In late October 2021, I had the opportunity to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to sail on an inaugural Celebrity cruise. My experience, however, started well before that with my flight down to Florida.

Flight to Fort Lauderdale on Air Transat

My flight from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale was on Air Transat. The process started the day before with an online check-in process and health screening. Upon arrival at Terminal 3, I checked-in at the Transat counter where my passport, proof of double vaccination as well as my negative Covid-19 antigen test were checked. I also signed an attestation that I was vaccinated and had completed the Covid-19 test. After dropping my bag off, I headed to security and US Customs & Immigration. I’m going to leave that story for another day!

My Air Transat flight was completely full which was a bit unnerving at first. However, it became very clear that they were taking health and safety very seriously. I was impressed that they made clear announcements about the expectation of wearing your mask the entire time except to lower it to eat or drink. We were warned that if you did not comply, you would be greeted by authorities when we landed.

 

All passengers were given a little sealed kit with a disposable mask, a packet of hand sanitizer, and a couple of sanitizer wet wipes to wipe your tray. This was very handy to have. They even had a short video as part of the safety briefing

Mask Exemptions - a story

On an interesting note, the woman ahead of me was asked to pull her mask up and she informed the attendant that she had a “mask exemption”. The attendant requested the card issued at check-in and she admitted she had not informed the airline of her exemption. The flight attendant was fabulous in explaining and showing her the written policy that you needed to register a completed medical exemption form signed by a physician with the airline several days before. Air Transat would issue a waiver card at check-in that could be given to the flight crew. The essential message was you cannot just show up at the airport or onboard and declare an exemption. There are processes you need to go through. 

 

My first flight in two years was uneventful and overall I felt very safe. .

Return to Toronto via Air Canada Rouge

Returning to Toronto I was on a flight from Miami on Air Canada Rouge. Check-in followed a similar routine where they checked my documents as well as negative PCR Covid-19 test (a current requirement to return to Canada). 

 

Luckily this flight was practically empty and I had the exit row to myself! Air Canada Rouge also handed out a little health kit with similar items that I received on Transat. The flight attendant made a very similar announcement about the expectations of mask wearing while onboard the flight. 

 

The flight was flawless and we had no issues.

My Overall Take

Many of our clients have upcoming flights booked on Air Transat or Air Canada Rouge for their flights to the Caribbean or US and I wanted to share my experiences. I found both airlines to have excellent protocols in place to keep everyone safe. Know that with a little preparation, the flying experience can be easy and safe.

Since the travel landscape is constantly changing, it’s important that you have the most accurate, up-to-date information available. Booking your travel with Vacations for Canadians will ensure that you are prepared and have the most up-to-date information and requirements.