Travel News

By Wole Oyebade

Varying travel protocols that were put in place by some countries have thrown international travellers into confusion.
The safety protocols, as part of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 infections, are in conflict from one country to another, especially in Europe.

While some countries are getting silent on some COVID-19 requirements for outbound travellers, others insist on the same protocols for inbound travellers, with transit passengers caught in-between.

Most affected by the confusion is the European Union, where the requirements vary from one country to the other. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), yesterday, warned that free movement within Europe was being compromised by the failure of EU member states to harmonise COVID-19 entry regulations.

IATA’s research has found significant differences in how EU member states are managing travel. Around 30 per cent of states using the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate (DCC) are not accepting rapid testing. 19 per cent of states are not exempting children from testing requirements, while 41 per cent of states are not allowing vaccinated travellers from non-EU ‘White-List’ countries to enter.

For the Passenger Locator Forms, 45 per cent accept it online, while 33 per cent accept paper and online submissions. But 11 per cent only accept paper, and a further 11 per cent have no locator forms at all.

IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe, Rafael Schvartzman, said it is essential that countries come together on COVID-19 travel procedures.

“In Europe, the good work done by the Commission and the states to develop the DCC is being wasted by a mess of unharmonised regulations. How can passengers travel with confidence when the rules are so different in each country within the European Union?

“They can’t be sure if their children need to be tested or not, or if they need to fill in a form on paper, online, or not at all. It is one European Union. People reasonably expect a united approach to managing travel,” Schvartzman said.

Specifically, with regard to harmonising requirements around the DCC, IATA and other stakeholders have urged countries and regional blocs to conduct DCC verification digitally before passengers arrive at the airport, to limit operational disruptions and give certainty to passengers that they are ready to fly. Germany and Spain are two countries observing best practice in this area.

Also, stakeholders have asked countries to develop a state portal to facilitate DCC verification directly by national authorities and limit health data processing by airlines, while also integrating digital Passenger Locator Forms into a state portal for DCC verification, which is not currently the case in 80 per cent of European countries.

In addition, EU states need to align on health requirements including: Universal acceptance of rapid testing in place of expensive and unnecessary PCR tests. Universal exemption of minors from testing and vaccination requirements; and the universal opening of borders to vaccinated passengers and to allow travelers from low-risk countries to enter Europe without restriction (or with proof of a negative test from non-vaccinated travelers). The Netherlands, Estonia, Slovenia and Spain are leading the way in aligning these policies.

“The experience over the European summer shows that a standard digital certificate is not enough: the travel processes around COVID-19 must also be harmonised and smoothed out. We urge European states to sort out the current mess and give hard-pressed passengers greater certainty over their travel plans,” said Schvartzman.

Soaring real estate prices in many parts of the country have locked countless Canadians out of the housing market and the wealth gains that come with ownership.

Through passive fractional ownership, investors can cash in on returns without having to qualify for a big mortgage or come up with a huge downpayment, although it doesn't provide a roof over their heads. Investors can also skip the headaches that come with managing a property, yet get a share of rent and gains on the property when it's sold.

Canadian real estate has had a huge run spanning many years but there have been corrections along the way and prices don't always go up, so investing comes with risks.

With that said, investors can buy a piece of a property for as little as a dollar through a platform called addy. The maximum investment is $1,500. Investors pay a $25 fee and can pick and choose which institutional-grade commercial real estate properties they want to invest in.

Michael Stephenson, CEO and co-founder of addy, says he got into the business after talking to frustrated millennials who were either locked out of the market or financially overextended.

"At addy, our goal is to remove barriers to entry and enable Canadians to invest in real estate for an amount that fits their budget so that they can share in the joy of ownership with others," Stephenson told Yahoo Finance Canada.

"We believe everyone should have the opportunity to own property through access to real estate investing at any amount, regardless of income, age, or other conflicts."

Currently, addy is available to residents of B.C., Alberta, and Ontario but Stephenson says demand will dictate an expansion.

Larger real estate investments

Investors looking to make larger bets on Canadian real estate can do so through BuyProperly, which has a minimum investment of $2,500. There's no maximum but an investor can't own more than 49.9 per cent of a property.

"Not only is it economically difficult, the process also is complex and intimidating, and it shouldn't be," Jha told Yahoo Finance Canada.

"This made me search for solutions, but I could not find options that allowed me to enter real estate the way you can invest in stocks, being able to enter small amounts of savings."

