Air Canada

I Just travelled through the US Gates at Calgary International Airport, and have a few observations!

CATSA staff are checking carryon sizes upon entry to the customs hall! However didn't check mine!

The Customs line was fairly long, but thankfully with Nexus, I was able to get through in under 1 minute, however unlike larger airports where as a Nexus pass holder where you just walk through, in Calgary you have to hand your card to a CBP officer at the desk, and he asked me some questions. I found that kind of strange, as the Nexus program is supposed to allow you to pass through CBP without talking to anyone... Oh well!

Next was the security stations. There is now a pad you stand on, much like you are playing Danca Dance Revolution, that displays a big green LED arrow on a board, indicating whether you go for secondary screening, or through the regular security lines.

I got the regular line!

However through the regular lines, they are still patting down everyone, and searching all of your bags, and items in the bags... Kinda scares me as to what else they are doing in the secondary screening area, but I did hear the snapping of rubber gloves and faint screams coming from that general direction!

But come on Transport Canada, although my total time from enterring the customs hall to sitting at the gate was 7 minutes, stop subjecting us to the added searches! We are the only country doing this for all passengers!

• Darren Mak's blog

I have been on many a flight in the past couple of years, where someone boards the plane, and informs a flight attendant that they or someone they are travelling with has a nut allergy. The reaction from the Airline Staff is usually that they can make an announcement, but can't stop anyone from eating nuts... Well that all may change in the next month on Air Canada operated flights because of a recent ruling from the Canadian Transport Agency!

So without going through the ruling in this post, I will summarize what happened. Two complaints were filed with the CTA which claimed that the claimants, because of their allergies are being discriminated against by Air Canada. In order to determine if this was the case, the CTA first had to determine if an allergy is a disability. Although they determined that all allergies do not make a person disabled, they would rule on a case by case basis whether a person with allergies could be disabled. They found that in these cases, the individuals were disabled, and have determined that Air Canada, must create a nut-free buffer zone for passengers with nut allergies.

• Darren Mak's blog