Travel News: Canadian specific

Life for airline passengers to, from and within Canada is becoming tougher. In May, Vancouver and Calgary were judged to have the worst medium-sized airports in North America; last month, a "no-fly" list was deployed at Canadian airports; and from tomorrow, Air Canada is banning all pets from cabins.

The 2007 North America Airport Satisfaction Study by JD Power evaluates access to airports, facilities, baggage and customs. Calgary was rated worst of 25 airports with up to 30 million passengers a year, just below Vancouver.

Toronto is Canada's main gateway; in the "large airport ranking", for 30-million-plus passengers, it was third from bottom, below Miami and just ahead of Denver and San Francisco; Dallas Fort Worth was in top place.

Travellers could now find that their name prevents them from travelling in Canada. The "specified persons list", introduced at Canadian airports last month, is aimed at travellers "who may pose an immediate threat to aviation security", according to the Canadian government. The airline is obliged to check the name, date of birth and gender of every passenger aged 12 or over against a central database of individuals suspected of connections with terrorism.

Should there be a match with the no-fly list, the airline must inform Transport Canada, "and a decision about whether or not the individual will be allowed to board the flight will be made".

Most controversial of all has been Air Canada's decision to ban pets. Until last September, some domestic animals were allowed to travel in the cabin with their owners. Then Air Canada aligned its policy with that of many other airlines, permitting pets to travel only in the aircraft hold as checked baggage. But today is the last day on which cats, dogs and other pets will be able to experience "flights so good you won't want to get off", as the airline's slogan used to run.

"For any travel after July 15 with a pet, Air Canada Cargo must be used, " says the airline. It cites record passenger numbers and tighter security rules as the reasons that there is no longer room for animals. The airline's flights are operating fuller than ever, and more travellers are checking in luggage. Indeed, the survey found that the proportion of passengers checking in bags has risen in the past year from two-thirds to more than three-quarters.