departures lounge and then hop on another in the same way you can in most of the rest of the world.

christmasoompa

No, it's not nationality based. A Brit that's been in Mexico for the previous 14 days can enter the US. A Mexican citizen that's been in the UK for two weeks couldn't.

So you can't enter the US if you've been in the UK (or any other country on the banned list) in the previous 14 days regardless of nationality, unless you have an exemption (are the family member of a USC, are a critical worker etc).

HTH.

christmasoompa

They've also banned a lot of work based visas, regardless of country of origin (again, unless the applicant comes under an exemption).

DigitalGhost

The US? I think I recall reading about that and currently have some British colleagues working in the US on L visas. I don't think think they've been able to leave since early 2020.