NEWS He again noted what the travel industry already knew: that so-called vaccination passports have long been used for international travel, notably the ‘yellow card’ to show proof against illness like yellow fever for international travel. “We have already seen the importance of vaccinations for international travel,” said Trudeau. “When it comes to the details, we are still working on them,” he added. “NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE THINKING ABOUT TRAVEL” Health Minister Patty Hajdu reiterated the government’s message, taking the wording a step beyond the usual ‘now is not the time to travel’. “Now is not the time for Canadians to be thinking about travel,” said Hajdu. The travel industry has taken issue with this kind of messaging, as it jeopardizes not just bookings for travel now, which are understandably almost nil, but also future travel. The retail travel sector has been decimated by the pandemic, and generating client interest in travel for later in 2021 and into 2022 has been a lifeline for the battered industry. Last month Hajdu said the G7 countries, including Canada, have made a commitment to stay connected and collaborate on the issue of vaccination passports.
“We want to make sure Canadians have [any necessary] documents for international travel.” Last week Hajdu said: “We are committed to having these conversations [about vaccination passports] with our international partners.” When decisions are made at the international level, Hajdu added, “we want to make sure Canadians have those documents for international travel.” Trudeau was also asked whether proof of vaccination would be sufficient for Canadians currently abroad who want to come home to Canada. “We will rely on the evidence at every stage,” said Trudeau. He said Canada will continue its talks with the U.S. on the subject, noting that the U.S. “may take measures before us.”
Lucie Guillemette, EVP and CCO, Air Canada and President, ACV
ACV is protecting commissions too, plus it has a new president MONTREAL — ACV has a new president: Lucie Guillemette. Guillemette is already a very familiar name in the industry and at Air Canada, where she has served as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer since 2017. She’s been a member of Air Canada’s executive team since 2008. Guillemette will tackle all three roles, replacing Craig Landry at ACV, who retains his other title as EVP, Operations at Air Canada. Landry had served as president of ACV since late 2015. ACV says the change in leadership comes as a result of a commercial reassessment and adapting of strategies following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nino Montagnese, Vice President – ACV, will report directly to Guillemette as he did to Landry, and retains his responsibility to lead the senior leadership team at ACV in all aspects of the day-to-day management of company. “Lucie’s expertise in leading the team and her accumulated knowledge in revenue, product, distribution, sales and network management will be a tremendous asset in establishing a solid future for Air Canada Vacations,” said Landry. “I look forward to leading this agile team with a strong entrepreneurial spirit into its next chapter. Now is the
time to strengthen our relationships and lay the groundwork for our full recovery by leveraging the commercial synergies that exist between Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations. I am certainly very pleased to have Air Canada Vacations join the Air Canada commercial team,” said Guillemette. On the heels of the April 12 financial assistance announcement from Air Canada and the federal government, ACV notified the trade that ACV would be offering refunds as well, in the wake of the pandemic. Effective April 13 ACV began accepting and processing refund requests from eligible customers whose vacations were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. ACV’s revised policy covers trips cancelled by ACV or by the customer. Customers have the option to request a refund for any reason if their booking was made before April 13, 2021 for travel on or after February 1, 2020. “We are pleased to announce that we will not be recalling commissions from agents once refunds are processed,” says ACV in its statement, following a similar policy announced by Air Canada. ACV added that it is reaching out directly to travel agents with eligible affected customers, to guide them through the refund request process. ACV is also providing a FAQ document outlining all terms and conditions and further information regarding the announcement. April 15, 2021 | TRAVELWEEK | 11
