2021
10
February
Calgary (YYC) Airport test program allows travellers returning to Canada to shorten quarantine to 2-3 days
10
February
Major Updates
- Feb 11th: Dr. Deena Hinshaw confirms that once the new federal measures are in place (PCR test on arrival, followed by hotel quarantine) the Alberta pilot program at YYC will be suspended. Hinshaw said the program would continue at the Coutts border entry until the federal government has made a decision on whether additional restrictions are needed.
- Effective immediately (Jan 25th) passengers participating in the test program at YYC must now remain in quarantine until receiving a negative result from their second test on day 7 or 8 (counting arrival day as day 1). Travellers currently in the program must immediately return to quarantine if they haven’t taken their second test and have not yet received the negative result. Also, participants cannot return to childcare, out of school care, schools, post-secondary institutions, and workplaces outside of their home for 14 days.
By now you may have heard the news...
Test program at YYC airport allows passengers returning to Canada to shorten their 14-day quarantine down to 2-3 days
How it will work:
- Passengers arriving at YYC's international terminal will submit a rapid COVID-19 test. A negative test result will shorten the mandatory 14-day quarantine for those who have travelled outside Canada, down to 2-3 days, while they wait for their test result.
- Travellers who choose not to participate in the pilot program will have to abide by the normal 14-day quarantine.
- If you test negative, you must commit to a second test, on day six or seven after arrival, at a community pharmacy.
- You must stay within Alberta for 14 days after arrival.
- If the result is positive, the usual 14-day quarantine is still required.
- The test will be FREE (previously, there were rumors of a $150 fee. It turns out that was for a private service that is now available for essential travellers when *departing* YYC. And this private service happened to launch at the exact same time as this Alberta pilot program, causing the confusion)
- The pilot program will start Nov 2nd at Calgary Airport (YYC) and at the Coutt's land border crossing, and potentially be expanded to include other Canadian airports at a later date. It is currently scheduled to last 26 weeks, which would be May 3rd, 2021.
The fine print
- When coming home, you need to be arriving at Calgary's international terminal, which means Calgary is your first point of entry into Canada when flying home. If your flight home connects in Toronto, Vancouver, or another Canadian city it would not qualify for the test program, because you would be arriving at YYC's domestic terminal.
- After you land at YYC, you are allowed to catch connecting flights from YYC to other places within Alberta and still qualify for the program.
- Non-stop flights to/from Calgary (YYC) are pretty few and far between right now.
Here are all the international destinations that are available with a non-stop flight from YYC:
Denver (DEN) - United Airlines
Dallas (DFW) - American Airlines
Palm Springs (PSP) - Westjet
Phoenix (PHX) - Westjet, Air Canada (resumed Dec 3)
Los Angeles (LAX) - Westjet
Minneapolis (MSP) - Delta
Cancun, Mexico (CUN) - Westjet
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR) - Westjet
San Jose del Cabo, Mexico (SJD) - Westjet
Amsterdam (AMS) - KLM
The Westjet flights to Mexico just restarted earlier in October. Delta's flights to Minneapolis just restarted in November.
Calgary to Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR) keeps getting cancelled and pushed back (now scheduled for December).
Mexico does not require a negative test result or quarantine on their end.
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2nd: The very fine print
As of November 2nd, the government just added a whole bunch of new restrictions to the pilot program, mainly involving where you are not allowed to visit for 2 weeks after returning to Alberta. This includes daycares, schools, long term care facilities, etc.
Pilot participants may also only return to work with the permission of the employer and if the employer has implemented COVID-19 measures in accordance with Alberta’s guidelines.
Pilot participants cannot attend events where there are more than 10 people (including the participant) for 14 days.
For a full list of all the restrictions and details, go to: https://www.alberta.ca/international-border-pilot-project.aspx
Common questions about the pilot program
What if I want to go somewhere else not listed above, but my flight home connects through one of the cities above, and then home to Calgary?
I have confirmed with the pilot program that as long as your first point of entry into Canada is Calgary (YYC), you qualify for the test program.
For example, if your flight home is Somewhere Warm to Denver to Calgary, it would qualify.
But if it's Somewhere Warm to Toronto to Calgary, it would not qualify, since Toronto is your first point of entry into Canada.
Basically, as long as your flight is arriving at YYC's international terminal, you qualify. If it's arriving at YYC's domestic terminal, you don't.
Here is the official reply from the pilot program when I asked them about this:
QUESTION:
Bob's flight: Cancun -> Denver -> Calgary
Jane's flight: Denver -> Calgary
Do Bob and Jane's flights both qualify for the program?
People aren't sure if you can have a connecting flight like Bob's and still qualify.
REPLY FROM PILOT PROGRAM:
Yes: They both have Calgary as their first point of entry into Canada, and they both arrive at YYC's international terminal.
Flights to Calgary need to be international (AKA Calgary being the port of entry).
Connecting flights from Toronto or Vancouver are domestic (and would not qualify), regardless of the full travel itinerary of the passengers.
They entered through other ports of entry and then moved onto further destinations.
Can any airline qualify for the pilot program, or does it have to be with Westjet?
Some people were under the impression that it needed to be a Westjet flight to qualify. This is likely due to the fact that Westjet was instrumental in starting the pilot program at YYC.
I was pretty sure that flights with any airline would qualify, as long as it's an international flight with Calgary as your first point of entry into Canada (see above).
I asked the pilot program about this, just to double check.
