US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA352

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000352 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE EB/TRA, WHA/CAN 
 
HOMELAND SECURITY FOR OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, INTERNATIONAL 
AFFAIRS (BOYD) 
 
TRANSPORTATION FOR U/S POLICY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, ETRD, CA, Visa, Transportation 
SUBJECT: Air Canada adds/alters flights to avoid U.S. Transit 
visas 
 
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Summary 
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1.  Air Canada is adding to and altering flights schedules 
to accommodate travelers seeking to avoid transit of the 
United States.  Air Canada is explicitly touting new non- 
stop Asian flights as providing "the added convenience of 
avoiding U.S. transit visa requirements." Air Canada says 
the increased complications or restrictions that the U.S. 
has put on travelers transiting the U.S. has "definitely 
helped us."  End summary. 
 
 
2.  In an early January 2005 press release trumpeting growth 
in non-stop flights between Canada and China, Ben Smith, 
Vice President of Planning for Air Canada, stated: 
"Combined with our major expansion of services throughout 
Latin America, also via our Toronto hub, Air Canada offers 
international travelers between Asia and South America the 
added convenience of avoiding U.S. transit visa 
requirements."  Also, with respect to the recent addition of 
direct service to Australia he remarked "it means 
significant added convenience for citizens of Australia and 
other travelers impacted by U.S. government visa 
requirements when transiting via the United States." 
Current Air Canada service to Australia requires a stop in 
Honolulu. 
 
3.  Effective June 2, 2005 Air Canada will introduce non- 
stop service between Toronto and Beijing.  Air Canada will 
operate four non-stop flights per week from Toronto to the 
Chinese capital, complementing its daily non-stop flights to 
Beijing and Shanghai from Vancouver, and twice daily Hong 
Kong flights including new non-stop service from Toronto. 
Air Canada is boosting seating capacity between Canada and 
China by 16 per cent and providing freight forwarders with 
45 per cent more cargo tonnage from one year ago.  Twice 
weekly non-stop direct flights to Australia commenced 
December 16, 2004. 
 
4.  Air Canada is Canada's flag carrier; it is the 13th 
largest commercial airline in the world and serves more than 
27 million customers annually.  From its main hub in 
Toronto, the carrier operates non-stop flights to Hong Kong, 
Tokyo, Seoul and Delhi, (a new service and the only non-stop 
link between North America and India).  From its Pacific 
Asian gateway in Vancouver, Air Canada serves Hong Kong, 
Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Seoul with daily 
non-stop flights.  On January 21, 2005, China granted Canada 
"approved destination status" which allows Chinese citizens 
to travel to Canada as tourists; previously they could only 
visit for business purposes. 
 
5.  Comment:  We understand that Spanish airline Iberia is 
also adding or altering routes in order to offer passengers 
the convenience of avoiding U.S. Transit visa requirements, 
by moving away from the Miami transit hub (where connections 
are made to the Caribbean, and Central and South America). 
Brazilian airline VARIG and Japan Airlines (JAL) are 
reportedly considering dropping Los Angeles as a stop on 
their Sao Paulo - Narita route because of the US$100 transit 
visa requirement.  It seems a reasonable assumption on the 
part of Air Canada that for similar reasons many Asian 
travelers may likewise choose to use Vancouver or Toronto as 
the jumping off point to South America rather than Los 
Angeles or Miami. 
 
Cellucci