CaptainEKAirbus

Someone I know was denied boarding an Air Canada flight that was getting them to YYZ, which on the same itinerary had their Emirates flight to DXB. Reason given was that they hadn't completed their covid test prior to departure. This person is a citizen of Canada and a Dubai resident, so as per the latest rules Emirates has on their website, they don't need a pre-departure covid test - only one on arrival. Despite showing them the rules on the Emirates website and a considerable amount of frustration, the Air Canada customer service agent nor their manager didn't budge.

Luckily, my friend was able to book a flight at their own cost (on Air Canada!) departing an hour later and made the connection to the Emirates flight without any issue. Should note that they also called the Emirates center to make sure the EK segment on their ticket wouldn't be impacted by being denied boarding on their original Air Canada flight. A complaint has been filed with Air Canada... but I guess we'll see how that goes.

I figured I'd post this here incase there are any other Canadians (who are UAE residents) planning on flying Air Canada to YYZ and onwards to DXB on EK.

DYKWIA

Thanks for the update.

Lucky they managed to get their flight to DXB - they could have been offloaded once they didn't get the connecting flight from YYZ.

nomiiiii

What reason did Air Canada give for requiring covid test? Is that what Tiamatic is saying or what? Did they not show their UAE residence card?

Emirates.com clearly says "UAE residents have the option to present a negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate that is valid for 96 hours from the date of the test before departure or take the COVID‑19 PCR test on arrival in Dubai."

Often1

As with many incidents, unless it is determined that this was an AC policy rather than a perhaps mistaken employee, I would not broadcast this as a warning about travel on AC. Unfortunately OP was not the passenger and cannot speak to the exact interchange.

It is worth noting that TIMATIC does provide that if one waits until arrival for the test, that one is quarantined until the test result is back.

CaptainEKAirbus

As Often1 rightfully pointed out, I wasn't privy to the exact specifics, so I couldn't tell you other than this person being told the lack of a pre-departure covid test being the issue. They were in possession of their valid UAE ID and valid residency visa.

Yes - apologies if it came across as an attack on AC, definitely not my intention. Was just hoping to help to make others aware in case they have an AC segment booked on their itinerary - these sorts of surprises are never fun to encounter, especially in today's travel environment. I agree, it was likely the case of a few mistaken AC employees or their miscomprehension of the latest guidance. I personally was a bit surprised that the very clear wording on the EK website (and proof of Canadian citizenship and Dubai residency) wasn't sufficient.