>em class="caas-img caas-lazy has-preview caas-loaded" alt="Michael Stephenson, CEO and co-founder of addy says millennials are frustrated." src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/a.2xpIpwX.GSUdOJIEG5iQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2021-09/02a2bc40-17bd-11ec-b435-dc5a38883f7c" loading="lazy" data-caas-lazy-oading-init="1">It's available for investors in B.C., Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, but BuyProperly says it is working to service all of Canada.

Investing in U.S. real estate

>em class="caas-img caas-lazy has-preview caas-loaded" alt="Michael Stephenson, CEO and co-founder of addy says millennials are frustrated." src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/a.2xpIpwX.GSUdOJIEG5iQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2021-09/02a2bc40-17bd-11ec-b435-dc5a38883f7c" loading="lazy" data-caas-lazy-oading-init="1">"The thing that blew my mind and made me fall in love, and it's not possible here in Canada, is from the rents you collect you're able to pay your mortgage payments, your taxes and fees, a third-party property manager and still have enough surplus left over to pay your investors' preferred return," said Benesocky, CEO and co-founder of CPI Capital.

"It's cash flow from day one and it's very difficult to get good cash flow and appreciation with the median home prices being a million to 1.3 million in the best cities here in Canada to buy real estate. You're really just banking on appreciation.

CPI Capital has two multi-family properties; one is in Orlando, Florida and the other is in Charleston, South Carolina. Each are currently sold out to investors, but CPI Capital has a waiting list for upcoming property purchases.

The airline’s General Manager, Shimeles Arage, who confirmed the proposed resumption in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, said that every week there would be a flight on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with B787 Dreamliner.

“Oct. 1 is Nigeria’s Independence Day and the flight to Enugu on that day will reinforce Ethiopian Airline good relations with Nigeria since the first flight to Nigeria in 1960,” he said.

Arage recalled that the airline stopped flights to Enugu in 2019 when the Nigerian aviation authorities closed the airport to refurbish the runway.

He said before the closure of the airport for runway repairs, Ethiopian was the only international airline flying to Enugu.

NAN reports that the airport was officially re-opened to domestic flights in 2020 and to international flights in Aug. 2021. (NAN)

Travellers who have stayed or visited Brazil, South Africa and Turkey in the last 14 days have been restricted from entering Nigeria, the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, has declared.

This is even as the PSC has exempted India from the list of restricted countries, after the country successfully controlled the spreading of the third wave of COVID-19.

The chairman of the PSC, Boss Mustapha, said: “Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, Turkey or South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria.

“This regulation, however, does not apply to passengers who transited through these countries.”

The PSC chairman, who said this protocol comes into effect from September 14, 2021; also said “airlines who fail to comply shall mandatorily pay a penalty of $3,500 for each defaulting passenger; and Non-Nigerians will be denied entry and returned to the country of embarkation at cost to the airline.

“Nigerians and those with permanent resident permit who visited Brazil, Turkey and South Africa within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria shall be made to undergo seven days of mandatory quarantine in a government approved facility at the point-of-entry city and at cost to the passenger.”

The PSC also said: “All intending passengers (including diplomats and children less than 10 years old) must register via an online national travel portal (Nigeria International Travel Portal – https://nitp.ncdc.gov.ng) and proceed to fill in the online Health Declaration/Self-Reporting form located on the portal.

“They should ensure that the information/contact details provided on the form are correct and verifiable. Passengers must provide valid phone numbers, residential addresses and functional e-mails where they can be contacted.

“Passengers must also inform Port Health officials on arrival of any change in their health status since completion of the Health Declaration/Self-Reporting Form. Passengers who falsify their status as diplomats will face prosecution.”

Also, as part of the protocol, “passengers who fail to show up for this test will face travel restrictions on their passports for at least 6 months and will not be able to travel abroad for this period. Non-Nigerian passport holders will have their visas revoked.”

United Airlines will begin flight operations from the Virginia, United States to Lagos, Nigeria. 

The announcement was made on the verified Twitter account of the US Mission in Nigeria on Saturday.

According to the tweet, the airline operation will commence on November 29.

It stated that the “nonstop flights” will fly from Dulles international airport, Virginia, to Lagos, while adding that the “tickets will be available for booking in a few days.”

“Awesome! A welcome addition to increasing the burgeoning connections between the US and Nigeria!” the tweet reads.

“We are pleased to see that United Airlines will launch from Dulles International Airport to Lagos starting November 29. Tickets will be available for booking in a few days.”

On its part, United Airlines, while corroborating the news on its verified Twitter account, disclosed that it would operate flights on Monday, Thursday and Saturday every week.

