Air Canada cheats death...and with new planes??

[Guest Icelandic_Canadian]

Turns out Air Canada will continue flying for the time being. Last night was almost the end. Could you imagine? Canada's only major international air carrier going down...that would have been a catastrophe!But it turns out, Jazz is changing to take over all short-haul and medium-haul domestic and trans-border routes with a smaller fleet of regional jets...read here:http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pag...ticleID=1338690But see where it says 70-seat regional jets? Does anyone know if that will be CRJ700's or ERJ-170's?? Gotta be one or the other, right? You'd think the CRJ's at first to keep commonality b/w aircraft, but when purchasing ERJ's, Air Canada could get some kind of help from the Brazilian government. That's just how it works. Brazil wants to bring business, so they do that. Bombardier does it with foreign carriers as well. Air Canada has, in the past, complained about it and there was a big cuffufle (sp?) between Embraer and Bombardier.N e who, that'd be interesting to find out which planes they are.Local Air is Better Air- www.hawkair.ca

[Guest cast1010]

Those 70 seat regional jets could also be Dash 8-Q400. They seat 68 to 78 passengers.Either way, it is good news that Air Canada cut a deal with its main pilot's union, I think that is the only way to save that great airline.Carlos.

[Guest tinman]

Air Canada will be getting CRJs, they have never even considered the Embraer.Personally, as I work in the aviation industry in Canada, I think it is a shame that Air Canada didn't fold. They are what is wrong with aviation in Canada, and having them go under would be the breath of fresh air that Canada needs. The government sold the airline to the private sector completely debt-free 12 years ago, and it started gaining it's huge debt while the ink from the sale was still fresh. Paying baggage throwers $65,000/yr. under a union is no way to make money, and it effects every branch of aviation across Canada. I spent a LOT of time and a LOT of money to get my engineer's licence, and work a full days work with a very successful company for a great salary. The engineers over at AC (I know several) hide behind thier unions, make more money, and work half as hard, because they feel it is thier God-given right to do so. It is a very common theme with most departments in that company, and since they are the largest in Canada, it effects the whole industry. Hopefully the Canadian public will smarten up and realize that the price premium paid to fly on AC (while you get worse service than ANY other airline I have ever flown on) only goes towards padding the pockets of a group of people who are, for the majority, underworked and overpaid, especially when you consider how many of your tax dollars have been used to bail out the most poorly managed airline in history. I have not flown on AC since 1999, and refuse to do it in the future. Just my 2 cents.

[Guest Stratus_Fractus]

>Air Canada will be getting CRJs, they have never even>considered the Embraer.>>Personally, as I work in the aviation industry in Canada, I>think it is a shame that Air Canada didn't fold. They are what>is wrong with aviation in Canada, and having them go under>would be the breath of fresh air that Canada needs. The>government sold the airline to the private sector completely>debt-free 12 years ago, and it started gaining it's huge debt>while the ink from the sale was still fresh. Paying baggage>throwers $65,000/yr. under a union is no way to make money,>and it effects every branch of aviation across Canada. I spent>a LOT of time and a LOT of money to get my engineer's licence,>and work a full days work with a very successful company for a>great salary. The engineers over at AC (I know several) hide>behind thier unions, make more money, and work half as hard,>because they feel it is thier God-given right to do so. It is>a very common theme with most departments in that company, and>since they are the largest in Canada, it effects the whole>industry. Hopefully the Canadian public will smarten up and>realize that the price premium paid to fly on AC (while you>get worse service than ANY other airline I have ever flown on)>only goes towards padding the pockets of a group of people who>are, for the majority, underworked and overpaid, especially>when you consider how many of your tax dollars have been used>to bail out the most poorly managed airline in history. I have>not flown on AC since 1999, and refuse to do it in the future.>Just my 2 cents.Superbly said!

[Guest Icelandic_Canadian]

Well, I am about 100% certain the "70-seat regional jets" AC gets will not be Dash 8Q-400's because, well, they aren't regional jets are they? I also work in the aviation industry, for the airline in my signature. As much as I'd like to see my competitor go down and under, I gotta admit, Air Canada is a completely different airline when it comes to international travel. Every AC flight I've taken internationally has been awesome (to today's standards, not yesterday's). That is definitely a problem with consumers as well. Everyone wants everything for nothing. They say give us seats on your planes for next to nothing, and give us all the frills, too. Unfortunately, Air Canada has fallen victim to trying to listen to this. They are managed very poorly, just as Canadian Airlines was.Their plan to get back on their feet sounds promising, and a lot more realistic for our country. It's about time they stopped trying to keep up with their American counter-parts in being a ginormous airline. Canada can obviously not support that.If they can't pull themselves together after all this, then they deserve to be gone. Get Milton out, he's done a very very poor job. Then maybe things will be better.Local Air is Better Air- www.hawkair.ca

[Guest Rockcliffe]

Note as well that Air Canada intends to get rid of its 747s.Too bad about that. As for buying Embraers -- Somehow I don't think that would go over too well in Canada.RegardsBlairCYOW

[Guest]

I Agree!Air Canada has dug themselves their own hole. I'll be ###### if my tax dollars go to dig them out. They should never have bought Canadian Airlines.They should never have made the concessions that they did with the unions during the amalgamation.And Robert Milton should take a lesson from Clive Beddoe on basic airline management.It would be a shame to see Air Canada go but if the company can't stand on it's own two feet, why the #### should the taxpayers of Canada bail them out? Especially when upper management still sucks up insane salaries and bonuses. All that will happen now is that the company will have a long, drawn out, agonizing death, versus the quick, relatively painless one it should have had. CF-AOAKyle

[Guest]

Please watch the language:-)

[Guest]

Hi JP,Actually I'm laughing because they weren't really swear words.I didn't know that dammed and hek (spelling incorrect due to filter) were considered bad words.However, if they're considered "bad" here, my apologies. I'll refrain from them in the future.Thanks,CF-AOAKyle