Beware the hidden costs of a COVID-cation
Travellers who thought the pandemic would reduce the cost of travel may be shocked to discover that there is a hidden cost to their COVIDcation.
Tyler Smith, otherwise known as Telle, lead singer for the Arizona metalcore band the Word Alive, is one such individual.
Smith was under the impression that he had met all necessary travel requirements to enter Canada when he arrived at the airport for his flight. Instead, he was delayed over a technicality.
“Being COVID-negative with a test, vaccinated and still not being allowed to fly to Vancouver right now unless I pay hundreds of more dollars for another COVID19 test from the airport is so whack,” he tweeted about the incident.
While the CDC travel checklist says that travellers “simply need a viral COVID test,” Air Canada offers additional requirements on their website that say all passengers over the age of five, regardless of vaccination status, must provide a negative COVID-19 molecular test result.
These results must also be taken less than 72 hours before the flight, leaving very little room for error.
“So, I missed my flight, reservations wouldn’t answer and the airport supervisor couldn’t put me on the flight for (the following day),” said the singer, who was heading to a Canadian show. “I just lost hundreds.”
In a statement on the situation, Air Canada’s media representative Pascale Deary said that all regulations, restrictions and COVID-testing requirements for travel are mandated by the various country governments worldwide (including Canada) and apply to all passengers wishing to enter those countries.
“It is important to remember that government requirements may change with little notice,” Deary said in an email statement. “We advise customers they can find the latest government entry requirements via IATA’s Timatic website or Air Canada’s COVID-19 Information Hub.”
Nova Scotia currently only has two vaccine companies that offer the necessary tests — PRAXXES and Switch Health. Both tests cost just under $200 and are only available in their two Halifax locations.
The Government of Nova Scotia does not cover the cost of testing unless the individual has symptoms. This has left many citizens who had been eagerly awaiting the border reopening, with a bill that could cover the cost of a one-way ticket to New York.
One reply to the Twitter thread said “all of it is ($%^&), pushing poorer people away from travel.”
Debbie Ford, a travel consultant for TPI Travel, says that when in doubt, travellers should consult the government website for the most up to date information. Unfortunately, there is not a lot travellers can do to protect their flight other than to stay informed.
“It is very important to know where to get your Rapid and PCR tests done which are acceptable for travel as all are not,” said Ford, who has received a flood of American tourism bookings for both 2021 and 2022. “The $200 price tag for a test people are trying to avoid, but for those wanting to travel they are just paying for it.”