VIA RAIL CUTS BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

VIA Rail has implemented a new carry-on baggage policy that cuts the allowable weight in half.  Passengers are be permitted to bring aboard a maximum of two articles weighing no more than 11.5 kg each in addition to one personal article such as a laptop bag or small backpack. Carry-on bags are also not allowed to be larger than 54.5 cm x 39.5 cm x 23 cm. Alternatively, passengers can bring one carry-on bag weighing no more than 18 kg. Bags between 18 kg and 23 kg will be subject to a $20 surcharge but VIA will not allow any luggage over 23 kg. Up until now, VIA passengers were allowed to bring two pieces of carry-on luggage up to 23 kg each and as big as 66 cm x 46 cm x 23 cm.

VIA spokesperson Mylène Bélanger says VIA has been educating passengers about the new policy for several weeks but expects there will be a period of adjustment. She says those who do not follow the new guidelines will be asked to redistribute the weight into other pieces of luggage or check it into the baggage car of their train or the next train offering checked-baggage service (Only 30 percent of trains on the Windsor-Quebec City corridor offer checked baggage service, according to Bélanger).

VIA Rail's new baggage policy brings it in line with those of the major Canadian airlines. For more information about these new baggage allowances and other baggage allowances visit:

http://www.viarail.ca/en/useful-info/baggage.

Important Notice - Mexico: Entry Requirements

Minors travelling alone or accompanied by a third party

Effective as of February 15, 2013, the Mexican authorities have announced that minors (under 18 years of age) travelling to Mexico alone or accompanied by a third party of legal age (grandparent, aunt/uncle or other) must present, in addition to a valid passport, a document showing the consent of both parents or those with parental authority or guardianship over the minor.

If the document is issued in Canada it must be notarized, legalized by the Mexican Consulate or Embassy, and translated into Spanish. The text of this document must contain the parents’ authorization for the minor to travel alone or, if applicable, information on the adult who is authorized to be responsible for the minor during the trip. The document must state the purpose and length of the trip, and specify the dates of entry and departure, as this will be a requirement for allowing the minor to leave Mexican territory.

For more information, please contact the Embassy of Mexico in Canada.
http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/  or

Mexican Consulate in Toronto
http://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/toronto/index.php/en

NEWS FOR AVID TRAVELERS:

INFLIGHT WI FI COMES TO CANADA

Canadian regulators have cleared in-flight Wi-Fi provider Gogo to expand its  network north of the border, a move that will allow the Illinois-based company's airline customers to offer in-flight Wi-Fi service on flights between the US and Canada.

Gogo said Tuesday it expects to start construction on Canadian cell sites in the fourth quarter of 2012 and have the network running by the end of 2013.

The company's technology uses an air-to-ground network consisting of land-based cell towers that beam signals to aircraft. Gogo service is available on more than 1,600 commercial aircraft including all domestic mainline Delta Air Lines planes as well as all flights on AirTran Airways and Virgin America.

American Airlines and United Airlines also offer Gogo service on select flights.

Passengers use their own Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, to access the broadband service.

BREAKING NEWS: Canadian Passports and Border Clearance

PRETTY PASSPORTS Harder to copy and more expensive Canada's passports are being updated to include chip technology and watermark images designed to prevent fraud, but are also going to cost a lot more. The new passports will have computer chips embedded in them - technology that's already used in dozens of other countries, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Friday. Each blank page of the document will also contain watermarks depicting iconic images from Canadian history. ``Canada's new passport is not just a ticket to new places, new cultures, and new experiences,'' Baird said. ``It tells the world who we are: a nation built on freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.'' Not exactly the purpose of a passport, but ... The new passports will be renewable for either five or 10-year periods, but they'll come with a price: $120 for five years, up from the current $87, and $160 for the 10-year option. Passports for children will be $57, an increase of $20. For those applying outside of Canada, the fee skyrockets to $190 for a five-year passport - up from $97 - and $260 for the document that would expire in 10 years. By comparison, it currently costs $135 to apply for a new passport in the US - $25 less for a renewal. An adult passport in the UK costs the equivalent of about $117. The 16 distinct images include sports scenes - obligatory illustrations of the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup - and Canadian landmarks such as old Quebec City, the Prairies and Parliament's iconic Centre Block. The changes are designed to deter counterfeiters and make the passport more secure, said Baird. ``It will help us ensure that the Canadian passport remains a secure document that can help facilitate trade and travel.'' The new documents will begin rolling out in unspecified "select locations" in the first three months of 2013, with wide availability expected by mid-July. BORDER CLEARANCE PROGRAM TO EXPAND LUC Portelance, President of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Howard Eng, President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), has announced the planned expansion of the Automated Border Clearance (ABC) Program at Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport. ABC is an innovative concept that uses self-service kiosk technology to partially automate the processing of eligible travellers (Canadian citizens with a valid passport and Canadian permanent residents with a valid permanent resident card) returning to Canada.  ABC offers a safe and viable alternative for the processing of eligible travellers by the CBSA. The self-service kiosks are easy to use and do not require preregistration or payment of any membership fees.  Eligible travellers who choose an ABC kiosk should have all of the necessary documents on hand when they approach the kiosk, including the CBSA Declaration Card, their Canadian passport or Canadian permanent resident card, and all receipts for purchases made abroad. To use the kiosk, the traveller activates the kiosk touch screen, scans their travel document, inserts their completed Declaration Card and answers a few clarifying questions as required. Once finished at the kiosk, travellers present their printed kiosk receipt and travel document to a border services officer at the next checkpoint for verification. The ABC kiosk allows up to four travellers residing at the same address to be processed in a single transaction if they are all identified on the same CBSA Declaration Card. While this innovative technology will be new to Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport this winter, it has already proven to be enormously successful in Vancouver and Montréal

Reprinted from YYZ Travel Group - Business First November 2012