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
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Campus protests: Israeli academics say their universities are 'best chance' for peace
One of the demands of pro-Palestinian activists who have set up protest encampments on university campuses in Canada and the United States is a severing of ties with Israeli universities.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.