Ottawa airport excluded from expanded trusted-traveller program
The Ottawa International Airport is not included in Canada's expansion of a trusted-traveller program coming to six other cities next month.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Tuesday the updated program will speed up NEXUS and trusted-traveller lines by eliminating the time-consuming elements of getting processed at security.
“This includes being able to keep laptops, large electronics and compliant liquids and gels in their carry-on,” he said.
The program is launching next month at the Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Winnipeg airports. However, Ottawa's airport did not make the cut.
"We are extremely disappointed at having been left off the list and are trying to get information concerning the criteria for inclusion," Krista Kealey, the airport's vice-president of communications of public affairs, said in an email.
"It doesn’t make sense for Canada’s Capital Airport to have a lesser customer experience for travellers who are considered trusted as Nexus members. All Tier 1 airports should have the same level of service to reduce confusion among passengers."
CTV News has reached out to Alghabra's office and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) for details on why Ottawa is excluded from the program revamp.
Eligible travellers—including NEXUS members, military personnel and aviation workers—will also be able to keep their shoes and belt on while going through security.
The revamp will also allow children who are 17 years old and younger, along with adults 75 and older, to accompany verified travellers through security as long as they are on the same reservation.
The announcement comes after months of travel chaos last summer, when a surge in post-pandemic travel demand gummed up terminals and overwhelmed airlines.
- with files from CTV News Toronto and the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.