More than a few travelers at YVR were frustrated with this blockade.
51 Replies to “Air Canada Union Not Happy at YVR”
A friend, who’s mom works for Air Canada, posted this about the blockade:
“Don’t believe what Air Canada and the Harper government tell you! AVEOS is a private company started by Air Canada and where AC told all their thousands of laid-off employees across Canada to work for. Basically, the choice was ‘lose your job’ or ‘work for our new company, AVEOS’…..AIR CANADA is unethical.”
Might any SDA regulars with inside knowledge of Air Canada have any thoughts on where the truth lies?
These types of childish antics by unions; calling in sick, blocking roadways, screaming and chanting widens the publics and taxpayers anger at the them. They are like the bureaucrats who spout off “I’m entitled to my entitlements.” no understanding of reality and the average persons real world view.
Unions are wearing out there relevance and these people are driving another nail into their own coffin. Lets give them more nails and hammers.
Ronald Reagan had a most decisive answer to the air traffic contollers when thay went on an illegal strike in 1981 – he fired them all, decertified the union and had the leadership charged in criminal court. Sigh.
Who cares? Airport blockaders deserve a 48 hour vacation in a cell with a complimentary pepper spray entree.
When a union has gone through all the hoops and chooses the last resort, ie a strike, it is one thing but when they prevent the customer from accessing the services that the customer has paid for then it is the union that has crossed the line and needs to be taken to task.
Aveos was just spun off of Air Canada like Jazz was. So your friend is kind of correct I guess but I’m not sure what her point might be?
Fly Westjet. Best flight experience for me in Canada since PWA – Canadian Airlines before AC squeezed them out of business. I never book AC, ever. When they block airways, do they step aside for the competition?
You know what, bully tactics and extortion don’t win paying customers who really only want to get from here to there. We’re not interested in your job satisfaction. If employees don’t like AC, go work somewhere else. They want to use me to get something from their employer they can pay me to do so, otherwise I’ll fly the competition.
Ah, I remember the days of PWA and CP Air. As long as they were flying I never traveled with anyone else. Now it’s Westjet for domestic travel. Of course, living withing spitting distance of a US hub, it’s any US airline for international travel.
A/C is not longer on my vendor’s list.
There’s a straight line between years of increasing union “activism” and out of control students rioting on St. Patrick’s day. Okay, I guess the union cause is more significant than just being young and stupid drunk, but year after year more people see that some groups do what they like with police permission. Is it surprising they take on that attitude?
(BTW, don’t interpret that as an excuse for those students.)
I make $16.00/hour with no pension or other benifits. My teeth r rotting out of my mouth.
My 2011 annual income was $27000.00 I’m typing this on a used computer 10 yrs old and i live in a basement(not my mothers)in an old apartment building. I refuse to join a union. My friend works for the city of calgary, he said come on over join the union and join the city gravy train. I refuse and choose to live this way.
Tear gas and tazers. That will get them back to work. Ingrates. Maybe they need to work as rampies for Aeroflot in some Siberian backwater.
Better yet, have them work for Buffalo Joe. He’ll fire their collective asses!
Fly WestJet!
“They might have been inconvenienced for one day for whatever reason, but… when [employees] win wage increases, when they win dental plans and pension plans, then it’s a better country for all of us,” Sinclair said.”
Another Union big shot bloviates,while over on the side bar of that link,there is a story that says of the ten worst towns economically,in which to live in Canada, SIX of the top ten are in B.C.!
Unions have always gotten an easy ride here,but with the economic situation here now,I think that may be about to change.
It’s about time the cops arrested these Union agitators for obstructing people going about their business, but I guess they only come out if there’s one upset Polish guy.
doug – when i was in uni the local dental school had great deals on cleanings and check-ups because they’re real world training for the students. I’m not sure I’d want them filling a cavity (depending upon the year of studies and the amount of oversight they get) but it’s a good way to make sure you don’t get too far behind and it cost me next to nothing.
@Doug: I echo C_Miner’s comments. If you don’t take care of your teeth, you will inevitably experience much more serious health problems in the near future. You do not want to go there. The dental school route, as miner explained is a viable option; as well, for example, my dentist sometimes takes on patients with limited resources on a pro-bono or limited fee basis. I do the same in my business, as a limited way of “giving back” for the success that I have enjoyed.
Give it some thought, and explore your options…they are out there…
Robert’s headline says, “Air Canada Union Not Happy at YVR”
Two points.
1. Ever seen a happy union?
2. Never have flown AC. Taxpayers used to fund it just the same as the “MotherCorp”. I know, I know. It’s been privatized. But I look at it this way. My taxes involuntarily paid for the equivalent of hundreds of tickets over the years. I’ll be darned if I’ll buy another ticket voluntarily now.
FYI, I’ve never bought a gallon of PetroCanada gasoline either, for the same reason.
Don’t understand why folks are angry at the interruptions. Fly with the competition, it solves the whole issue. Rotten and rude service from Air Canada anyway, so…to hell with them.
It all plays out just as we would expect of AC.
There is not another airline , ever, who deserved the Ronald Reagan solution more.
I never fly AC , EVER.
Wardair was a great airline. West Jet is just wonderful today. We do not ever consider flying Air Canada. They do not care and it shows.
“Don’t understand why folks are angry at the interruptions. ”
They blocked a runway, I hear. Did they let Westjet pursue their lawful business?
I think that what really irks people is, as the CBC, we funded all their infrastructure before they went off the reservation. Not taking issue with your comment, but to have the federal government continually running interference for the managers of a publicly traded company, they should just butt out and let the thing collapse on it’s own. Westjet shares closed at $13.86 today, AC at $0.91.