The tweet established that the flight will be three per week — Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays — on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

“Make room for one more, Dulles Airport! Our nonstop to Lagos, Nigeria, is now for sale,” it stated.

“The first flight takes off November 29, with service on a 787-8 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.”

BEIJING (AP) — An Air France-KLM flight returned to Beijing shortly after takeoff on Saturday after smoke filled the cabin, the airline said.

The Boeing 777 connecting Beijing Airport with Paris-Charles de Gaulle suffered a technical failure linked to overpressure in one of the air conditioning pipes, which spread residue and dust in the cabin, the airline said in a statement.

It landed normally at 4:03 a.m. local time, the statement said. No injuries were reported.

The passengers will be rerouted to Paris later Saturday on board another Boeing 777. Maintenance will be carried out on the aircraft before it is returned to service, the airline said.

The Associated Press

(Bloomberg) -- The Senate parliamentarian has blocked Democrats from including a plan to provide legal status to as many as 8 million undocumented immigrants as part of legislation encompassing President Joe Biden’s economic agenda.

Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough issued an opinion Sunday that the broad and long-stalled immigration overhaul doesn’t qualify for inclusion in a massive tax and spending plan under the Senate rules that Democrats are using to bypass a Republican filibuster.

The parliamentarian said the proposal by Democrats “is a policy change that substantially outweighs the budgetary impact of that change.”

The Senate Democrats’ plan would have granted status to undocumented immigrants including young “Dreamers,” migrant farm workers, some immigrants deemed “essential workers” and others with temporary protected status.

The parliamentarian’s decision means the immigration plan would require 60 votes rather than the simple majority allowed for the fast-track procedure known as reconciliation. The Senate is split 50-50 between the two parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break ties, and the broad GOP opposition to the immigration overhaul would doom it.

Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said Democrats could craft a “Plan B” immigration overhaul. But another attempt could fail or, at the very least, make it even tougher for Democratic leaders to move ahead with any speed on the larger package.

The Democrats’ immigration plan has broad support in both chambers, and leaving it out of the will cause howls of protests from progressives whose plans for a much more sizable economic plan has already fallen by the wayside.

In making their case to the parliamentarian, Democrats argued unsuccessfully that immigration should qualify for filibuster protection because their proposal has a significant budgetary impact. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the 8 million immigrants once they get legal status would qualify for nearly $140 billion dollars in federal means-tested benefits, the Senate Democratic aides said. That includes Obamacare, Medicaid, refundable tax credits and supplemental security income.

In 2005, the parliamentarian accepted a similar argument in allowing an immigration provision to move ahead. MacDonough said that case did not set a precedent. 

MacDonough is the Senate’s adviser on the interpretation of rules and procedures. As Democrats continue their work on the economic package, Republicans are likely to make other challenges before her in other areas including climate change.

by  Adveith Nair, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- Emirates plans to ramp up flights to the United States as travel restrictions ease further and ahead of the World Expo event in Dubai that’s expected to draw millions of visitors. 

The airline will increase flights to a number of U.S. destinations from October and aims to restore more than 90% of its pre-Covid frequencies to the country by early December. The U.S. this month lowered its travel warning for the United Arab Emirates to level 3 from 4. 

Emirates was hit hard by the pandemic, with widespread border curbs preventing travelers to make the intercontinental journeys in which the carrier specializes. As demand for travel picks up, it has ramped up operations and plans to recruit 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport services employees to join its Dubai hub over the next six months.

Daily cases have been dropping in the UAE, which has rolled out one of the world’s fastest vaccination programs. Dubai, one of the country’s seven emirates, is preparing to host the Expo event in October and aims to attract 25 million visits over six months.

The U.S. is planning to ease travel restrictions for international visitors who are vaccinated against Covid-19, including those from the U.K. and EU, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Non-citizens visiting the United States will have to show proof of vaccination and the changes will take effect in early November, according to the person.

The White House didn’t immediately comment.

Airlines and other travel-industry groups have clamored for the U.S. to lift the restrictions for months. The Trump administration had first issued the rules in March 2020. President Joe Biden upheld those rules in January, shortly after taking office.

European and British officials have eased entry rules to make it easier for U.S. travelers to visit since vaccines became widely available this spring but the U.S. hadn’t reciprocated.

Allowing more international travelers into the U.S. would have wide-ranging impacts. A ban on much of non-U.S. citizen travel has had wide-reaching impacts on industries including airlines, retail and restaurants.

