Airline and hospitality sector winces anew as new border rules clamp down on travel — again

Canada's travel and hospitality sector has been left reeling by the federal government warning against non-essential trips abroad due to alarming numbers of COVID-19 cases.

WestJet CEO Harry Taylor railed against the advisory, predicting it will create "unnecessary disruption and chaos" ahead of the holiday travel season.

"Fully vaccinated Canadians should not be singled out for choosing to take part in a safe activity," Taylor said in a statement.

"Travel bans, restrictions and blanket advisories are devastating to the continued economic recovery of the country and place tens of thousands of recently recalled Canadian travel and tourism jobs at risk."

He also claimed the government's warning is "not based on science and data," adding that Canada's travel measures fall out of step with border policies in the European Union, United Kingdom and United States. He is calling on the government to publicly share the COVID-19 data that informed Wednesday's advisory.

WATCH | Travel advisory 'not based on science,' WestJet exec says:

His statement came after a news conference in Ottawa where Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the Omicron variant is now spreading in Canadian communities and across the globe, prompting a new advisory less than two months after the old one was lifted.

Duclos said the situation became more complicated at a pace he "couldn't have imagined" a few weeks ago.

"To those who were planning to travel I say very clearly, now is not the time to travel," he said Wednesday.

"I know this is difficult for airlines, for travel agencies, for families, for people who haven't been able to see each other for a long time," Duclos added in French.

He would not offer advice on domestic travel, adding that any travel restrictions within Canada will come from provincial governments, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians to be cautious when making their travel plans.

"I understand this sucks," Trudeau said Wednesday. "The reality is Omicron is here in Canada, and we have to cut down community spread."

Airline customers have been cancelling bookings by the thousands, said Air Transport Association of Canada CEO John McKenna.

"They're cancelling because they don't know what to expect when they come back," he said in an interview.