Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark!
We just wrapped up a lovely trip through the gorgeous Emerald Isle, and I've just arrived in Copenhagen to meet members joining us for our Scandinavia & the Baltics program.
While waiting to board my flight I came across an article regarding changes in airline regulations in Canada that come into effect September 8, and thought it was worth noting for all of us.
Coming from the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), largely it's about a broader array of compensation for passengers affected by flight delays, including both those within the airlines' control, and outside of it (weather etc).
Given the rash of cancellations and difficulties travellers have been facing recently, all this is a welcome sign for consumers. So while there's no question that it's a positive step, the real question is, did they go far enough?
It's still a fair distance from the rules in the EU, where passengers are entitled to a compensation cheque between 600 and 2,000 Euros, on top of the appropriate rebooking solutions, if things take longer than 48 hours.
I once was able to successfully get this 600 Euro compensation from a cancelled Westjet (!) flight in Europe, because operating within the EU means following their regulations.
I gather most of us don't file these claims, as Westjet themselves said they were 'unaware' of the rule (or was it "we'd rather no one know about this so we'll wait until asked?...the jury remains undecided.)
Either way it's a good reminder to stay informed about what the rules are, and overall my view would be that we as travelling Canadians can both applaud the move and continue to push for even higher standards.
The airlines are like the telecoms in Canada - we're getting less value for what we pay for than our peers outside of North America, and at some point we need to collectively push for better on both fronts.
Switching gears to the trip front, we're getting close to releasing Cefalu and a few others in the pipeline, and Part III of our Trip Inspiration Questionnaire is here, this time about another new concept here I'm calling 'Sojourns.' (Please click here if it doesn't show up below in this blog.)
Sojourns are trips featuring 5-7 night stays in any one particular location combining two, three or more such location any given itinerary (like our Scandinavia & the Baltics 5x5 program that's about to begin). They fit very well in places where a full two weeks might be a bit much, and particularly where the different legs can provide a very different experience than the others, like our various legs through France this fall.
Frankly almost everywhere deserves more time than it gets when we travel, and thus the art in trip planning is allocating the perfect amount of a limited resource to create the best experience. These soujourns are another way of slicing the time pie, and as always, I keenly anticipate your thoughts and feedback on the concept.
Cheers!
P.S. If you missed completing Part I of the Questionnaire, I'd still love to hear your thoughts. You can find Part I here and Part II here.
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