Traveling/Flights to Canada from India during COVID 19

[mage]

What are your travel plans then?

Trying to make one, I guess.
All I know is that I need at least 4-5 days after booking and before travel to do things which are dependent on travel dates.
If I can't make up my mind in next 2 days, I'll put the whole immigration affair on a backburner and move on with rest of the life for now. I don't think, I would want to travel before next Feb in that case.
What's yours?

 

[pumpkin_latte]

What's yours?

COPR expiring last week of September. Luckily, I am at home, so no worries about rent. If regular flights don't open up before my travel date in first week of September (with British Airways), I will let the visa lapse and seek an extension when regular flights resume. I am aware that that may take a few more months, but I can do some mini-projects or something else to keep my impending unemployment less stressful. Air India flights are not an option for me because of my general distrust of the way they operate and I am not desperate to put my money and my health at risk to land in Canada under extreme circumstances, The fact that I'm in Chennai and that getting to Delhi for one of these flights is also troublesome (no feeder flights from Chennai to Delhi per my understanding).

Also, don't want to Abhimanyu myself: if someone I get to Canada and things go terribly wrong, I won't be able to come back to India unless it's via Air India VB. What sweet irony that will be.

Edit: Also, realized that getting jobs in Canada any later than September would be difficult. Plus winter will set in. Maybe in a way this is a blessing. Wait it out, land in early 2021 at the start of the hiring season?

 

[mage]

COPR expiring last week of September. Luckily, I am at home, so no worries about rent. If regular flights don't open up before my travel date in first week of September (with British Airways), I will let the visa lapse and seek an extension when regular flights resume. I am aware that that may take a few more months, but I can do some mini-projects or something else to keep my impending unemployment less stressful. Air India flights are not an option for me because of my general distrust of the way they operate and I am not desperate to put my money and my health at risk to land in Canada under extreme circumstances, The fact that I'm in Chennai and that getting to Delhi for one of these flights is also troublesome (no feeder flights from Chennai to Delhi per my understanding).

Also, don't want to Abhimanyu myself: if someone I get to Canada and things go terribly wrong, I won't be able to come back to India unless it's via Air India VB. What sweet irony that will be.

Thank you for sharing it!
For what it's worth, I think that it's a good plan in your situation at the moment.
Also as I'm sure you know already, most (non-immediate) plans, particularly in current times are giong to require regular adjustment or re-assessment which no doubt you'll undertake as time goes on, some things being more flexible than others.
I hope you don't have to delay things for too long. Cheers and good luck!

 

[D2691]

Delhi Toronto VBM phase -5 flights already sold out?
It’s only been 20 mins past 2pm.

 

[Amir681796]

Delhi Toronto VBM phase -5 flights already sold out?
It’s only been 20 mins past 2pm.

Its not open yet for Canada. Only USA and UK bookings are open.

 

[mage]

Delhi Toronto VBM phase -5 flights already sold out?
It’s only been 20 mins past 2pm.

I'm reasonably confident that schedule for VBM-5 flights to/fro Canada hasn't been announced yet.
They opened bookings for London at 2'o clock and I already see folks complaining on twitter that the days they are looking at, it's sold out.

 

[D2691]

I'm reasonably confident that schedule for VBM-5 flights to/fro Canada hasn't been announced yet.
They opened bookings for London at 2'o clock and I already see folks complaining on twitter that the days they are looking at, it's sold out.

I thought all phase-5 bookings were to start at 2pm IST.
this is just nerve wrecking sigh...

 

[navyasri99]

I know I saw a post about an example of travelling via Frankfurt. I m still skeptical about booking an AI flight upto Frankfurt and a connection with Air Canada. No one is confirming if they will tag luggage directly. Tried airports, customer care of airlines and even airline counters in airports. No one is willing to confirm except my travel agent (whom I don't know personally, so not sure if I can trust).

Does anyone know folks who have transited via London/Paris/Frankfurt and if their luggage was tagged directly from India to final destination?

Our COPR expires in a week, so I have to take the decision today if I am to travel.

 

[mage]

Hey y'all, does anybody here knows, how to stay on top of the flight schedule approvals and bookings-open-time for foreign carriers?
Seems to me like AI is using it's twitter handle for updates and also getting retweeted by the aviation minister, MoCA and others, but updates for foreign carriers aren't getting passed on there. AI announced flights for UK yesterday & USA today for August, but no updates for similar flights operated by foreign carriers like United.
Also, I don't remember any UK based carrier being announced for these repatriation flights or did they (MoCA) allow Lufthansa/Air France/KLM to take people from India to UK?

I hope somebody here knows which source(s) to tune in to. I've been relying on twitter for the last month or so.

 

[D2691]

I know I saw a post about an example of travelling via Frankfurt. I m still skeptical about booking an AI flight upto Frankfurt and a connection with Air Canada. No one is confirming if they will tag luggage directly. Tried airports, customer care of airlines and even airline counters in airports. No one is willing to confirm except my travel agent (whom I don't know personally, so not sure if I can trust).

Does anyone know folks who have transited via London/Paris/Frankfurt and if their luggage was tagged directly from India to final destination?

Our COPR expires in a week, so I have to take the decision today if I am to travel.

Yes, I have few acquaintances who have Successfully travelled through Frankfurt Using vbm till Frankfurt and then air canada from there , all they said was make sure you carry/show both your tickets And ask them personally at the airport to tag your luggage’s till Canada.

 

[navyasri99]

Yes, I have few acquaintances who have Successfully travelled through Frankfurt Using vbm till Frankfurt and then air canada from there , all they said was make sure you carry/show both your tickets And ask them personally at the airport to tag your luggage’s till Canada.

Hi, thanks for confirming! one query, did they book via Travel agents or by themselves?

 

[SithLord]

I had earlier contacted Hong Kong immigration department about transiting. Here's their response;

Thank you for contacting us.

We would like to inform you that air transit/transfer services at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) have resumed gradually. From 15 June 2020, passengers can use HKIA for transit/transfer on flights operated by different airlines under the same air ticket, provided that the passengers have checked through at the origin port with their boarding passes printed and baggage tagged-through to the final destination. Passengers should also confirm in advance that they are able to enter the final destination. However, transit/transfer services at HKIA to and from all Mainland China destinations are currently not available. Visa is not required for Indian nationals travelling to Hong Kong for a maximum stay of up to 14 days.

 

[pkhare23]

Hi, thanks for confirming! one query, did they book via Travel agents or by themselves?

booking through travel agents is expensive most people who have traveled via frankfurt/london did so by booking through airlines themselves.

 

[D2691]

Hi, thanks for confirming! one query, did they book via Travel agents or by themselves?

- By themselves

 

[rb2791]

Hey guys, need advice as my COPR was approved before 18th March and looking for flight options from Delhi to Vancouver.

Taking Air India VBM Delhi to London and then Air Canada London to Vancouver as two separate bookings.

1. Does this work and allowed to board Air India VBM from Delhi?

2. Anybody had success with separate booking like this?

3. Do they tag luggage from Delhi to Canada or you need to pick your luggage at London Airport and then do the security checkin again?

4. Any other issues faced?

Please advise as I know this is critical time for all of us and lack of providing information from Government, Flights and Airport has caused a lot of ambiguity and uncertainty resulting in stress and anxiety.