Summer Travel Tips
Summer is here and Air Canada is offering some tips to help ensure a smoother travel experience.
For the latest operational updates, customers are invited to visit aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook, as well as sign up for specific flight notification alerts. Additional information on what to expect and do in case of flight disruptions is available at http://www.aircanada.com/en/news/160607.html.
Operational news is available in the Daily Travel Outlook under the Flights section at the bottom of the home page at aircanada.com. Before leaving for the airport customers should check the status of their flights on aircanada.com, or on an Internet-enabled mobile device at mobile.aircanada.com, or by calling 1-888-422-7533.
Air Canada encourages customers to provide contact information including their e-mail address and phone number so that they can receive flight delay and cancellation information directly on their mobile devices or via e-mail. To register or for more information, visit aircanada.com/flightnotification.
Air Canada customers can save time by checking-in, selecting/changing their seat, selecting the number of checked baggage and paying any baggage fees within 24 hours of departure time either at aircanada.com or on their mobile devices through mobile.aircanada.com.
Customers should also provide their contact information at time of check-in (mobile/kiosk/web) to ensure they can easily be reached in case of travel disruptions.
In the event of flight disruptions that may be caused by bad weather, customers are invited to rebook themselves using Air Canada’s self-service rebooking tool available on aircanada.com or their mobile device.
During peak travel days, Air Canada recommends that customers arrive early at the airport to avoid problems associated congestion. Information on check-in times are available at: aircanada.com/deadlines.
Customers are reminded to ensure that all their valuables, including electronics, documentation, medication, car keys, money, jewelry, cameras, etc., are with them or in their in carry-on bags and not in their checked bags. To facilitate security inspection, customers carrying gifts on board the aircraft should keep them unwrapped.
Information on checked baggage allowance is available at: http://www.aircanada.com/checked aircanada.com/checked.
Before taking a flight, Air Canada recommends that customers take the time to familiarize themselves with tips for a healthy travel experience provided by the Aerospace Medical Association, or see their doctor if they have a medical condition: http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/onboard/healthtips.html.
The carry-on baggage allowance is one standard article 23cm x 40cm x 55cm weighing a maximum of 10 kg, and one personal article 16cm x 33cm x 43cm weighing a maximum of 10 kg. More information is available at: aircanada.com/carryon. Airport agents will be screening and tagging carry-on baggage and passengers who exceed their allowance will be required to check their carry-on baggage, and additional checked baggage fees may apply.
Small lithium-battery powered vehicles (hoverboards, electric skateboards, airwheels, mini-segways and balance wheels) should be shipped via Air Canada Cargo. Information is available at aircanada.com/cargo.
Personal electronic devices powered by lithium batteries (laptops, ipads, iphones, etc.) and spare batteries must be in carry-on baggage.
Air Canada recommends the use of small, umbrella type strollers as facilities are not designed to accommodate larger, heavy strollers. Collapsible strollers may be checked at the gate and will be delivered to you at the aircraft door at destination. Details of the stroller policy are available at aircanada.com/infant-child.
Air Canada recommends that customers pre-register their sporting equipment by contacting Air Canada Reservations, Air Canada Vacations or their travel agent up to 24 hours prior to departure. Some sporting equipment is entitled to a waiver of oversize and/or additional piece charges. Details are available at aircanada.com/excessbaggage.
As external baggage name tags sometimes become detached, Air Canada recommends that passengers place identification inside their bag. A baggage ID template is available at aircanada.com/baggageid.
Parents travelling with children should ensure they have appropriate documents including a birth certificate showing the name of both parents, legal documents pertaining to custody, or a parental consent letter authorizing travel where the child is travelling alone or with only one parent.
Children travelling outside of Canada with one parent may require legal documentation proving the other parent or guardian’s consent that the child may leave the country. Consult the Embassy or Consulate of the countries the child will be visiting and the Department of Global Affairs at 1-800-267-8376 to determine if such documentation is necessary.
Government regulations stipulate customers can only transport in their carry-on baggage a limited amount of liquid, gel and aerosol items: 100ml/100g (3.4 oz) per article or smaller. Larger containers must be placed in checked baggage. (http://www.tc.gc.ca)
Customers arriving in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto from an international flight with a connecting flight to the US do not go through Canadian Customs and Immigration. Their checked baggage is automatically transferred to their connecting flight.
Any duty-free items purchased before or during a flight that exceed current government regulations will be confiscated at security check points unless they are sealed in Security Tamper Evident bags (STEBs). (catsa.gc.ca/duty-free-purchases)
All international travel requires a valid passport and in some cases other documentation, such as visas, in order to enter the country of destination and/or for transiting connection countries. The IATA Travel Centre search tool offers details regarding country-specific passport, visa and health entry requirement.
Domestic travel requires government-issued photo identification that includes date of birth and gender for all passengers 18 years of age and older. Government regulations require that the name provided in the flight reservation be exactly the same as it appears in the travel documentation. More information is available at aircanada.com/traveldocumentation.
Air Canada encourages customers to complete any travel information form ahead of time at aircanada.com.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint lines can be longer than normal in spring and summer. The TSA recommends arriving at the airport two hours before departure if your flight is in the early morning or evening, when wait times for screening can be up to one hour. Members of Known Traveler Programs, such as Nexus or Global Entry, may experience normal wait times.
The United States requires that travellers provide additional Secure Flight information at least 72 hours before their flight or at time of booking. Note that this requirement applies to many international flights which are deemed to over-fly the US. (aircanada.com/secureflight)
Eligible Air Canada customers enjoy the benefits of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s TSA Pre✓ program which provides accelerated security screening at most US departure airports by allowing customers to keep shoes, belts and light outerwear on, and laptops and liquids in carry-on baggage.
