AC is such a mess

[Colonel Sanders]

I never fly AC as a pax, and this is why:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/busi ... rel=825269

Why anyone would want to work at such a dysfunctional company is beyond me.

[jul2]

Atleast the pilots are standing up for their profession. Its time passengers wake up and pay the real price for their god damn tickets and pay their pilots accordingly! I dont care if you get stuck in Cuba on March break because of a strike. You paid 600$ for your ticket+hotel. live with it. Next time pay the right price and you'll get back home.

[CpnCrunch]

I completely agree. Even before this latest mess, I didn't trust AC. I used to think BA was bad, but AC is just a joke. It seems they have a strike or threat of a strike every 6 months or so.

Really, the best thing for the government to do would be to leave them alone and let them fight it out with the unions. Either they sort things out, or they go out of business and let WJ and others take over their routes. My guess is that the company is not fixable. It seems they have had many attempts at fixing the problem, but it never gets resolved.

[ch135146]

Totally agree!

[altiplano]

I'd suggest AC is very fixable, problem is they keep trying the same things to "fix" the company. Concessions from employee groups didn't work in the past; what makes them think they will work now?

[Cough Syrup]

Where are the concessions from over-paid, bonus-laden execs?

But you're right, AC is a disaster...WJ couldn't ask for better competition.

[cgzro]

Operating expenses
Aircraft fuel 3,375
Wages, salaries, and benefits 1,991
Airport and navigation fees 1,007
Capacity purchase agreements 1,003
Depreciation, amortization and impairment 728
Aircraft maintenance 681
Sales and distribution costs 612
Food, beverages and supplies 278
Communications and information technology 193
Aircraft rent 335
Other 1,230

Fuel is the big killer of course. .. wonder what the 'other' entails, thats a big chunk of change.
By the way, they seem to be paying 80 cents a liter for jet fuel .. guess they get great bulk rates!

[EI-EIO]

No strike threat can be considered if Parliament is in session. The 308 most self-interested folks in Canada.

[flyincanuck]

Harper, instead of fostering incompetence with his sidekick Raitt, should take a page out of Obama's book and fire the CEO.

Heck, cut him a 20 million dollar cheque like the General Motors exec.

Just get him out.

Do something about the problem.

Many thought GM was toast. They managed to turn a 104 year old company into profitability.

[Forest Gump]

Well, of course it's "essential" to get to the Caribbean! Seems that anytime a government in the country gets a majority it just does whatever it wants. This Raitt be-otch has got to go.

[Bolter]

Operating expenses
Aircraft fuel 3,375
Wages, salaries, and benefits 1,991
Airport and navigation fees 1,007
Capacity purchase agreements 1,003
Depreciation, amortization and impairment 728
Aircraft maintenance 681
Sales and distribution costs 612
Food, beverages and supplies 278
Communications and information technology 193
Aircraft rent 335
Other 1,230

Fuel is the big killer of course. .. wonder what the 'other' entails, thats a big chunk of change. My guess would be interest on all their debt! Still paying for past sins
By the way, they seem to be paying 80 cents a liter for jet fuel .. guess they get great bulk rates!

[Beefitarian]

Atleast the pilots are standing up for their profession. Its time passengers wake up and pay the real price for their god damn tickets and pay their pilots accordingly! I dont care if you get stuck in Cuba on March break because of a strike. You paid 600$ for your ticket+hotel. live with it. Next time pay the right price and you'll get back home.

I agree with your theory but... Have you checked prices at AirCanada? If they have a lock out, how are their business class passengers getting home?

I support the pilots there but not enough to choose them for air travel any more. I would pay more, if the service was like it was at the turn of the century.

[peice]

I am part of the public and I want a strike at AC. When will there ever be an appropriate time for a strike? Never, that's when! This is complete bull and I regret voting for this current government.

[palm90]

I am part of the public and I want a strike at AC. When will there ever be an appropriate time for a strike? Never, that's when! This is complete bull and I regret voting for this current government.

I feel the same way. NEVER again will I vote Conservative.

[hst]

If the below statement is true....AC has a ways to go before the mess is cleaned up.

I am an army of One - A Captain in the Air Canada army.
For years I was a loyal soldier in Air Canada army. Use to fight for the big red - Now I fight my own war.
I used to feel valued and respected. Now I know I am mere fodder.
They used to exhibit labour leadership. Now they exploit legal loopholes.
They used to enjoy my maximum. Now they will suffer my minimum.
I am an army of One.

