Canada to lift all Covid-19 travel restrictions from 1 October
The Government of Canada has announced the removal of all remaining Covid-19 entry restrictions from 1 October. Travellers entering the country will no longer have to provide proof of vaccination, undergo testing or a period of quarantine or isolation. Additionally, they will no longer have to submit health information through the country’s ArriveCAN app or wear masks on planes or trains.
Virgin Atlantic scraps requirement for gendered uniforms
Virgin Atlantic has updated its gender identity policy, removing the requirement for employees to wear gendered uniforms. The airline’s crew, pilots and ground team can now choose which of the Vivienne Westwood-designed uniforms best “expresses how they identify or present themselves”.
Optional pronoun badges have also been made available to teams, and those travelling on Virgin can also ask for their preferred badge at the check-in desk or in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. This will enable people to be addressed by their preferred pronouns throughout the journey. Virgin has also updated its ticketing systems to allow for passport holders with gender neutral markers to select ‘U’ or ‘X’ gender codes on their booking, as well as the gender-neutral title ‘Mx’.
Airlines asked to further cut passenger numbers at Schiphol
Capacity cuts at Amsterdam Schiphol will continue into 2023, with the airport stating it had made the decision “to provide travellers a reliable travel experience, and predictability and stability for airlines”. Schiphol began placing limits on the number of passengers departing the airport this summer – due to a shortfall of security employees – and in August announced that the measures would be extended through to October.
EasyJet to stop offsetting flights from the end of 2022
EasyJet will be dropping the automatic offsetting of its flights at the end of 2023. The airline started offsetting passenger flights in 2019 and says that to date (until June 2022), it has offset nearly 8.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Travel news as a glance:
- London’s Sun Street Hotel to open in October close to Moorgate and Liverpool Street stations
- Dubai Airports: Use of masks no longer mandatory
- Virgin Atlantic joins Skyteam from early January 2023
- Dubai’s Emirates expands services to South Africa with additional flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban from March 2023
- Doncaster Sheffield airport to close at end of October 20022
- Delta to launch Gatwick-New York JFK route in summer 2023
- British Airways confirms schedules for Hong Kong and Tokyo route resumptions from mid-November 2022
- Royal Brunei to restart London-Dubai route in November 2022