UK long-haul carrier Virgin Atlantic will join the SkyTeam alliance early next year, aligning it with transatlantic joint-venture partners Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM. The move will make the airline SkyTeam's only UK member, bolstering the alliance's presence in London Heathrow and Manchester and increasing its reach to the USA and Caribbean in particular. In conjunction with Delta and Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic currently operates to 12 American destinations. Together, the four airlines' main base in London will be Heathrow's Terminal 3, alongside fellow SkyTeam members Aeromexico and China Eastern Airlines. Chief executive Shai Weiss states that "2022 marks the year Virgin Atlantic gets back to its best for our customers and people and joining SkyTeam is an important milestone". He adds: "Our membership will allow us to enhance established relationships with our valued partners at Delta and Air France-KLM, as well as opening up opportunities to collaborate with new airlines. It will enable a seamless customer experience, with an expanded network and maximised loyalty benefits." SkyTeam notes that codeshare agreements are already in place with Aeromexico and Middle East Airlines, "with options for more codeshares to follow". Virgin Atlantic in May launched a brand-new service to Texan capital Austin and will start daily flights to Tampa in Florida from November. In the Caribbean, it flies to Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. It also serves destinations in China, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa. The carrier is 49% owned by US major Delta.

Qatar Airways and British Airways have added 42 new countries to their shared network, thereby completing the latest phase in the expansion of their partnership. The new countries include Italy, the Maldives, Norway, Singapore and Sweden, giving passengers enhanced access between destinations in Europe and the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania, IAG carrier British Airways says. The airlines will now offer 185 destinations across more than 60 countries, it adds.

Canada starting 1 October will no longer require travellers to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19 upon entering Canada, wear masks on aircraft, or to be placed in quarantine if they test positive for the virus, ending more than two years of government restrictions. Federal and provincial travel restrictions imposed within Canada since 2020 were stricter compared with the USA. The rate of new infections was consistently lower compared with the USA, World Health Organization data shows. The pandemic is still a threat in Canada, the nation’s health minister Jean-Yves Duclos states, adding that travellers should exercise caution but the vaccination rate combined with vigilant travel rules helped reduce the spread of the virus. “Thanks to Canadians who rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated, we are able to take this great step towards easing measures and returning to normal,” Duclos says.