Monday, April 16, 2012
Passport Update: Dominican Republic
STARTING April 30, Canadians will be required to present a passport, valid for the length of their stay, to visit the Dominican Republic. Until then, Canadians entering by direct air travel only have to be in possession of valid official photo identification (such as a driver's licence) and proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate). Canadian tourists must also be in possession of a return airline ticket.
However, Canadian citizens returning to Canada who present other documents, such as a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship, birth certificate, provincial driver’s licence, or foreign passport, instead of a Canadian passport, may face delays or be denied boarding by transport companies. Canadians entering the Dominican Republic for tourist purposes must purchase a tourist card, at a cost of US$10, which is valid for 30 days. Those wishing to stay longer must pay a surcharge at the airport upon departure or request an extension by visiting the Department of Immigration in Santo Domingo. Those wishing to work in the Dominican Republic must apply for a business visa. More information can be obtained by contacting the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Ottawa.
A departure tax of US$20 is charged for stays of up to two weeks. The departure tax for stays longer than two weeks varies depending on length of stay and nationality. The tax applies to all international flights and may be included in the price of the airline ticket. Travellers should confirm this information with their travel agents.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Airline Jargon......what does it mean?
Have you wondered what a split ticket is? Are you confused as to what is the difference between a direct and non stop flight? Your travel professional can help you navigate through this maze of jargon and ensure that your flights are booked properly and not have you arrive in Sydney Nova Scotia instead of Sydney Australia. But for those that still insist on booking their own flights hopefully some of the explanations below will help you........
Airline alliance: An agreement between a group of airlines involving the sharing of flight codes, reservation systems, airline clubs, or frequent flyer benefits (see code share below). The two largest are Star Alliance and Skyteam.
Airport code: the three digit code which is unique to a specific airport. eg. YYZ for Toronto or LHR for London Heathrow
Code share: An agreement between two airlines in which each shares its flight codes, which means travelers purchasing one airline's ticket might actually be flying on the other carrier's plane. Many connecting flights involve code-share partners. Might also include other types of agreements, such as reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.
Connecting flights: a journey where the passenger must change planes to reach their final destination. The passenger will disembark one plane and go through a second boarding process before boarding the plane that will take them to their final destination.
Connecting point: the airport where the traveller changes planes.
Consolidators: airlines often sell blocks of seats to a third party who then sell these to passengers at discounted prices. The airlines are reluctant to publicly discount tickets and so mask this process through consolidators. The tickets usually have a number of restrictions on them so check the conditions of your travel arrangements carefully before booking them.
Direct flight versus non-stop: A flight which involves one or more stops (however, you stay on the same plane). Depending on time some airports allow passengers to disembark during the stopover and board again just before takeoff.
"Non-stop" means there are no stops before you get to your destination. Most customers prefer non-stop flights and will pay a premium for greater speed and less hassle.
Illegal connection: flights that are booked where the time between landing and taking off on the next flight does not adhere to the legal minimum requirements
Minimum connecting time: the smallest amount of time that is allowed to change planes at an airport. If these conditions are breached it is known as an Illegal connection. General rule is 45 minutes on domestic flights and 1 hour on international connections.
Open-jaw: a ticket that allows the traveller to depart from a different airport to the one in which they landed. For example you could fly from Toronto to London but return to Toronto from Paris.
Open ticket: Full fare tickets that have no restrictions and allow you to change the date of return for a fee. They are more expensive, but not always a lot more. Usually have a 1 year time limit on the return flight.
Split ticketing: the purchase of two separate roundtrip flights to a destination. As example you find a roundtrip fare from Toronto to Vienna that costs $ 1,200. However while you were searching you found a roundtrip ticket from Toronto to Amsterdam for $ 600 and then an roundtrip ticket from Amsterdam to Vienna for $ 400. By booking these two tickets separately you would have saved $ 200. However, you must ensure proper connection times and of course flights are from the same airport. Example is London Heathrow and London Gatwick. (See minimum connecting time above)
Stopover – an overnight stay (or possibly longer) at a location en-route to your final destination. This is usually done to break up a very long journey eg. London to Sydney with a stopover in Hong Kong. Most airlines do not charge extra for a stopover.
