East Coast Airways

[Pilot1500]

I have a buddy who got hired to ECA and he was supposed to start flying in september, then it delayed a week...then another week...and another...and yes...another week until the plane finally showed up and in 2 weeks has only done a 1.5 hr flight (so i've heard) and they are supposed to star flying next week. anyway this airline will probably go under pretty soon. I dont see it making a profit when you have georgian out there already plus jazz ( only to sydney though i beleive )

[Spinner]

CBC reports tonight that they are booking people on other flights because their startup is delayed. (no OC)

[Beachparty]

CBC reports tonight that they are booking people on other flights because their startup is delayed. (no OC)

Do you have a link ?

[~Hollywood~]

Couldn't find any news on the no OC, but here the YYG Airport CEO talks about no security deposit arangement has been reached as of yet ....

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward- ... n-584.html

"There is a requirement in the agreement for a security deposit. Certainly all the discussions that we have had with the airline to date, we expect them to sign that agreement in the next few days to a week if their plans to start are still as scheduled."

Newson said he's heard some of the start dates may be delayed by about a week. He expects airline representatives will be in Charlottetown next week to finalize the agreement

[Tim]

this is spiraling into a shitstorm pretty quickly...i hope the employees dont get screwed over on this one.

[Widow]

Unpaid loan won’t affect N.S. airline — official

By BRUCE ERSKINE Business Reporter
Wed, Oct 27 - 4:53 AM

The new operations president of East Coast Airways says his past business liabilities won’t affect the airline’s efforts to start a regional service in Halifax.

"This has no impact on ECA," Jay Hasson said in an interview on Tuesday. "They’re two separate entities."

Hasson confirmed that he and his wife, Tina Simpkin, a CTV Halifax meteorologist, are guarantors of a $600,000 loan from Ameriana Bank in New Castle, Ind., to Vertical Velocity Helicopters, an Indiana company he once owned.

Ameriana Bank sued Hasson and Simpkin to get its money back but had trouble finding the couple, bank lawyer Greg Crider told CBC Halifax. Crider couldn’t be reached Tuesday for comment on the details of the loan default.

Hasson said the loan default may have arisen from a mistake in failing to remove the couple’s names from company documents when they sold the helicopter business.

"We’re finding out what we need to do to rectify this," Hasson said. "At the end of the day, I am responsible to do whatever is necessary to make this right."

Kate Marshall, a Halifax lawyer representing Crider, said Tuesday that Hasson has not contacted the bank’s lawyer about the loan default.

Hasson said he was stunned by suggestions that creditors couldn’t find him and his wife, noting that they both have relatively high public profiles.

Hasson is an airline employee and does not own East Coast Airways, which is a subsidiary of Integra Air Inc. of Lethbridge, Alta.

Prior to this month’s airline launch, which received substantial media attention, Hasson was in the news for pitching a hovercraft service between Halifax and Bedford to regional council last year.

On Nov. 1, East Coast plans to begin scheduled flights between Halifax, Yarmouth, Sydney, Saint John, N.B., and Charlottetown.

However, Integra needs to amend its air operator certificate with Transport Canada to offer flights under the East Coast Airways banner in Atlantic Canada.

The required documentation was filed with the federal department last week, Hasson said.

"We’re still taking bookings. We’re looking forward to Nov. 1."

Transport Canada spokeswoman Melanie Orlowski said Tuesday her department hasn’t received the documentation required from Integra to consider a certificate amendment.

Integra president Brent Gateman couldn’t be reached for comment.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1208884.html

[Rippen]

You know what is hilarious about this? Sydney is now welcoming the competition? Really? Two years ago the airport manager refused to let AG land because they didn't want a 19 PAX airplane, how about Sunwing? Anyone remember them refusing to let SWG fly in there? SWG serviced YQY for how many years in the summers, before WJ & AC decided to service. WTF? WJ & AC announces they'll start flights to YQY and SWG gets turfed....how's that for loyalty.

[Tim]

You know what is hilarious about this? Sydney is now welcoming the competition? Really? Two years ago the airport manager refused to let AG land because they didn't want a 19 PAX airplane, how about Sunwing? Anyone remember them refusing to let SWG fly in there? SWG serviced YQY for how many years in the summers, before WJ & AC decided to service. WTF? WJ & AC announces they'll start flights to YQY and SWG gets turfed....how's that for loyalty.

that doesnt really have much to do with ECA...

[ehbuddy]

Either way.......do they have an O.C. yet? Have any other Maritime Airports asked for cash up front?

[Tim]

any word on when theyre gonna get going?

[~Hollywood~]

Delayed till Nov 22nd last I heard

[Widow]

Controversy not behind launch delay, says East Coast Airways
By Staff, Transcontinental Media
Source: The Cape Breton Post, November 2, 2010

[MARITIME REGION] — East Coast Airways is reporting that the scheduled takeoff of its new regional airline service has been delayed over a paperwork issue, not because of the recent controversy surrounding the company’s president.

Planes under the direction East Coast Airways were supposed to begin transporting passengers in and out of five Maritime communities on Monday.

“The person that was supposed to be dealing with our paperwork was called out of the office and unable to sign the paperwork that we needed,” said Sarah MacKinnon, director of public relations and media and sales director for the airline. “We still have a charter license but running a scheduled route under that is a bit of a grey area, so (president of operations Jason Hasson) said ‘I’m just going to play it on the safe side.’”

Full article here . . .

[ehbuddy]

I did not realize that T.C. were that short staffed in the Western Region......

The office must be pretty empty these days............

[Tim]

when was the paperwork submitted i wonder

[~Hollywood~]

Is it too late to get a pool going for the start date????

Oct 1st

[av8tor_assrope]

I say they start Jan 1st and go tits up Jan 7th

[ehbuddy]

No matter how good your game plan is if you cannot execute the plays then the team loses.

With the Christmas rush just around the corner I would bet most people will book on an established carrier. This will indeed have a big impact on expected revenues of this Upstart. The sad part is.........old Jay will just vanish, Integra will be left to pay the bills and the employee's will be standing around wondering what the hell just happened.....

[AlphaSierra]

No matter how good your game plan is if you cannot execute the plays then the team loses.

With the Christmas rush just around the corner I would bet most people will book on an established carrier. This will indeed have a big impact on expected revenues of this Upstart. The sad part is.........old Jay will just vanish, Integra will be left to pay the bills and the employee's will be standing around wondering what the hell just happened.....

+1.

This place gives me the creeps.

If you read the articles linked above, the reporters checked the story from both sides, East Coast Airways, and Transport Canada. East Coast says it is Transport delays, but Transport is saying otherwise. Somebody is not telling the truth. Based on information revealed over the past couple of weeks, I know who I believe. And its sad.

I just hope the pilots there are getting their paychecks, and that TC regulatory issues are being complied with. If I was TC, I would take a long, hard look at this place before I let them carry any passengers. East Coast basically appeared from nothing, and I'm not sure what type of structure they have backing themselves up. They don't even have an office at YHZ, although heard something about them moving into the common use space at the very end of the terminal. There are too many things about East Coast that just don't add up.

[AlphaSierra]

These are the two comments from the CB Post article. Couldn't say it any better than that:

Bruce

…..and the dog ate my homework.


not a hovercraft

now CTV reports all he said last night is a lie. I hope noone local ante’d up money to this guy. Wow does this stink more every day
Nov 2/2010

[raven54]

So what's the latest and greatest?