India-Canada Travel with Omicron COVID-19 Restrictions

In my last post, I shared our travel experience from Canada to India in October amid COVID-19 restrictions. We got back on December 5, just after Canada and India had announced new guidelines due to Omicron – a new COVID-19 variant. In this post, I will share our experience of flying back to Vancouver.

We had booked a Mumbai-Delhi-Vancouver flight with Air India with an eight-hour forty-five-minute layover in Delhi. Although we had a bad experience with Air India, our options were limited for this travel.

Mumbai to Delhi

Now Delhi airport does not require domestic passengers to carry proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test report. But I was unsure what rules would apply for our Mumbai-Delhi flight as Air India would consider us international travellers. So, to be safe, we decided to do a COVID-19 test within the 72-hour window of our departure from Mumbai. Our friends who had travelled on the same route had done the same.

We got our RT-PCR tests done at Metropolis Lab in Satara. It was about INR 800 (~CAD 14) for each test. We got our results within a day – all negative. 

We left Satara around 9 am on December 4 and arrived in Mumbai just after 3 pm for our 6 pm flight. After a quick thermal screening with a handheld device, we made our way to the counter. The agent asked us for our proof of vaccination and RT-PCR test reports. I was glad we had done the tests. 

Our bags were checked in for Vancouver, but we got boarding passes for just the Mumbai-Delhi flight. I did web check-in and selected our seats together in row 13. However, the agent assigned us seats in row 26 across the aisle. 

I only realized this later, and when I enquired at the boarding gate, the agent said the flight is mostly empty, and we should find seats together. And we did, but what’s the point of selecting seats at web check-in?

Delhi to Vancouver

We landed in Delhi around 8:15 pm and asked for directions to the COVID-19 testing centre. We were told to head towards the exit, out from Gate 3, go left, and take the ramp/elevator to the first floor. 

Once we entered the COVID-19 testing centre, we saw a sign for Canada-specific COVID-19 testing to the right. Then, as we approached one of the counters, we were informed that our flight was delayed two hours. We had pre-booked Rapid PCR (INR 3900/CAD 66), but given the 10 hour wait time, I enquired about the feasibility of switching to regular RT-PCR tests (INR 500/ CAD 9). 

We would have to pay for the RT-PCR tests in cash and then request a refund later for the Rapid PCR test. So, just to confirm, I checked the refund policy in the email I received. There was no refund for cancellation within 24 hours. So, we went ahead with the Rapid PCR tests. 

We just had to show the barcode for our booking, and we got the requisition for our tests. By 9:15 pm, all three of us were done with the sample collection. 

We were told to collect the results inside Gate 8 (departures). Meanwhile, we checked with an Air India agent. He said that we wouldn’t get a boarding pass for our Delhi-Vancouver flight until we had our test report. So, if we had booked an RT PCR test instead of Rapid PCR, it would have been a 6-8 hour wait at the gate. 

After an hour, we got our results. We completed our ArriveCAN form on the app and headed to the Air India check-in counter. Unfortunately, there was a massive line-up of people who were yet to check in their bags. 

So we talked to the supervisor and explained that we were in transit and just needed boarding passes. Thankfully, he understood and asked us to go to a different counter. In addition to travel documents, the agent checked our test reports and ArriveCan confirmation. This time we got the seats we had selected during web check-in. The system works!

After clearing security and immigration, we had dinner. Finally, past midnight, we found a place to lie down near Gate 14. After a six-hour rest, we boarded our flight and took off for Vancouver around 7:30 am.

Vancouver On-Arrival Randomized Testing

It was a 15-hour flight, and we landed in Vancouver around 8:30 am Pacific Standard Time. The immigration officer asked us where we had been, where we stayed, and how long we had been out of Canada. He informed us that we don’t need to quarantine, but we will have to take the on-arrival COVID-19 test as part of randomized testing. 

Most people on our flight didn’t have to do the on-arrival COVID-19 test. Now I think the regulations have been updated, and all vaccinated travellers arriving in Canada have to do this test. So if you are flying into Vancouver, you can book your on-arrival COVID-19 test.

We collected our bags and went to a counter for COVID-19 test registration. Once we got our test requisition, we went to the sample collection area (inside the airport, right at the exit). A person from Lifelabs asked Kavya’s age, and we were given a home collection kit. Since Kavya is not yet vaccinated, she would have to do another test on December 12, the eighth day after arrival. 

Dec 13 update: After registering the kit online, we were able to go to our local Shoppers Drug Mart with our home collection kit and provide the sample. Lifelabs collected the sample from Shoppers Drug Mart and we got results within a day. Negative again.

As per the documents given to us, Kavya can’t go to school for two weeks. Also, we have to limit our social interactions and track where we go and the people we meet. 

It was a 37-hour journey door to door, and we had done three COVID-19 tests in four days, and Kavya had a bonus test in a few days. Our uber ride was in a Tesla, and the driver’s wife was a real estate agent. He went on about rising home prices and how his recent investments had grown in just a few months. I knew I was in Vancouver. It was good to be back home. 

Resources:

Country Guidelines for International Arrivals: Canada | India

Pre-Arrival Registration: Canada | India

COVID-19 Testing: British Columbia | LifeLabs | India – New Delhi Airport

Airline Guidelines: Air Canada | Air India (International) | Air India (India Domestic) | Indigo (India Domestic)

Disclosure: The links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not affiliate links.

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