Ashley Da Silva, of Vaughan, wanted to be completely vaccinated, but could not for health reasons, but thought that her medical exemption from her doctor would be enough to allow her to board a plane.
“I received my first dose of the vaccine and had an allergic reaction, so I received a medical exception from my doctor for the second,” da Silva said.
Da Silva and her boyfriend Liam London are high school sweethearts who canceled their prom because of the pandemic, so they decided to book a vacation in Mexico.
Da Silva and London paid a total of $ 4,310 on their Sunwing vacation package and arrived at Pearson Airport ready to board. Da Silva said he thought his doctor’s note citing his medical exemption would allow him to board the plane.
“I didn’t really see the problem. I have the exception, I would prove it and we’ll be fine to go,” Da Silva said.
But Da Silva was told she did not have permission to board the plane and that her boyfriend would not make the trip without her.
“It’s $ 2,000 each. That’s not good. It’s very disappointing,” Da Silva said.
“We’re finally going on holiday and we’re being denied,” London added.
Someone who is not vaccinated may be able to fly with a medical exemption, but there are procedures that need to be followed closely and documentation must be submitted 30 days in advance of the trip.
Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure Inc., said: “The airline has a form that you take to your doctor and your doctor completes the reasons for the medical exemption. Then send it to the airline and they need three weeks of approval to do so. “
When CTV News Toronto contacted Sunwing, a spokesman said, “With respect to vaccination waivers, we follow the regulations set by Transport Canada. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, and Sunwing Airlines customers who requesting exemption requests for upcoming trips must complete our required form and submit the request to our special services department three weeks prior to your departure date. “
“Because the prescribed exemption process was not followed in the case of this customer and our frontline airport staff cannot evaluate individual applications or issue exemptions, we were unfortunately denied boarding. If you would like to discuss the reason for the denial of boarding in more detail, provide feedback on your experience or express your concerns, you can send an online application through Sunwingcares.ca and a representative of customer relations will be contacted directly.
According to the federal government, 82% of the Canadian population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which means that approximately five million Canadians cannot fly.
Federal Conservatives have called on the Liberal government in Ottawa to return to pre-pandemic travel standards and service levels and raise the requirement that travelers be vaccinated.
Melissa Lantsman, a Conservative transportation critic and Thornhill MP, told CTV News Toronto: “We still have about five million Canadians who can’t travel. We’re atypical when it comes to the international community.”
Conservatives today tabled a motion in the House of Commons to return to pre-pandemic travel rules and regulations, which would also allow Canadians to fly within Canada, but it was defeated.
“It sounds vindictive. It looks like it’s punishing a number of Canadians who disagree with the government,” Lantsman said.
In many other countries like the United States, unvaccinated passengers can fly inland, such as from New York to Chicago. But in Canada you cannot fly from Calgary to Toronto unless you are vaccinated unless you have a medical exemption and a 30-day notice.
Da Silva and London were hoping to get a travel credit for their trip, but they won’t and lost the $ 4,310 they paid for their trip.