I used to save Air Canada a thousand pounds of fuel per leg; finding the best altitude, getting direct routing, throttling back when on-time was made, skimping during ground ops, adjusting for winds, being smart and giving the company every effort I could conjure. Now, it's "burn baby, burn!".
I used to call maintenance while airborne, so the part would be ready at the gate. Now, they'll find the write-up when they look in the book.
I used to try to fix problems in the system, now I sit and watch as the miscues pile up.
I used to fly sick. Now I use my sick days, on short notice, on the worst day of the month.
I am an army of One.

I used to start the air conditioning at the last possible moment. Now my customers enjoy extreme comfort.
I used to let the price of fuel affect my fuel loads. I still do.
I used to cover mistakes by operations. Now I watch them unfold.
I used to hustle to ensure an on-time arrival, to make us the best. Now I don’t share my success.
I used to call dispatch for rerouting, to head off ground delays for bad weather. Now I collect paid minutes, number 35 in line for takeoff.

I am on a new mission - to demonstrate that misguided leadership of indifference and disrespect has a cost. It's about character, not contracts. It's about leading by taking care of your people instead of leadership by bean counters (an oxymoron). With acts of omission, not commission, I am a one-man wrecking crew - an army of One. My mission used to be to make Air Canada rich. Now it's to make Air Canada pay.

When they manipulate summer vacation to save their understaffed airline – I will make them pay
When they force my FO to sit in economy while dead-heading with Jazz pilots sitting in first class– I will make them pay
When they provide me with a sub-standard hotel for me to rest- I will make them pay.
When over-booked customers are denied boarding system wide because of their lack of planning - I will make them pay.
When they force pilots, who have waited 12 years to become Captains, to be FOs again - I will make them pay.
When they try to manipulate my schedule to fix their lack of planning - I will make them pay.
When they trick my FO into flying over his duty day – I will make them pay
When the CEO reveries his 5 million dollars bonus on April 1st while I am still 20% below - I will make them pay
When they constantly violate the letter and spirit of our contract - a contract that's a bargain by any measure, and force us to fight lengthy grievances - I will make them pay.

My negotiating committee speaks for me, but I act on my own. I am a walking nightmare to the bean counters that made me. Are you listening? This mercenary has a lot of years left with this company; how long can you afford to keep me bitter? I'm not looking for clauses in a contract, I'm looking for a culture of commitment and caring. When I see it, I'll be a soldier for Air Canada again. Until then, I am an Army of One…And I'm not alone!

[Lost in Saigon]

If the below statement is true....AC has a ways to go before the mess is cleaned up.

Air Canada pilots have always gone the extra mile to keep the operation going. We are constantly doing others people's jobs for them.

We usually show up in the flightdeck about 45mins before the flight and as soon as we sit down we are bombarded with other peoples' problems. Each one of these problems usually requires repeated calls to Operations to correct the problem.

Things like:

- Ground air conditioning is too hot or to cold.

- Catering is incorrect or incomplete.

- Lavs have not been serviced.

- Maintenance issues with cabin services.

- Last minute Maintenance issues requiring crew involvement with Minimum Equipment Lists, Operational procedures, Performance Penalties,

- Crew rest supplies missing from aircraft.

- Last minute change in flight-plan requiring amended fuel load.

- Last minute change in load requiring re-calculation of takeoff data or runway change.

- Delays requiring noise curfew extensions.

- Lack of push-back tractor or ground crew.

- Excetera.......... Excetera..........Excetera..........


All these problems take place while we are supposed to be preparing our aircraft for a safe flight, and before we are even getting paid.


Well it seems most pilot are now fed up and will gladly let these problems run their own course with minimal involvement from us.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Poor misguided souls that would let their proffesion, that most people would consider a lifestyle of avocation turn to HST type vocation.Do everyone a favor and go on stress leave before you end up like that poor misguided FA in the states.Its your ponzi pyriamid contract that has the bottom starving and the top living at the Hilton...

[hst]

To be clear Rollercoaster Rider, I was passing on a quote (not advocating any position) for comment.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Sorry for implying directly at you but this type of aditude is so infuriating.I'm just so tired for working for the public percieved enemy.All this while these upstarts steal our future and we are left as the villans..

