Canadian Travel Hacking

Year: 2016

  • WestJet – Gold status match with flight – Ends Sept 23, 2016

    Earn Gold with WestJet.
    Status match is back and this time, it’s even easier to experience Gold. If you have top-tier status in another airline OR a travel rewards program, you’re halfway there.

    160915-tiers-status-match-header-EN
    To take part:

    Send in proof of top tier status in another airline’s frequent flyer program, or travel rewards program, before September 23, 2016.* Be sure to include:
    Your first and last name
    Your 9-digit WestJet Rewards ID (provided to you upon joining WestJet Rewards). If you’re not already a member you can join now.
    A photo or scanned copy of your membership card in another airline’s frequent flyer program or travel rewards program showing your name, top-tier status and valid dates.
    Take at least one WestJet flight between now and October 31, 2016 and you’ll be on your way to enjoying Gold flight benefits through December 2017.*

    Get Gold and enjoy these flight benefits:

    Two free checked bags
    Ten airport lounge passes
    No fee for same-day flight changes requested at check-in
    Advance boarding
    Priority screening (at select airports)
    Four advance seat selection vouchers

    Here is a link to register.

  • Visit National Parks and Historic Sites For Free on July 1 (Canada Day)

    I am so proud to be Canadian and our government needs to show our citizens how gorgeous our country is!

    Parks Canada photo
    Parks Canada photo

    To celebrate this day on July 1st, access to all national parks and national historic sites managed by Parks Canada will be free.

    We have so many national parks and historic sites so this is a nice perk to have this free for just one day (I think the US has many days like this each year).

    Here is a link to all the locations and the activities they have planned.

    I will be in Halifax enjoying the activities at the Civitel.

    What are your plans?

  • NewLeaf Travel is Back – Flights take off July 25, 2016 (Pros and Cons)

    NewLeaf Travel Company Inc. is resuming sales with ultra-low fares and an expanded route map.

    Customers will be able to book flights on the NewLeaf web site from 12 Canadian cities: Halifax, Moncton, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Fort St. John, Abbotsford and Victoria.

    The first flights can now be booked for July 25, 2016.

    I wanted to share some pros and cons of this new airline:

    Pros of New Leaf

    Getting WestJet and Air Canada to lower prices

    It will be interesting to see if when WestJet and Air Canada start to match prices on these routes.

    I did a sample search between Victoria and the furthest East on a direct flight I could go is Winnipeg:

    new-leaf
    This is a great price compared to a comparison on Google Flights.

    google-flights

    They have really brought down the prices by a huge amount!

    Flying Boeing 737-400 passenger jets

    It is impressive that they are using more modern jets and in my experience some of the US-based are still using the older jets (like Allegiant).

    Cons of New Leaf

    No flights available everyday

    One of the positives of the major airlines that I have experienced is that they will help you find an alternative way to get to your destination. I am not sure about New Leaf – time will tell.

    new-leaf-schedule

    If the plane is not working when would the next flight take place?

    From their website

    • NewLeaf and the carrier will make all reasonable efforts to transport the passenger and his/her baggage at the times indicated in timetables.
    • NewLeaf will not guarantee and will not be held liable for cancellations or changes to flight times that appear on passengers’ tickets due to force majeure.

    Large difference in fees for baggage

    The maximum allowable size of a carry-on bag is 23 x 40 x 55 cm (9 x 15.5 x 21.5 inches) including handles and wheels. If the bag exceeds these dimensions or cannot be safely stowed on a particular flight, it will be checked for a $80 fee.

    Yikes! That is a large fee that is almost as much as the flight!

    Large List of Airlines that are now defunct

    The fact that there is a page on Wikipedia does not bode well for this airline! History is not on there side as these 2 major players can match prices for a while to put them out of business.

    What do you think about New Leaf? 

  • RBC Avion to British Airways Avios 30% transfer bonus, Ends July 31, 2016

    Collect 30% more Avios when you convert your RBC Rewards points between now and July, 31 2016.

    760x160-europe-street

    That’s 1.3 Avios for every RBC Rewards point converted.

    As an RBC Avion® cardholder+ you can convert RBC Rewards points to Avios as often as you want. A minimum of 10,000 RBC Rewards points must be converted to receive your 30% bonus Avios.

    Here is a link to the promo.

  • Air Canada grounds Toronto family after passports are stolen

    I read a strange story from the Toronto Star where a family had their passports stolen from their hotel room during an Arizona vacation last April, Air Canada assured them that their return tickets were enough to fly back to Toronto.