QUESTION:
Can airlines other than Westjet have flights that qualify for the program?
ANSWER FROM THE PILOT PROGRAM::
There is no limitation on what airlines participate, however the current limits on what flights are offered from Calgary does hamper the number of airlines currently involved.
That will likely change over time.
Do I need to register to be a part of the rapid testing pilot program at YYC?
Eligible travelers arriving at the Coutts land-border crossing or the Calgary International Airport can register to participate in the Alberta COVID-19 Border Testing Pilot Program by first completing the online form.
You can register 1-5 days before you plan to *arrive* at YYC or the Coutts land-border.
Online form link: https://travel.borderpilot.alberta.ca/
Is it a throat swab test, or is it up the nose?
Don't worry, it's a throat swab.
Will the rapid testing still be available even if my flight arrives really late at night?
According to an official reply from the Pilot Program:
"The Pilot Program is open at the Calgary International Airport 1 hour before the first flight of the day and up to 2 hours after the last flight of the day, 7 days a week.
There are no plans to modify the program hours due to the holiday season."
Step-by-step guide to participating in Alberta’s International Border Pilot Program
1. Determine your eligibility on the Alberta government's website at https://www.alberta.ca/international-border-pilot-project.aspx
2. Complete the International Border Testing Pilot program registration (this can be submitted 1-5 days before arriving back home at Calgary YYC).
3. Up to 48 hours before you fly back home to Calgary YYC, download the ArriveCAN app and submit your quarantine plan.
4. Use the CanBorder - eDeclaration mobile app to complete your customs declaration.
U.S. travel
The U.S. does *not* require a negative test result for entry (except for Hawaii). Certain U.S. states are asking international travellers to quarantine upon arrival.
The air border between Canada and the U.S is open for non-essential travel. It's the *land* border that's closed for non-essential travel.
There's a fairly decent percentage of Canadians that think both are closed, mainly due to headlines like 'Canada / U.S. border closure extended' which are referring to the *land* border.
What about insurance?
Between March and June it was nearly impossible to find medical coverage for COVD-19. Most insurance companies were telling people 'due to the current travel advisory in place, coverage for covid is not available.'
But then around July we started to see market forces at work, and a couple of insurance companies started to offer coverage for covid, even while the Canadian government recommendation not to travel was still in place.
That got the ball rolling, and there are now 12 insurance companies offering medical coverage for covid-19.
Certain countries (Dominican Republic), airlines (Air Canada, Westjet, Air Transat, Sunwing, Emirates, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic), and vacation package operators (Air Canada Vacations, Westjet Vacations, Sunwing Vacations, Transat Vacations) are also starting to include covid-19 insurance with their flights and packages.
Are there any great deals to anywhere that would qualify for this?
Westjet's non-stop flights between Calgary and Phoenix are currently between $213 and $227 CAD roundtrip, on dates between late November and April. Christmas and New Year's dates are available.
Westjet's non-stop flights between Calgary and Los Angeles are currently between $257 CAD roundtrip, on dates between mid November and April. Christmas and New Year's dates are available.
United Airline's non-stop flights between Calgary and Denver are currently between $213 and $227 CAD roundtrip, on dates between November 2020 and September 2021. Christmas and New Year's dates are available.
How this works, now that the Federal government has added the mandatory testing layer on top for anyone entering Canada.
Step 1: "The test to satisfy the new mandatory federal government testing policy for entering Canada"
a) In the foreign country, you take a test sometime within 72 hours (before) the time your flight departs to come home to Canada. It *must* be the PCR or RT-LAMP type of test or you will be denied boarding.
PCR tests typically take 24-48 hours to receive your result, so timing it well with your flight home is necesary.
Around the world, I would say the average price for this type of test is in the range of $150-$200.
You show your negative PCR or RT-LAMP test result to the airline in the foreign country in order to be allowed to board your flight home to Canada. It will also be looked at closely when arriving back into Canada.
If you test positive with this test, I have not heard anything about being required to wait another 14 days before you can depart, only that you need to get tested again later, and hope it's negative.
Step 2: "The voluntary tests to take part in the voluntary Alberta pilot program, to potentially reduce quarantine time."
a) after arriving at Calgary YYC's international terminal, if you want to take part in the program, you take a COVID-19 test. It's the rapid type, a throat swab. The test is free.
While waiting for the result of this test, which takes 2-3 days, you are in quarantine.
Once you receive your result, if it's negative, you are no longer in Canada's mandatory 14-day quarantine. However, you do need to remain within Alberta for 14 days.
If the result is positive, the usual 14-day quarantine is still required.
For travellers who choose not to participate in the pilot program, the usual 14-day quarantine is still required.
b) If you test negative, you must also commit to a second test, on day six or seven after your arrival, at a community pharmacy (Shopper's Drug Mart).
Further Reading for Step 1:
https://tc.canada.ca/en/initiatives/covid-19-measures-updates-guidance-issued-transport-canada/air-operators-managing-travellers-during-check-procedure-international-airports
^^ the nitty gritty details of what Transport Canada is asking the airlines to check for
Further Reading for Step 2:
https://www.alberta.ca/international-border-pilot-project.aspx
and the rest of this article.
Join us in the YYC Deals Facebook Group
For live discussion of this deal, or to get some amazing travel advice (about anywhere) from your 33,000 fellow passengers in Calgary, join us in the:
YYC Deals Facebook Group.
^^^ click the 'Join Group' button when you arrive.
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