Airline alliance: An agreement between a group of airlines involving the sharing of flight codes, reservation systems, airline clubs, or frequent flyer benefits (see code share below). The two largest are Star Alliance and Skyteam.
Airport code: the three digit code which is unique to a specific airport. eg. YYZ for Toronto or LHR for London Heathrow
Code share: An agreement between two airlines in which each shares its flight codes, which means travelers purchasing one airline's ticket might actually be flying on the other carrier's plane. Many connecting flights involve code-share partners. Might also include other types of agreements, such as reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.
Connecting flights: a journey where the passenger must change planes to reach their final destination. The passenger will disembark one plane and go through a second boarding process before boarding the plane that will take them to their final destination.
Connecting point: the airport where the traveller changes planes.
Consolidators: airlines often sell blocks of seats to a third party who then sell these to passengers at discounted prices. The airlines are reluctant to publicly discount tickets and so mask this process through consolidators. The tickets usually have a number of restrictions on them so check the conditions of your travel arrangements carefully before booking them.
Direct flight versus non-stop: A flight which involves one or more stops (however, you stay on the same plane). Depending on time some airports allow passengers to disembark during the stopover and board again just before takeoff.
"Non-stop" means there are no stops before you get to your destination. Most customers prefer non-stop flights and will pay a premium for greater speed and less hassle.
Illegal connection: flights that are booked where the time between landing and taking off on the next flight does not adhere to the legal minimum requirements
Minimum connecting time: the smallest amount of time that is allowed to change planes at an airport. If these conditions are breached it is known as an Illegal connection. General rule is 45 minutes on domestic flights and 1 hour on international connections.
Open-jaw: a ticket that allows the traveller to depart from a different airport to the one in which they landed. For example you could fly from Toronto to London but return to Toronto from Paris.
Open ticket: Full fare tickets that have no restrictions and allow you to change the date of return for a fee. They are more expensive, but not always a lot more. Usually have a 1 year time limit on the return flight.
Split ticketing: the purchase of two separate roundtrip flights to a destination. As example you find a roundtrip fare from Toronto to Vienna that costs $ 1,200. However while you were searching you found a roundtrip ticket from Toronto to Amsterdam for $ 600 and then an roundtrip ticket from Amsterdam to Vienna for $ 400. By booking these two tickets separately you would have saved $ 200. However, you must ensure proper connection times and of course flights are from the same airport. Example is London Heathrow and London Gatwick. (See minimum connecting time above)
Stopover – an overnight stay (or possibly longer) at a location en-route to your final destination. This is usually done to break up a very long journey eg. London to Sydney with a stopover in Hong Kong. Most airlines do not charge extra for a stopover.
Friday, April 6, 2012
AIRPORT NEWS FOR AVID TRAVELERS
MONTRÉAL-PIERRE-ELLIOTT-TRUDEAU International Airport has become the first airport in North America to offer passengers self-service baggage drop-off points, essential counterparts to the kiosks and other self-service systems already available. This latest development means that Montréal-Trudeau passengers can now complete the entire check-in process themselves. However, before proceeding to a self-service baggage drop-off point, they must have already checked in and printed their luggage tags at a self-service check-in kiosk. This process normally takes less than a minute. Airline agents are available to help passengers if necessary.
Developed in collaboration with COFELY Services, a subsidiary of the GDF-Suez Group, the new selfservice baggage drop-off points are equipped with bar-code readers and touch screens that passengers can use to enter the necessary information by following the instructions. In this way, the system automatically matches pre-checked-in passengers with their pre-tagged luggage. WestJet is the first airline to adopt the process for its flights. Other carriers operating out of Montréal-Trudeau are also planning to offer their passengers this option soon. Passengers who still wish to have the option of checking in at a traditional airline counter are welcome to do so. Self-service baggage drop-off facilities are also already in operation at some of the world‟s airports, notably in Europe.
Courtesy of YYZ Travel Group April 2012 Newletter
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