    On their departure day, the family of four did make it through Phoenix airport security. But just before an Air Canada agent handed them their printed-out boarding passes, another agent came along — and told them it was “illegal under Canadian law” to travel back to Toronto without passports.

    “Everyone was telling us their concern was U.S. customs and security letting us through,” she told the Star.

    Tharmaseelan’s family isn’t the first to be unexpectedly grounded thanks to mixed messages from Air Canada staff about missing passports. Last year, a Kelowna, B.C., woman who lost her passport on an Air Canada plane wasn’t allowed to board a return flight from Philadelphia — even though, she told Global News, officials had repeatedly assured her she could.

    When Tharmaseelan called the Canadian consulate about her family’s stolen passports, they told her to speak with her airline. An Air Canada rep told her that, because they’d purchased round-trip tickets, all of their information was still logged in Pearson International Airport’s system.

     

    I am not sure what I would do if my passports were stolen but I wouldn’t trust any airline without verifying an emergency passport.

    What would you do if you lost your passport outside of the country?

  • Vancouver Hotels Offering $100-$175 AmEx Gift Cards (ends August 2016)

    For every booking made at one of 36 downtown Vancouver hotels, Travelzoo members will receive American Express Gift Cards valued up to $175.

    vancouver-amex

    What you need to know:

    • Includes a mix of basic, moderate and the most luxurious hotels in the city
    • Gift cards can be used towards any purchase, including the hotel room itself
    • Every additional night booked comes with another $50 AmEx card
    • Covers most dates through August
    • We paired the best available rates with the appropriate gift card
    • Each gift card is valid per stay when you book a minimum of two nights

    $125 AmEx Gift Card for rooms priced $179-$304

    • Ramada Downtown: On Granville, in the entertainment district
    • Sandman Suites Vancouver on Davie: Overlooks English Bay
    • The Sylvia Hotel: Heritage hotel steps from the English Bay seawall

    $150 AmEx Gift Card for rooms priced $329-$450

    • Pinnacle Harbourside: Overlooks Coal Harbour and Stanley Park
    • Residence Inn by Marriott: Studio suites outfitted with kitchens
    • Executive Hotel LeSoleil: Elegant rooms feature marble bathrooms

    $175 AmEx Gift Card for rooms priced $529-$679

    • Pan Pacific Vancouver: Luxury property steps from the cruise ship terminals
    • Fairmont Waterfront Hotel: Chic harbourfront hotel with an outdoor pool
    • Fairmont Pacific Rim: Posh and modern, with a rooftop pool

    Promotion Details

    • Check-in must be before or on August 31st 2016
    • All Bookings must be made a minimum 5 days in advance of the check-in date
    • Bookings can be made using VISA, MasterCard, or American Express
    • This promotion is non-cancellable and non-transferrable
    • All bookings will be made in CAD and any other currency displayed is a representative value
    • Guests will receive their $100, $125, $150 or $175 AMEX Prepaid Gift Card per first 2 nights of booking
    • Guests will receive an additional $50 AMEX Prepaid Gift Card for every additional night after the 2nd night
    • Separate consecutive 2 night bookings at the same hotel will not result in the guest receiving more than one $100, $125, $150 or $175 AMEX Prepaid Gift Card
    • A Maximum of 3 bookings per person is enforced – all subsequent bookings will be converted into normal Best Available Rate bookings (and will apply the corresponding Terms and Conditions) and the guest will not receive an AMEX Prepaid Gift Card

    Click here to find rooms and conditions.

  • Flying WestJet’s Vancouver to London, England has no free meal!

    Imagine flying over 9 hours in Economy and not getting a measly meal!

    westjet-boeing-767-300-March5

    Westjet isn’t offering free meals in economy class on its new long-haul route and it’s the first carrier to do this on a direct flight from Vancouver to Europe. It takes nine to nine and a half hours to get to London’s Gatwick airport.

    “Within Canada, we are the only carrier charging for hot meals in the economy section of our aircraft,” WestJet spokesperson Robert Palmer said in an emailed statement.

    The airline started flying to London from Vancouver on May 6 and it’s running the non-stop service six times weekly until mid October.

    “Our guests have always told us that they do not want to pay for things they do not need or want, and that includes expensive meals,” said Palmer.

    WestJet considers itself a low-cost carrier and says its major competitor, Air Canada, is a legacy carrier and uses a different business model.

