Carry on: Canada requires electronic entry visa

From March next year, Canada is requiring all non-US foreign citizens travelling there by air to apply for a new entry requirement. Known as an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), 
it applies to all visa-exempt foreign nationals from March 15, 2016.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada is encouraging all potential visitors to apply online, providing basic personal information similar to what is currently collected when they arrive in Canada.

The application process is described as convenient and paperless, and most applicants will have their eTA approved within minutes. In addition, the new eTA system means travellers to Canada can expect a faster service upon arrival at the border.

The eTA is electronically linked to the traveller’s passport and is valid for five years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. The cost is $C7.
Last minute applications can be made on any device with an internet connection, including mobile phones. Most applicants can expect an email response within minutes of applying.

Etihad offers ‘tailor-made fares’
Gulf carrier Etihad is taking ticketing to new levels of choice – or confusion. From September 14, it will offer eight versions on its international network: economy breaking deals, economy saver, economy value and economy freedom; business breaking deals, business saver and business freedom; while in first class the only fare will be freedom.

The different fares will allow passengers "to tailor their bookings to their individual needs...are transparent and differ in baggage allowance, flexibility and included benefits that otherwise need to be purchased separately,” it says.

Etihad's Peter Baumgartner says: "When it comes to booking a flight, not everyone's needs are the same. Some guests want to travel light and on a budget, while others want to be able to make last-minute travel decisions, carry extra baggage or earn more miles."

Etihad winds back winter flights to Ireland, Scotland
Travellers to Scotland and Ireland during the northern winter will find fewer flights on Etihad via Abu Dhabi.  The Dublin service will be reduced from twice-daily to 12/13-times weekly between December 1 and 31. The Edinburgh service will be cut from daily to five-times weekly between October 25 and March 26.

Etihad is also cutting some flights to Chengdu and Kuala Lumpur. From October 26 until January 25 and February 22 until March 26, the Chengdu service will reduce from daily to four-times weekly. The twice-daily Kuala Lumpur route will be reduce to 12-times weekly between October 25 and November 15 and from January 10 until March 26.

KLM upgrades Dreamliner orders
Dutch carrier KLM has ordered six B787-10 Dreamliners to replace six of the 21 B787-9s it has on order with Boeing. The airline is scheduled to take delivery of its first B787-9 later this year and says it expects to receive the B787-10s by 2020.

Last month, KLM announced it would install its new World Business Class seats on its B787-9. These will be fully-flat, have direct aisle access and feature 16-inch in-flight entertainment screens. Business class will be configured 1-2-1 while economy will have a 3-3-3 configuration with seats that recline 40% more than currently. KLM will operate its first B787-9 from Schiphol (Amsterdam) to Bahrain, Cairo and Xiamen (China).

Air China-SAA restore codeshare
Star Alliance members Air China and South African Airways (SAA) will resume codeshare partnership on October 29, after a near seven-month hiatus. This followed SAA’s cancellation of its Beijing service in March 2015. Air China will begin three weekly services on the Beijing-Johannesburg route when the codeshare service resumes. The codeshare also applies to flights within South Africa from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, while in China it will apply to flights from Beijing to Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou
and Shanghai Pu Dong.

Route news of the week
Emirates will introduce a second daily Airbus A380 service on the Dubai-Frankfurt route from January 1 by switching the afternoon/evening service that now uses a Boeing 777-300ER. A third daily service will continue to use a B777300ER. Etihad is expanding its Abu Dhabi-Tehran service from 10 to 14 times weekly from March 1, 2016. Etihad is also increasing its capacity on the Abu Dhabi-Sao Paulo route by moving from a Boeing 777-200LR to a B777-300ER. The change applies from September 10 to October 24.

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