Steven Greenway , President, Swoop
Coronavirus updates. Learn more about Swoop's response.
During the global COVID-19 outbreak, and always, the safety of our travellers, crew and aircraft is our top priority, and we are committed to providing a safe travel and work environment.
As the crisis continues, we will continue to operate our domestic network, ensuring Canadians have access to critical travel during uncertain times. While there may be select network adjustments over the coming weeks, we will operate as long as the provincial borders and domestic airspace remain open.
Flight changes: All changes can be done through Manage my Booking. For full instructions on how to change your flight, click here. More details on the Swoop change policies are located here.
Flight cancellations: All cancellations can be done through Manage my Booking. For full instructions on how to cancel your flight for credit, click here. For those requesting refunds to the original form of payment, more information will be provided on this at a later date.
As the situation continues to evolve rapidly, Swoop will be updating this page to ensure travellers have access to the most recent information at all times.
Effective March 18, The Government of Canada has imposed travel restrictions for all flights entering and leaving Canada to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This resulted in Swoop suspending all transborder and international flight as of Sunday, March 22, 2020.
Effective March 30, 2020, all Swoop travellers will be required to undergo a health check before boarding a flight within Canada based on guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
This will include asking health questions, looking for visible signs of illness and recommending the traveller follow advice from local health authorities.
Swoop inflight crews will have the authority to deny any traveller boarding if they display any COVID-19 symptoms. This will in place for 14 days or until a medical certificate is shown, indicating that the traveller’s symptoms are not related to COVID-19.
Upon arrival, travellers will be reminded of any provincial or territorial measures that have been put in place by their destination’s government or regulatory bodies as a result of COVID-19.
For a full list of travel restrictions visit https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories
With respect to requests for refunds to the original form of payment, more information will be provided at a later date. On March 25, the Canadian Transportation Agency clarified its position on providing credit for travel due to the unprecedented times we are in. Their statement can be found here: https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/statement-vouchers
Beginning on Sunday, March 22, 2020, at 11:59 p.m., we will suspend all our international and transborder flights. On Monday, March 23, 2020, we will start repatriation flights for all our Swoop travellers to bring the more than 2,300 travellers home. Click here for more details on repatriation flights.
As travel has not been restricted within Canada, domestic travel is continuing to operate as usual.
Swoop has taken additional precautionary measures to expand and increase frequency of our aircraft sanitization at busiest bases.
More information about the cleaning and sanitization process of all of Swoop's aircraft can be found here.
Hello,
The changing situation with COVID-19 is keeping us all busy, and I wanted to reach out to share what we at Swoop are doing to keep you safe.
Safety is always our number one priority, and I want you to know that we remain committed to ensuring a safe travel and work environment for our travellers, crews, aircraft and operations. Since the outset of this outbreak, we have been closely monitoring the situation for the most up-to-date information.
Our experienced teams are highly trained and thoroughly prepared for all manner of emergencies or issues. Additionally, we remain in regular contact with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Transport Canada and other agencies to ensure that we are in alignment with their air travel recommendations.
We hold ourselves to the highest standard and strive to create an environment as clean as possible. In response to the outbreak, we are doing more to keep you and your Swoop crew safe. We have taken additional precautionary measures to expand and increase the frequency of our aircraft sanitization at our busiest bases, with the addition of two disinfecting products to our cleaning arsenal for aircraft that are stationed overnight across our network.
Our aircraft are also equipped with state-of-the-art HEPA filters, similar to hospital environments, which have a bacterial removal efficiency of greater than 99%. Fresh air is introduced into the cabin every two to three minutes (20 to 30 air changes per hour), to ensure air circulation while flying.
From the ground to the air, we are committed to preventative measures to ensure the safety of our travellers.
We understand that travellers are looking for flexibility when booking future flights, and we encourage all travellers to ensure they have the appropriate level of travel insurance for their trip. Through our booking platform, we offer ModiFly - a product that enables travellers to change their travel dates online up to 24 hours prior to departure.
The current public health risk to Canadians remains low, according to PHAC. We have created a dedicated webpage to house all the information about COVID-19 as it pertains to Swoop and will regularly update it as new information is available.
We are unwaveringly committed to the health and safety of our travellers and trust you will continue to fly with Swoop, which we are making more affordable than ever before.
Steven Greenway , President, Swoop
For the health and safety of all travellers and crew, we have made a number of changes to our boarding, seating and inflight service procedures to promote social distancing by limiting interpersonal exposures during air travel.
In response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are doing more to keep you and your Swoop crew safe.
ModiFly is included in all new bookings more than 7 days from departure and free to add for existing bookings more than 7 days from departure.
For as long as domestic travel remains unrestricted, Swoop will continue operating a limited domestic network, providing Canadians who need it access to affordable air travel from coast to coast.
For more information on measures taken to ensure Canadians' safety, click here.