In June, the U.S., U.K., EU, Mexico and Canada announced a joint task force to study how to safely reopen travel.

This is breaking news. Check back for updates.

By Josh Wingrove

• Biden team set to ease travel restrictions on U.K., Europe
•  Rules replace ban on travel to U.S. by certain foreigners

The U.S. will soon allow entry to most foreign air travelers as long as they’re fully vaccinated against Covid-19 -- while adding a testing requirement for unvaccinated Americans and barring entry for foreigners who haven’t gotten shots.

The measures, announced Monday by the White House, are the most sweeping change to U.S. travel policies in months, and widen the gap in rules between vaccinated people -- who will see measures relaxed -- and the unvaccinated. The new rules will replace existing bans on foreigners’ travel to the U.S. from certain regions, including Europe.

While the move will open the U.S. to millions of vaccinated people, the White House cast the measure as a crackdown, pointing to stricter testing rules and a new contact tracing regime. The new policy will take effect in “early November,” according to the White House, though the precise date isn’t yet clear.

“We know vaccines are effective, including against the delta variant, and vaccines are the best line of defense against Covid, so this vaccination requirement deploys the best tool we have in our arsenal to keep people safe and prevent the spread of the virus,” White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters on Monday.  

The new rules will replace the current system, which includes outright bans on entry for foreigners who’ve been in certain regions, such as the U.K. and European Union, within the previous two weeks, regardless of vaccination status. 

“We will protect Americans here at home and enhance the safety of international travel,” Zients said.

News of the policy change caused U.S. airline shares to pare premarket losses. The Standard & Poor’s index of the country’s five biggest airlines rose less than 1% at 11:14 a.m. in New York, overcoming a global stock rout on anxiety over U.S. monetary policy and China’s real estate market. American Airlines Group Inc. climbed about 2%. 

IAG SA, parent of trans-Atlantic specialist British Airways, gained about 11%, the most in 10 months, while Air France-KLM rose as much as 7% and Deutsche Lufthansa AG advanced 8.9%.

Before the coronavirus crisis hit, the North Atlantic corridor connecting the U.S. and Europe was the single most profitable part of the global aviation market, filled with premium travelers paying top dollar for first- and business-class seats.

The European Union’s top industry official welcomed the policy change. “A logical decision given the success of our EU vaccination campaign,” said Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton in a tweet. He said he’d be meeting with Zients Monday “to continue fighting the pandemic.”

British Airways Chief Executive Officer Sean Doyle called the U.S. move an “historic moment” and said customers could now book with confidence, while his Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. counterpart Shai Weiss said the industry had cleared a “major milestone to the reopening of travel at scale.”

“We welcome the Biden administration’s science-based approach to begin lifting the restrictions on travel to the U.S. that were put into place at the start of the pandemic,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to welcoming more customers back to easy, seamless international trips for business, for leisure, and to reconnect with family and friends.” 

Biden’s announcement comes ahead of a planned virtual vaccine summit he’ll host this Wednesday, where he will push for more global donations in a bid to head off criticism of U.S. hoarding, and a decision to proceed with booster shots despite the World Health Organization urging to hold off for now.

Under the new system, vaccinated travelers will still need a pre-flight Covid-19 test, within three days of departure, and will need to provide a phone number and email to begin to create a contact-tracing system that does not exist now. The vaccine requirement applies to adults, a person familiar with the plan said. 

Unvaccinated American travelers will need to test within one day of departure, and will be required to test again once they arrive, Zients said.

Key details of the new system remain unclear, including what vaccines the U.S. will recognize and whether it will insist on two doses in all cases, including for people who’ve previously been infected with the virus. It’s not clear what exemptions will be allowed. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will determine the definition of fully vaccinated for international travelers, Zients said.

There’s no change to the policy along land borders, Zients said. That suggests that, as of November, vaccinated Canadians and Mexicans will be free to fly to the U.S., but that a ban on crossing the border by land for leisure trips will remain in place.

Throughout the pandemic, carriers on both sides of the Atlantic have lobbied forcefully for a relaxation of travel curbs that have been in place since March 2020. While Britain and the EU lifted restrictions on visiting Americans this summer, the U.S. held off from any reciprocal loosening amid a rise in Covid-19 cases. U.S. infections have been leveling off, though cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain high.

The policy change in Washington is coming after Britain indicated it would ease testing requirements for vaccinated arrivals, and simplify its system for regulating travel from different countries.

European countries in particular have complained that the U.S. maintained travel restrictions on their vaccinated citizens even after they began allowing entry to vaccinated Americans.