Vacation Packages by Canadian Airline Industry Put Travellers’ Health at Risk

The constant juggle between luring customers to sustain market position and taking losses for greater good has led the Canadian airline industry to adopt new survival strategies. While some airlines are introducing exciting vacation packages, others have started promoting themselves via famous influencers.

The drop in tourist arrivals post government’s advice to cancel all non-essential travel has affected flight bookings for the Canadian airline industry. To cover losses, airlines are offering heavy discounts on holiday bookings. Many have offered free Covid-19 coverage for quarantine costs if a traveller tests positive on trip. The flag carrier of Canada — Air Canada is also providing free Covid-19 insurance of up to $200,000 to ‘aeroplan members’.

Besides offering free insurance and exciting vouchers, Air Canada is encouraging people to travel by ramping its social image via influencer promotion. The airline has hired influential social media stars for promoting domestic and international tourism. Even though travelling is cheap at the moment, health authorities’ advice that a travel insurance worth $100,000 or 200,000 won’t cover up hospital costs in another country. Hence, it’s safe to adhere to government protocols.

A Toronto-based influencer hired by Air Canada — Daniel Reyes encouraged people to travel despite government’s instructions. A post on his Instagram handle said, “We no longer live in March 2020, and leisure travel can and is happening safely”. Such influencial moves by the Canadian airline industry reflects their negligence about the spread of the virus to protect their personal interests. Such behaviour puts travellers’ health at direct risk.

To justify their moves, Canadian airlines (Air Canada, Air Transat, and WestJet) said that the federal government ramped up testing requirements without prior coordination with the members of Canadian airline industry.

Meanwhile, travel experts have criticised the behaviour of members of Alberta’s provincial government, who took vacations outside the country thereby breaking government guidelines. Since travel and health authorities are urging people to avoid non-essential travel amid the pandemic. Such acts by famous personalities reflect bad traveller behaviour.

Along with cheap travel tickets and travel insurance, this behaviour by famous personalities not only reflects but also encourages travellers to adopt choices that can be detrimental for both the individual and the community.