Thought of the Day - June 29 2021 - Let's Get Those Bookings Done!

Recently I have seen amazing flight specials, not just internationally but right here are home. Book at the last minute or book well in advance and you will be rewarded with deep discounts. On WestJet, it currently costs $117 to fly one-way from Toronto to Calgary. A flight from Toronto to Vancouver only costs about $10 more. Meanwhile, a non-stop flight from Toronto to Kelowna will only set you back about $134.

So what is the catch?

Well, one of the issues with the reopening is increased bookings, meaning more passengers on the same flights you are looking at. And the consequence - after a period of declining potential infection issues on flights - with the increased bums in seats (aka "packing density"), the risk is again increasing.

Until recently BC had seen declining numbers of "exposure flights", largely due to the public warnings against travel. Now the "gloves are off" we can see the first indicators of potential issues.

According to the BC CDC, self-isolation, if you have been on a domestic exposure flight, centers around avoiding contact with other people in your home. Largely sleeping in another room. But with the more infectious variants - specifically the Delta family ( Thought of the Day - June 25 2021 - Delta, Delta, Delta ) - this has proven to be a thing of the past. With twice the transmissibility of the original strain from China, comes a higher risk of aerosolized infection, particularly indoors where air dilution is minimal. Whole household spread is now happening. Alberta, for example, has added the following to its self-isolation guidelines "Because variant strains spread more easily it is even more important to isolate completely away from others in your household . . . If you cannot isolate away from others in your house, consider a different location, such as an isolation hotel."

In the same vein, social distancing measures previously used by the airlines may also prove not to be as effective.

Don't get me wrong, your chances of serious illness or hospitalization are still slim, but the chance of infection, and the chance of spreading, still remain.

Happy booking.

Cheers

Cliff