Air Canada Selects Air Georgian

[midwingcrisis]

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-201 ... html?dsk=y


MONTREAL, Dec. 10, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Following a previously announced Request for Proposals (RFP), Air Canada today announced that it has signed an MOU to expand its relationship and amend its capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Air Georgian. Air Georgian has been selected to operate a number of additional regional routes including transborder routes in mid-2014 using Canadair Regional Jet aircraft.

"We are pleased to expand our longstanding commercial relationship with Air Georgian that will allow Air Canada to introduce more cost-competitive operations in a number of our key regional markets," said Kevin Howlett, Air Canada's Senior Vice President, Regional Markets. "The competitive bid process generated a significant level of response from a number of Canadian and U.S. regional operators. Following a thorough evaluation of proposals received, Air Georgian was selected on the basis of a broad range of criteria including operational safety, efficiency, cost and service. The award of additional flying to Air Georgian is an important step in our regional airline diversification strategy and ongoing cost transformation program."

"We are excited with this opportunity to expand Air Georgian's presence as an Air Canada Express regional operator beginning in 2014," said Eric Edmondson, President of Air Georgian. "The selection of Air Georgian for this expanded role is based on our proven ability to offer seamless connections and service for Air Canada customers that is of mutual benefit for both airlines. We look forward to continuing to expand our relationship, building on our solid partnership with Air Canada that has developed over the past 13 years."

The implementation of the amendment to the CPA remains subject to the parties making any necessary filings, obtaining regulatory approvals and finalizing documentation.

Air Canada currently has capacity purchase agreements with four regional airline partners that operate under the banner Air Canada Express: Jazz, Sky Regional, Air Georgian and EVAS.

Air Georgian became a Tier III partner of Air Canada in 2000, operating as Air Alliance under a CPA. Today Air Georgian operates under the brand Air Canada Express, focusing on transborder and domestic airline operations carrying over 350,000 passengers per year for Air Canada from Toronto's Pearson International Airport, Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Halifax's Robert L. Stanfield International Airport and Calgary's International Airport to 19 Canadian and U.S. destinations.

Air Georgian has been providing aviation services and charter flight solutions for more than 25 years. Air Georgian also operates and/or maintains a fleet of corporate jets from its base in Toronto. Air Georgian is an IATA registered airline and recently achieved the coveted ARGUS Platinum Audit Rating along with IS-BAO Stage 1 registration.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 175 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2012 served close to 35 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 67 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,328 destinations in 195 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best Airline in North America in 2013 for the fourth consecutive year. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Air Canada's public communications may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business and the capital markets. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, industry, market, credit and economic conditions, the ability to reduce operating costs and secure financing, pension issues, energy prices, employee and labour relations, currency exchange and interest rates, competition, war, terrorist acts, epidemic diseases, environmental factors (including weather systems and other natural phenomena, and factors arising from man-made sources), insurance issues and costs, changes in demand due to the seasonal nature of the business, supply issues, changes in laws, regulatory developments or proceedings, pending and future litigation and actions by third parties as well as the factors identified throughout Air Canada's public disclosure file available at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Air Canada's expectations as of the date of this news release, and are subject to change after such date. However, Air Canada disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

SOURCE Air Canada

/CONTACT: Media Contacts

Air Canada:

Isabelle Arthur (Montr ) 514 422-5788

Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto) 416 263-5576

Angela Mah (Vancouver) 604 270-5741

aircanada.com Air Georgian:

Jacquie Courtney 905 676-1221 ext. 251

jcourtney@airgeorgian.ca

Copyright CNW Group 2013

[Big Pistons Forever]

The future of your career

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... JJ700tVT_0

[monkey]

What a joke. All the more reason to join the college of pilots. Our industry is being eroded from the bottom up very quickly these past few years. Time for our unions to start working more together or amalgamate into one.

[Inverted2]

Will they be placing training wheels on the wingtips of those 50 seat RJs?

[Go Guns]

Will they be placing training wheels on the wingtips of those 50 seat RJs?

I'm not excited about what appears to be a continuation of this race to the bottom, but....

You mean RJs like this one?

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/3636 ... ost4749777

or this one?

http://aviation-safety.net/database/rec ... 20070520-0

People who live in glass houses.......

[Inverted2]

And that's what happened with pilots with years of flying experience. Something Georgian won't be getting with their pay and working conditions.

[Localizer]

So what's the big deal .. Jazz pilots prefer the low rider Crj.

[rudder]

And that's what happened with pilots with years of flying experience.