[Lost Lake]

Of all the posts I have read on AvCanada, I believe hst wrote the most profound realistic comment, regarding professional aviation in general. Some of us, including me, are in with our company for the long haul. Whether you are a 705 captain, a lifer BE200, twin otter or single otter/beaver captain. We are all in a position to help the company get a better line or a safer operation. Like hst says, precautionary approaches, long landings from the dock, over shoots, declining flights because of weather or operational situations, can have a huge affect on the bottom line. As an example, it is approx $7 per minute fuel burn per turboprop times 15 sectors a day=$105 per minut per engine per day. So extend every flight 2 minuts per sector on a twin turbine is $400 a dayX 365 days= $146,000 a year! Nevermind MEL's, legitimate but unnecessary groundings. Multiply this by 30/40/50 aircraft. WTF! The beancounters have no idea of the affect the flight crew can have on the bottom line.

One of the best/worst traits of all the crews I've had the pleasure to fly with is the tenacity/desire/commitment to try and do the best they can. It is part of the personality of every professional pilot I know, and it has become our achiles heal. What kind of world do we live in when we are persecuted and taken advantage of by idiotic bean counters, thinking that underpaying/mistreating pilots because they've been nutured is good for the bottom line.

Let the AC pilots strike. When the government intercedes in a private corporation's affairs, tell them to F O! When they decide to fine pilots, then quit!! Stay together and don't back down!!! When every pilot has been fined $20MM after 6 months of striking, what is the goverment going to. Funny how garbage collectors can stike! They are the representatives of us. Time to take a stand! They work for us.

I digress, butto reiterate: A pilot has the ability to positively/negatively affect the bottom line - treat them right. The government is no longer resonsible to the people.

End of rant, good night

PS, if you agree with me, buy stocks in WJ.

[Jack In The Box]

So wait a sec, Harper and his government is supposed to dish out cash for this group when they are under a hard economic crisis under the guise of "We are too important to the economy" and then sit back and let them shut themselves down? Cue the left wing drivel-Where did we throw logic out the window here? Unfortunately for us as pilots, we are in the (very small) minority that think the government SHOULDN'T have blocked the AC strike.

The real problem at AC are their unions. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for working rights and for better pay, but people need to realize some things are just not going to work (cough, pensions) and work with management to change it.

Just my 2 cents.

[Colonel Sanders]

One thing that all pilots should keep in mind is that airline
management hates pilots. If they could get rid of them,
they would. And sometime down the road, they probably
will.

Airbus has been talking about the single-pilot cockpit for years.

I'm just so tired for working for the public percieved enemy

AC isn't a villain. Figuratively, it's a train wreck.

While I am no fan of AC management, unions should also keep in
mind that no person is irreplaceable, which appears to be an unspoken
axiom of union logic.

Unions would be well to remember a good-natured, bumbling President
Reagan - before your time - whom incredibly fired all the Air Traffic Controllers
in the USA when, in his opinion, they got too big for their britches. And
Reagan got away with it. No crashes resulted. Heck, they even named
an airport after him.

[WF9F]

We have worked with management to try and fix the Pension problem(pension holidays for the company,etc.) but our help has gone into the pockets of AC management.No more. The low interest rates have hurt pension as well as Government regulations that need updating(discount rate). Everyone seems to have it out for DB pensions.That's the Canadian way ,"I don't have it so you shouldn't either".
When ,not if, interest rates rise that Pension deficit will magically disappear.
We are to the point of wanting AC to sink or swim and if it takes them going under then so be it, somebody will have to fly 80,000+ people around a day.
This is what you get when you have lawyers and accountants running airlines and filling their pockets with money.
Would be nice to get some Airline experienced people run the airline.
With an 85% load factor and pilots salries only 4% of total revenue you should be able to make money and not keep trying to cut salaries to improve the bottom line.Accountants can make the numbers look however they want.

[WF9F]

I never fly AC as a pax, and this is why:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/busi ... rel=825269

Why anyone would want to work at such a dysfunctional company is beyond me.

I know you now , think I heard you yapping in your cage in cargo the other day.

[Colonel Sanders]

I heard you yapping in your cage in cargo the other day

Sure, but at the end of the flight they let me out of the cage,
and you're still stuck with the same management.