Air Canada Hopes COVID-19 Test Could End Canadian Quarantine - Simple Flying | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Air Canada Hopes COVID-19 Test Could End Canadian Quarantine – Simple Flying

Published

 on


Advertisement:

Air Canada wants to run its own voluntary COVID-19 testing program to encourage the unwinding of onerous border restrictions. The airline plans to set up testing stations for arriving passengers. They want to use these tests to help persuade Canada’s Government to relax its ban on most international arrivals.

Air Canada will begin voluntary testing of international arrivals in Toronto in September. Photo: Air Canada Newsroom

Tough border controls hit Air Canada hard

Canada is barring entry at its borders to all but essential travelers and Canadian citizens. Those select few allowed in must then self isolate for 14-days. But the restrictions, which have been in effect since March, are hitting Air Canada hard.

Air Canada’s second-quarter 2020 results noted year on year passenger numbers were down 96%. In addition, year on year total revenue was down 89%, and the airline posted an operating loss of US$1.18 billion across the quarter.

Air Canada’s CEO, Calin Rovinescu, called it an impossible operating environment.

“Canada’s federal and inter-provincial restrictions have been among the most severe in the world, effectively shutting down most commercial aviation in our country,” he said in a statement seen by Simple Flying.

But the Canadian Government is showing scant interest in relaxing border restrictions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will continue to do what needs to be done to keep people safe. But Air Canada wants a smarter, more science-based approach to border restrictions. The airline thinks you can walk and chew gum at the same time by allowing some movement while keeping people safe.

Advertisement:

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.

Air Canada wants border restrictions eased as sees COVID-19 testing as a way to achieve this. Photo: Air Canada Newsroom

Air Canada to set up COVD-19 testing station in Toronto

Air Canada Chief Financial Officer Michael Rousseau spoke at a Raymond James conference on Tuesday. Raymond James is a Florida based investment bank. Mr Rousseau told the conference Air Canada was working with Toronto’s Pearson Airport. The airline plans to begin offering voluntary COVID-19 tests to passengers arriving in Toronto from September 7.

Following the airport test, there would be two further tests while the passenger self isolates. A Raymond James analyst said in a followup note cited in The New York Times;

Advertisement:

“The data collected will convince the government to take more of a science-based approach with the 14-day quarantine requirement waived or reduced for those with successful negative tests.”

Air Canada hopes that the initiative will demonstrate to the Canadian Government that there are alternative ways of managing COVID-19.

Are COVID-19 airport testing stations, like this one in Frankfurt, the way forward? Photo: Lufthansa Newsroom

Are COVID-19 airport testing stations the way forward?

In the absence of a vaccine, testing regimes may offer the best way forward for travel to resume and border restrictions to relax. Airports and airlines are beginning to roll testing stations out. But, as previously reported in Simple Flying, these initiatives operate in isolation rather than as part of a formal inter-governmental framework.

But Air Canada clearly thinks it needs to get on the front foot and take the initiative here. The airline has adopted rigorous cleaning procedures across aircraft operating those flights still running. In addition, Air Canada is involved in various medical collaborations to tackle the COVID-19 threat.

These collaborations include working with the Toronto-based Cleveland Clinic Canada, BlueDot, and Spartan Bioscience to explore airport-friendly rapid COVID-19 testing procedures.

Air Canada has a vested economic interest in getting border restrictions relaxed. But the airline joins an increasing number of businesses and organizations worldwide calling for a more science-based approach to border restrictions. They argue we must learn to manage the spread of COVID-19 better while getting people moving again.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)



Source link

Business

Netflix’s subscriber growth slows as gains from password-sharing crackdown subside

Published

 on

 

Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.

The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.

Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.

The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.

The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.

The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.

The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.

Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.

In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.

“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.

As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.

Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store

Published

 on

Product Name: All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store

Click here to get All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store at discounted price while it’s still available…

All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors.

All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Business

CPC Practice Exam

Published

 on

Product Name: CPC Practice Exam

Click here to get CPC Practice Exam at discounted price while it’s still available…

All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors.

CPC Practice Exam is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version