Not exactly accurate. See the TSB reports and there is a common thread:

"The crew conducted a Category I instrument landing system approach to runway 15 and elected to land. On reaching about 35 feet, the captain assessed that the aircraft was not in a position to land safely and ordered the first officer, who was flying the aircraft, to go around."

"The first officer attended Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology, graduating May 1993 with an Aviation Flight Technology Diploma. In May 1993 he was hired by the Toronto Flight Centre as a flight instructor on Cessna aircraft. In February 1995 he moved to ATR Inc., a Toronto Island-based charter company. He was both a charter pilot and a flight instructor for ATR until February 1996, when he joined Grand Aviation. While at Grand Aviation, he was a charter pilot on a Piper Cheyenne II. In September 1997, he became a first officer on the CL-65 with Air Canada, completing 85 hours of ground school training and 36 hours of simulator training, including his PPC and an instrument flight test. Between November 22 and December 5 he accrued just over 29 hours' flight time during line indoctrination. During those flights he flew 10 legs as PF and 7 as PNF. Following his line check on December 9 he was qualified to fly as first officer on the aircraft. His remaining hours on type were accrued between December 10 and 16."

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-repor ... 7h0011.asp


"The first officer was
the pilot flying (PF). The pilots were aware that a crosswind landing would be required and that
the winds had been reported as gusty"

"The first officer had a total flying time of
4000 hours, had been flying with this airline for less than two months, and had about 100 hours
on CRJ series aircraft. His previous experience was on single and light twin propeller aircraft,
including time as captain on Beechcraft 1900 series aircraft."

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-repor ... 7o0124.pdf

[TopperHarley]

I'm hearing from a Georgian pilot it'll be $55,000 for Captain, $28,500 for FO to start.

To think that 10+ years ago those very same planes were flown at the mainline level...

[navajo_jay]

I'm hearing from a Georgian pilot it'll be $55,000 for Captain, $28,500 for FO to start.

To think that 10+ years ago those very same planes were flown at the mainline level...

aannnnnnnnnnd the sad part is that there will be people willing to do it just say they fly a nice jet....man I'm so pissed with all that...where is aviation going?

[razorblade]

It's going to be deja-vu again, when Jazz FOs go to Georgian to get left seat on the RJ sooner than at Jazz (if at all, now.)

[Canoehead]

They are the ones that used to send resumes to my former company offering to fly a Navajo or a Cheyenne for free.

Now there's starry-eyed "pilots" all over the country sending in resumes tonight offering their skills to GGN for next to nothing.

Best of luck to all of you who apply and or transfer within to the YYC operation.
Hope you're proud of yourselves.

[pilotbzh]

I'm hearing from a Georgian pilot it'll be $55,000 for Captain, $28,500 for FO to start.

To think that 10+ years ago those very same planes were flown at the mainline level...

That was the pay to fly the b1900 13years ago.....

[justwork]

I'm hearing from a Georgian pilot it'll be $55,000 for Captain, $28,500 for FO to start.

To think that 10+ years ago those very same planes were flown at the mainline level...

That was the pay to fly the b1900 13years ago.....

Don't fault the employer, they keep lowering the bar but people still want to work for them. What I've learned in my short 11 years in aviation, if I have to find a new employer I'm getting out of the industry. Makes more financial sense to start at the bottom of a trade than %90 of the aviation sr lists in this country.

[Morav]

Stop your whining, and do something.

Join the College of Pilots.

[whodareswins]

So if this is what GGN will be paying or close to it, does this make those pilots at Sky Regional nervous? After all they undercut Jazz to take CPA work away from them. Now GGN will be undercutting everyone. Maybe those E175s will find their way to GGN in the future. You reap what you sow I suppose.

[Black Cat]

Sadly, the College of pilot is not interested in doing jack shit for wage equality.

[KAG]

This is nothing new, welcome to the aviation business cycle. Over time GGN will up the WAWCON, it will be a good job, someone else will undercut, wash, rinse, repeat.
For reference My wife made 29K as a Jazz B scale FA, and I made 55K back in 2001 as a King Air pilot. This industry is bouncing along the bottom wage wise but IMO over the next decade as global demand truly does outpace the experienced pilot pool, wages will have to go up.
Time will tell.

[fish4life]

Encore is having a hard enough time finding Qdrivers to fly for better than that wage Georgian certainly won't be able.

[tdp19]

Stop your whining, and do something.

Join the College of Pilots.

Morav, I just went to the college of pilots and tried to sign up, filled in everything. I got to the last page and was surprised to see a $60 fee. I don't know, call me cheap but i'm already paying around $2000 to ALPA a year, couldn't justify another $60 when I don't know who's operating, where/what the money is going towards.