Paris attacks raise travel jitters among some Canadians

Some Canadians are thinking twice about travelling abroad for now, as last week's attacks in Paris and other recent incidents have raised fears among travellers and people working in the travel industry.

Despite assurances from authorities that it's safe to travel, Friday's attacks in Paris, Thursday's twin bombings in Beirut and the recent bombing of a Russian passenger plane have prompted some to cancel or reschedule their trips.

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"The only choice seemed to be to cancel," said Cathie Crossin, a travel blogger from Shilo, Man., who was supposed to fly to Finland and France with her 13-year-old son this past Sunday.

"Friday night, when things are really starting to happen on TV, you could see the shooting, the bomb and all the chaos that was mere blocks of where I was supposed to be exactly a week later," she said.

She said had the attacks happened this Friday, "I would have been in those few blocks with my teenage son, wandering around, looking for a place to eat and just exploring. That's absolutely terrifying."

Crossin is not alone. Travel agencies across the country say they've been getting calls from nervous passengers in recent days.

"We're letting people know that there's a lot of flexibility with the airlines right now to extend their booking, to change their booking. They do have options," said Allison Wallace, who works at a Flight Centre location in Vancouver.

The anxiety is also being felt by some Air Canada employees. CUPE's Air Canada unit, which represents the airline's flight attendants, confirmed that a number of its members refused to work on flights to Paris in the immediate aftermath of Friday's attacks.

An Air Canada spokesperson told CBC News there has been no effecton its Paris operations, but the airline does allow employees with concerns to switch assignments.

'It's a mistake,' says security expert

But Anthony Roman, an aviation security expert and former commercial pilot based in New York, saidhe doesn't think passengers or airline crews should change their travel plans.

"From a geopolitical or counterterror point of view, I think it's a mistake," he said.

"This is what ISIS is looking for. It's looking to disrupt the West, disrupt the transportation system, disrupt individuals' lives."

Roman said citizens should assess their own thresholds for risk. "We have to go about our lives. Otherwise, ISIS and al-Qaeda win."

Canada'sPublic Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said on Wednesday that there's no reason to raise the country's threat level, as authorities are being extra vigilant and doing everything they can to keep Canadians safe.

As well, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson saidthe Mounties are working with other security forces around the world in monitoring threats.

The fallout from the Paris attacks extended into this week. On Tuesday night, two Air France flights en route to Paris were diverted due to bomb threats.

Passengers aboardthe flightdiverted to Halifaxare set to depart early Thursday morning.

'Didn't want to add to anybody's chaos'

Crossin said she believes she would have been in people's way if she and her son had gone to Paris in the wake of last week's attacks.

"You want to see it, you want to experience it, but not at the cost of someone else's grief or loss, and so it seemed like an absolute imposition, and I didn't want to add to anybody's chaos or crisis," she said.

"They don't need the burden of wide-eyed tourists wandering around. If we were to go and continue on with the trip as planned and be there this coming weekend, I don't know what I would have seen or wanted to see."

Crossin, who had worked months of overtime to pay for the once-in-a-lifetime trip, said her insurance package does not cover acts of terrorism, so she is out a couple of thousand dollars.

She added that her son is upset with her for cancelling the trip, but she is glad she did.