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veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Hopefully this little row will be settled before any of us are affected...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12088449

plus this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11519479

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

There are about 25,000 Canadians in the UAE. This is going to cheese off a lot of people. A thousand dollars for a visa? Is this some sort of joke?

What the UAE is saying, is that if you are Canadian, you must pay a thousand dollars for a visa, but if you are from another country like the UK or Australia you don't even need a visa. This stems from a safety aviation decision Canada has made.

Maybe the UAE can explain the logic for such high fees? What is the purpose? To 'punish' Canada for not succumbing to the wishes of the sultans in power? They have already blackballed Canada from the Security Council using their clout in the Middle East and business connections abroad, but this was not enough.

I think Canada needs to rally it's allies on this.

The UAE can scratch off themselves from my list as one place I had hoped to visit in the future.

The UAE is just acting like a spoiled little child that doesn't get a candy at the supermarket. I'll have no business with them in the future.

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

I believe if one holds an RP from another GCC country, Canadians will be allowed entry without the visa, but friends and family visiting will have to bite the bullet.

What a crock! Canadians should be writing their members of parliament and the foreign affairs minister etc.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

It's not really about safety Helen1... it is about landing rights. The UAE airlines want to be able to fly more jets into Canada and Canada would rather push people into having to use their airline(s). This kind of thing happens quite often. Did you notice that you can get the visa very cheaply if you fly on Emirates or Etihad? Cool

It's all about economics.

I recall the US and the UK went through a similar little game over the same issue a few years back because US airlines wanted more flights into Heathrow. (or was it vice-versa?) Of course we normal people are stuck in the middle when governments play these games... always hard to tell which country is being unreasonable in this sort of brinkmanship...

VS

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

I know it's about landing rights and also the crock that is shielding the national carrier, Air Canada, from competition. Air Canada simply can't compete in the international arena the way it is set up. They gouge domestic passengers on routes that only Air Canada operates and say they need protection from international carriers.

If Air Canada can't compete then they should concentrate on the routes where the internationals aren't interested - Deer Lake anyone? Ask any Canadian who flies internationally at least 1x per year how Air Canada stacks up agains BA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa, KLM, etc. I'll bet 90%+ would choose the non-Canadian carrier for price, customer service (where Air Canada would come in rock bottom IMHO) and variety of routes and timings.

Why prop them up in tough financial times when they couldn't compete even in the good times?

Kysorb · Joined: 30 Jul 2010 Posts: 253 Location: Beijing

Canada should reply with restricting Canadian airspace to only Emirates flights only landing in Toronto. Cutting off the north pole route access will drastically increase the costs for Emirates to fly to the US.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Send a Gunboat ! Declare War !

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

And that's why Emirates was able to continue service to JFK during the volcano problems last year - they don't fly over the pole to get to NY Houston or LA - the only people who would be hurt by such a Canadian embargo would be Canadians.

Why has Air Canada reduced flights, is now using smaller planes etc. on European routes to Canada? Because Canadians have better options with other international carriers. Supposedly the PC government would prefer businesses to stand or fall on their own merits - except with Air Canada with its decimated and rapidly aging fleet and flight crews (relative to other international carriers)

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

Canada has a gunboat? Shocked

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 12:59 pm Post subject:

Dear heleni,

Yup, but the Prime Minister commandeered it to use it in his bathtub this week.

Regards,
John

elmoro · Joined: 12 Feb 2010 Posts: 58 Location: The Emerald City

maybe this is the halal version of canadian bacon.

canadian turkey bacon Laughing

MyTrunkshow · Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 4:53 pm Post subject:

Can a Canadian transit (not leave through immigration) through the UAE to another plane without a visa?

I am aware of the 96 hour transit visa but I'm not sure what the UAE officials consider transit. Is changing planes considered transit as it is in the US?

mts

Ka-CHING! · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 102

Yeah, Canada's military is a bit smaller than its neighbour to the south. That could possibly be because Canada prefers to spend federal money on frivolities like, oh, health care for its citizens.

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

...yah, we all know Canada is just another European welfare state...and if you want to get your CT Scan without a year-long wait (or whatever the protracted wait is), you have to go south of the border where you can get it immediately.

Obama has incrementally improved health coverage south of the border. Meanwhile, at least I had a $10K operation free of charge thanks to private insurance.

Oh--and the government that gives you everything...can take it all away too. Enjoy your income taxes, some of which no doubt go into your lovely national carrier, Air Canada!