Air Canada has temporarily suspended service to 14 tropical destinations with most of them located in the Caribbean.

The suspended destinations include Antigua, Aruba, Samaná, Curaçao, Exuma, Grenada, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Havana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Martin/Saint Maarten, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. The suspension, which is a result of the current pandemic context, takes effect from January 24 until April 30, 2022.

To help ensure that Canadians are not stranded abroad, Air Canada plans to operate a number of one-way commercial flights from affected destinations in order to repatriate customers. Any travellers affected by the temporary suspension of the above-listed destinations will be issued a full refund.

Air Canada team members will be contacting impacted customers and processing refunds in order of departure date. Eligible customers will receive an invoice as confirmation of their refund once it has been issued.

Unavoidable disruptions to flight schedule

According to a report in TravelPress.com, Air Canada Vacations vice-president, Nino Montagnese, in a message to partners said, “as we continue the winter season, a resurgence of COVID and new government regulations have reduced demand in some sun destinations, leading to unavoidable disruptions to Air Canada’s flight schedule from January 24 to April 30, 2022.”

In a news release issued Monday evening, The William Osler Health System declared a “code orange” following what it calls an increase in COVID-19 patients and staffing shortages across its network. The statement noted that such a measure is typically used when “capacity outpaces demand to ensure internal and external resources are deployed efficiently.”

On the same day, the Ontario government announced ‘modified step two of the Roadmap to Reopen’ aimed at reducing the spread of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.

Air Canada Vacations issued an advisory saying, “Please note that existing travel restrictions, including providing proof of vaccination and of a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding an international flight bound for Canada, are still in effect. It is your responsibility to ensure that you – and any child travelling with you – have all the valid travel documents required for re-entry into Canada.”