Click here for instructions on how to change your flight.
Starting March 13th, all new bookings will automatically include ModiFly at no extra charge, for flights that are a minimum of seven days out. Travellers with existing bookings will be able to add ModiFly to their booking for free, excluding travellers that are travelling within the next seven days. Travellers can add ModiFly by going into “Manage my Booking” and using their reservation code on FlySwoop.com. For more information, please visit the ModiFly page here.
Beginning on Sunday, March 22, 2020, at 11:59 p.m., we will suspend all our international and transborder flights. This suspension follows Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement imposing travel restrictions for all flights entering Canada to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The suspension will be in place until May 31, 2020.
Travellers scheduled to travel to the U.S., Mexico or Jamaica on or before May 31, 2020, are being contacted directly by email with the option to rebook or cancel their existing itinerary. Canadians still in the United States, Mexico and Jamaica after Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. will be contacted regarding repatriation flights.
Click here for instructions on cancelling your flight if eligible.
Beginning on Sunday, March 22, 2020, at 11:59 p.m., we will suspend all our international and transborder flights. This suspension follows Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement imposing travel restrictions for all flights entering Canada to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The suspension will be in place until May 31, 2020.
Travellers scheduled to travel to the U.S., Mexico or Jamaica on or before May 31, 2020, are being contacted directly by email with the option to rebook or cancel their existing itinerary.
Canadians still in the United States, Mexico and Jamaica after Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. will be contacted regarding repatriation flights.
As travel has not been restricted within Canada, domestic travel is continuing to operate as usual.
We will be providing regular updates on all our channels and are reaching out directly to any impacted travellers via email with more specific information.
The safety of our travellers and crew is our top priority. It is our goal to be open and transparent throughout this rapidly evolving situation. Find out more regarding Swoop's Coronavirus (COVID-19) operational updates here. This page will be updated regularly with information on COVID-19 impacted flights in our network. Will also add to the blog about safety precautions we take on our aircraft.
We hold ourselves to the highest standard and strive to create an environment as clean as possible. In response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are doing more to keep you and your Swoop crew safe.
Swoop aircraft are given a light groom after every flight, a full groom every 24-hours, a complete interior detail monthly and an enhanced hyper-focused groom annually.
In response to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Swoop has taken additional precautionary measures to expand and increase the frequency of our aircraft sanitization at our busiest bases. Swoop also added two additional disinfecting products to our cleaning arsenal for aircraft that are stationed overnight across our network.
We are continuing to clean with our approved products, including Sanicide (disinfectant) for galleys and lavatories, along with Celeste 8500 for all-purpose cleaning. In addition to these cleaners, we have added two more disinfecting products to our arsenal: hospital-grade Clorox Wipes and Spray.
These new products are used on tray tables as well as general seating areas to ensure all guest contact surfaces are thoroughly disinfected. The Clorox and Sanicide products are used to accomplish the cleaning of our galleys, lavatories, tray tables, seat armrests and headrests, the PSU panel, overhead bin door latches and lavatory door handles.
The idea that all aircraft air is recirculated is a common misconception. All Swoop aircraft are equipped with an industry-leading air circulation system containing a HEPA filter, similar to what is used in hospital environments. These filters achieve a viral removal efficiency of greater than 99.99909 per cent and bacterial removal efficiency of greater than 99.99996 per cent. This rating is based on the 0.3 micron contaminant benchmark – considerably smaller than animal dander, which is approximately 2.5 microns in size.
These aircraft also introduce fresh air into the cabin every two to three minutes (20 to 30 air changes per hour).
All new bookings will automatically include ModiFly at no extra charge, for flights that are a minimum of seven days out. Travellers with existing bookings will be able to add ModiFly to their booking for free, excluding travellers that are travelling within the next seven days. ModiFly gives travellers peace of mind by giving them the ability to change the date and/or time of their flight up to 24 hours prior to departure.
For more information and full terms and conditions, please visit the ModiFly page here.
Swoop continues to follow the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others such as Transport Canada that say that face masks are neither needed nor recommended. While we do not require our employees to wear masks, our Swoopsters can make a personal and precautionary choice to do so should it make them feel more comfortable.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected 2019-nCoV infection or if you are coughing or sneezing.
Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly.
More information on masks is available here on WHO’s website.
Should a guest present ill or fall ill during travel, our frontline teams and crews are trained to handle multiple scenarios and situations that can arise on the ground or onboard our aircraft and have access to real-time support of physicians at MedLink when requested.
It is the crew’s duty to assess, refuse or move anyone who is exhibiting signs of not being fit to fly due to illness.
It’s important to self-identify so that our Swoopsters can ensure your safety along with the safety of other guests and crew. Frontline Swoopsters are trained to handle multiple scenarios and situations that can arise on the ground or onboard our aircraft and have access to real-time support of physicians at MedLink when requested.