St. John's mayor wants Air Canada service probe

[dashman69]

The mayor of St. John's wants a public inquiry into Air Canada's service in Newfoundland and Labrador, to investigate numerous consumer complaints about the carrier's operations.

Coun. Art Puddister said the return of a direct, year-round transatlantic connection is vital.

"One of the things I'd certainly like is [for] Air Canada or this inquiry to look at is to see if there's some way that we could say, 'Look, give us just two days a week and Halifax five or give us three and them four,'" said Puddister.

I think a lot of them still think it's a crown corporation. If you don't like the service, don't fly with them...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-l ... anada.html

[Old fella]

Thought AC did runs last year from CYYZ - CYHZ - CYYT(or something like that) and across the ocean but quit due not enough business - that was the AC line.- I thought I read. If my memory serves me correct in my advanced years, I was in CYYT about 3 yrs ago and got a connecting B767 oveaseas flight out of CYYT to my desitnation - CYHZ and this flight continued on to CYYZ. I would assume most out of Toronto and points in that locale would like to go direct instead of 2 stops(both ways) enroute to Europe and return, I know I would. Somebody within AC did mention to me that CYYT overseas flight was just basically a glorified connecter to those who were interested in Toronto Halifax and/or Halifax St.John's and return..
Dare I mention anybody from PE and NB who want to head accross the pond has to go to Halifax(with the limited overseas connections) or failing that head west to Toronto/Montreal........ naw didn't think so.

Surprised ZOOM hasn't expressed an interest, then again perhaps they did and didn't see opportunities. As a close friend said to me not long ago, NL can be a bitch of a place to get in/out by air as well as driving with the ferry issues...........

Still a good bunch of people over there(NL) though

[WJ700]

I'd like to see the bill for both AC and WestJet alone this winter for just extra costs of operating in and out of YYT. It's an expensive place when it comes to de-ice, and IROP costs.

I can sympathize with why AC is quick pull an expensive machine like a 767 out of the market.

[sanjet]

Local municipal leaders are ready to take the next step in their quest for an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights.

http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=26003

Although I don't blame them from stories I hear from pax flying from YYT, as people stated above, YYT is a hard to place to operate out of, reprotecting/accomodating pax from diversions is just too costly when it happens on a regular basis. Doing a 1200 RVR or CAT 2 landing in YYT is considered a good wx day down there!

[mulligan]

I can remember when the only approach on 11 was a BCRS. But you could get a PAR on any runway and those guys were good! I think they could have talked you right to the gate

[EI-EIO]

Does NL provide any route support? I seem to recall PE did when the whole AC vs NW thing was going on... ?

[mulligan]

Those days are gone. I think Gander and maybe Stephenville tried that tack as an enticement to a couple of outfits in the form of landing fee waivers for a fixed period. Of course when the period ran out the outfits left.
The talk here now is of a route to Paris with....Air France! The media has it that Air France has approached the Airport Authority with preliminary enquiries. Apparently Sarkozy's government has pledged to make it easier for citizens of it's overseas possessions to travel to the mother country. St.Pierre and Miquelon is the last remnant of the French empire in North America but has a 4000' (I think) strip. I guess AF is considering serving the citizens through YYT. It would require heavy subsidy and that could be nicely offset by picking up pax at YYT. Someone on the STAA confirmed in the press that preliminary talks are taking place. Historically speaking they might consider "d'iberville" as a name for a dedicated aircraft

[pilotbzh]

Air St Pierre fly in YHZ and YUL and YYT, it may be cheaper to fly to yyt for the connecting French pax and offering a door to the Air France network without going to yul/yyz.... could they do it with a 320/321 long range? or they may have plan for cargo and a 767... would make sens.

[mulligan]

It can be done with a 319. Air Canada was doing YYT-LHR last summer with an ETOPS 319. The only slot available at LHR was at 10pm and people were still choosing to go through YHZ for an 8 am arrival (connections) so the loads were poor and the service was dropped.

[quikfixxx]

wasnt YYT serviced by Astraeus last summer as well as AC? I believe Astraeus has since dropped the route due to it being very unprofitable. I also remember around the same time, the St. Johns mayor telling the citizens of St. John's to boycott Air Canada whenever possible. Now he is complaining about AC's service? Go figure... !

[Scupp]

Air France does have a subfleet of Airbus 319s? that the use for longer range international service to African/Middle East destinations. Theoretically they could use one of these for CDG-YYT service, and they tweak the Air St. Pierre schedule for arriving/departing passengers.

From a pax perspective and routing pax from Europe to YYT, AF does have considerable network throughout the continent, as well as SkyTeam connections. Heck, even if I was departing London, it just seems more logical to go through Paris to YYT, than via YYZ, even though in both cases there is a leg in the wrong direction. LHR - YYZ - YYT is just one of those quirks of the hub n' spoke system, it happens much more in other countries especially the US, although you'd think the pax would be happy with the extra Aeroplan miles they rack up.

[Jaques Strappe]

So here we go again. Air Canada, a "so called private company" when it is convenient, being harrassed into something that makes no economical sense on a route that has proven to be a loser by other carriers as well.

Why doesn't the mayor of YYT go and demand Westjet do the damned route?

Oh, thats' right, there is no Westjet Act of parliament that interferes with how it does business.

[tonysoprano]

Why doesn't the mayor of YYT go and demand Westjet do the damned route?

Oh, thats' right, there is no Westjet Act of parliament that interferes with how it does business.

Bananas and mangoes.

[sanjet]

Blame the weather, not us, Air Canada tells mayors
Noting "severe winter storms" elsewhere in Canada in the days leading up to and during the Christmas holidays, Dee wrote, "There are circumstances outside any airline's control which sometimes make this task more challenging."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-l ... anada.html

[WF9F]

That is total BS. They like to use the weather as an excuse. I have seen many days when flights were cancelled that the weather was not bad enough for anything not to get in. Flights are cancelled now without even consulting the Flight Crew. That's wrong. They say the reason in not consulting with anyone but the the SOC manager is that it is a "commercial decision". It should be the flight crew who says when they are not going , not someone in an office that has no idea about weather on the East Coast,only what they get from the Weather Network.(that includes Halifax as they have the same weather as YYT , just a day earlier)