    “Fares will include more features, but they’re also more expensive. Comparisons between the two types of carriers are problematic because you’re comparing two different business models,” said Palmer.

    WestJet also points to the Norwegian Air flight from New York to London, on which the company does ask for meal payment on certain fares.

    But other low-cost airlines such as Air Transat, with non-stop service from Vancouver to London, do offer free meals on all flights to Europe.

    Transport Canada says there are no rules around providing free meals on flights.

    How much do these meals cost anyways?

    What do you think? Is this is a dealbreaker for you (all things being equal amongst carriers)?

  • T-Mobile U.S to offer “Tourist Plan”: $30 USD for 3 weeks

    Great deal for Canadians travelling to the US!

    T-Mobile is starting a new “Tourist Plan” for $30 USD for 3 weeks of service (starts June 12th).

    tmobile

    Pros:
    Free Sim
    1,000 Minutes of U.S. calling
    Unlimited International Texting to 1,000
    2 GIGS of 4G/LTE data (after that it’s unlimited 2G data).
    WiFi Hotspot/tethering allowed

    Cons:
    No calling back to Canada (use Fongo)
    Can’t renew the plan (at least the sim is free), goes dead after 3 weeks.
    Only 200 megs of data roaming (areas NOT covered by T-Mobile owned towers)

    Here is a link to the promotion.

  • Air Canada passenger suffers ‘horrible pain’ after being stuck in cramped seat

    Colin Savage has spent a lifetime staying fit and healthy, but one long airplane flight changed that.

    Until recently, the 64-year-old Victoria man would cycle an average of 400 kilometres a week and run marathons. Now he is short of breath and has trouble moving around.

    In January, Savage travelled to Argentina on a hiking trip. The trip home included a 10-hour flight from Chile to Toronto on an Air Canada 777 airplane.

    Knee space on commercial flights

    Knee space is limited on economy flights. Top: Air Canada Rouge, Bottom: Air Canada Economy. (Gabor Lukacs/ Facebook)

    Savage says for most of the flight, passengers were discouraged from getting out of their seats because of turbulence. At 6-2″, that was a problem for Savage.

    “In their seats, my knees were up against the seat in front of me. I was constantly squirming around trying to get comfortable.”

    A day and a half after he returned home, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his lower back. When it was still there the next morning he went to a hospital.

    “I went through horrible pain, I don’t know if you’ve broken a rib, I have, and this pain was a hundred times worse,” Savage says.

    Two CT scans later, doctors told Savage he had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which was likely the result of having to sit for most of the 10-hour flight, and that blood clots had migrated up his leg, through his heart and into his lungs.

    What is DVT?

    DVT is a condition where a blood clot develops within a deep vein, usually in the thigh or leg. It can break off and make its way to the lungs, where it can cause breathing problems.

    According to the World Health Organization, passengers traveling in cramped areas for more than four hours are at risk.

    Dr. James Douketis, president of Thrombosis Canada, says given the number of people who fly, deep vein thrombosis poses a public health risk. (CBC)

    Savage raised the DVT issue with Air Canada and got this response:

    “Medical evidence has shown that deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the result of a pre-existing personal medical condition, related to an individual rather than a transportation system. International courts have confirmed that based on the aforementioned evidence there is no liability to air carriers for DVT that occurs during a flight.”

    This is a very scary condition and personally I always try to walk a little bit but one of my friends who was a pilot always tells me to stretch and stay active for these long flights. The longest flight I took was SFO to SYD and in Premium Economy we had lots of room but for my taller friends I can certainly see how it would be painful.

    I took a flight from Toronto to Cayo Coco in Cuba once with Skyservice and my friend who was 6’3″ had problems in the flight (even my legs were pushed against the seat in front of me.

  • The soundtrack of your next trip is on TripAdvisor with Google Play Music

    Google Play Music teamed up with TripAdvisor to offer Android users a new music experience on the TripAdvisor Android app with locally-themed music stations based on the destination of your choice.

    Starting today, with the TripAdvisor Android app you can access a wide array of well-known and hidden-gem soundtracks for popular cities to listen to whether you’re in travel planning mode or on a road trip exploring the globe. This new app feature is in more than 60 countries around the world where Google Play Music is available.
    trip-advisor-music
    Wherever you go, or whenever you start planning your next vacation, TripAdvisor and Google Play Music have your ultimate holiday soundtrack sorted. Travelers can listen toCafe Italiano while sipping an espresso in Rome, rave to the Underground Club Sounds of Berlin and dance to Sao Paulo Funk.