I rest my case. They aren’t “too big to fail” and I will deduct my contribution from our federal government’s largess off my income tax return if they ever bail them out. Their business model sucks, just like GM’s!
Wait till this becomes a howling for the commies and libs! Canadian taxpayers have been paying to pacify those narrow interests for far too long.
There is no reason at all why AC should have been bailed out in 2009…. the end is inevitable. Let them sink or swim and that will be the end of it.
As it will be for the CBC.
PO’ed – I agree with the irks. My favorite response whenever someone says anything is “too big to fail” is to ask whether Rome was. Anything that grows to large MUST fail. That’s how nature works, or there’d only be a single creature across the entire earth.
Not sure how to go about verifying this but was talking with an airline pilot (doing some work for him) and he said that a few years back when AC was in bankruptcy proceedings, the write down on the debt was part of the action plan. Except the fuel bill for Air Canada! That was divided up between all the other airlines in Canada and THEY had to pay their fuel bill. The oil companies still got their money, so all you airline travelers in Canada have been paying the bill, even though you never set foot in an AC plane.
Only in Canada, you say!!!?
Air Canada might be private now but they had to take on the entire staff with their union and union mentality, AC was never profitable when they were government run so the private sector has to do the dirty work, I do not blame the new corporate bosses for not bowing down to their wishes, truth is they will be bankrupt if they do not change things no matter how bad a picture the union paints.
As for the government / raitt interfering, this was march break in Ontario, the busiest travel week of the year, for many families it is the only time they fly together and take a holiday, good for them for legislating, AC still has control so there is no competition.
I vowed 10 years ago to never fly with them again until they started to care about their clients, obviously I am right to still boycott them.
My holiday plans involve the following criteria, must be Westjet or Southwest if local, and must always depart from anywhere but Pearson, preferably Hamilton or Buffalo, anything else means I am just rewarding bad behavior.
One word encapsulates the whole ingrained rotten leftard union-thug entitlement mentality in which that organisation is steeped:
MapleFlot
I guess outside the Vancouver airport would have been a good spot to release the can of bear spray that “accidentally” ended up in carry on baggage today on the way to the airport.
The fact that these union goons weren’t arrested says everything one needs to know about what side the RCMP is on; I’m sure anyone else causing a disturbance would have been tasered and then arrested if they survived.
Air Canada is my airline of last resort and, if I have to fly, I prefer Westjet. AC’s service is the worst I’ve experienced on any airline and it’s time to let the whole rotten edifice crumble and let a company like Westjet take over.
OK let’s round up a few hundred conservatives who don’t like toddlers being subjected to full body searches for flying from Winnipeg to Regina – we’ll blockade the airport and see what happens..
And the last time I remember YVR blockaded was when cab drivers decided they didn’t like being told that they had to speak English.
I remember a few years back a pair of Air Canada pilots went down the States to pick up a 320 that an outside vendor worked on. The aircraft was to be flown to Toronto for a revenue flight. The workmanship and the serviceability was so bad, the pilots flew direct to Winnipeg and taxied it straight to the hangar doors and basically said fix it. The aircraft was down for about 2 weeks.
I never liked the style of public protest that just happened, it just doesn’t make a point.
That said, I have always believed because of the global economy and free trade agreements and being told that it is good for us and believing that such agreements will raise the standard of living for overseas workers only leads to one conclusion. It is easier to tear down than to build up. You will never see an overseas worker make 20 or 30 bucks an hour, but you will see the deterioration of the western standard of living in order to compete. One may complain about unions, civil or private, but it doesn’t matter because in the long haul every wage earner, unionized or not, in this country will see their earning and purchasing power dwindle.
The rich will get richer, the poorer will poorer and there will be no middle class.
Is there a bogey man in all this? Big evil corporations? Greedy CEOs? Big government? Socialist? Capitalist? I would say all of them plus more. It is all about money and control and the ultimate in each will be achieved regardless of which political or economic system is used, for the end result is the same…control of the masses.
Sorry to take up more time Kate…
As an ex-Air Canada/Aveos aircraft mechanic in heavy maintenance, my main concern, along with my fellow workers, was to produce a 100% reliable aircraft. And we did. With an American carrier, they went from the bottom to the top for on time performance.
What the pilots do and how the flight attendants act was not our concern, even tho we were suppose to be one big happy family, our concern was a safe and reliable aircraft.
Air Canada, the “customer” and 27% owner of AVEOS basically caused the demise. AC basically didn’t pay their bill. AC reneged on its contract.
But it is water under the bridge, I’m not expecting to see my last pay cheque.
As for the anti AC, union comments, I just figure the same commentators would probably sneer at a minimum wage earner who didn’t serve their Big Mac with a smile.
I never, ever fly Air Canada – I hope they go belly up and make more room for West Jet and Air North. The people who work at A/C are rude to their customers and never go an extra inch, never mind an extra mile, to make a flight bearable. We, in the Yukon, had the A/C as a monopoly for a short time before Air North saved us; the prices were sky high (pardon the pun!) the flights unreliable and the service was shoddy on a good day. My wish: “just go, get off my radar screen.”
and your right obsoiver i beleive everyone in here is against harper back to work legislation !! no one is supportive of it.
This is also a wonderful display of the unionistas self entitled behavior as well!!
“As for the anti AC, union comments, I just figure the same commentators would probably sneer at a minimum wage earner who didn’t serve their Big Mac with a smile.”
I worked plenty of minimum wage jobs when I couldn’t find a job in my profession, sport. I never intended making that minimum wage job a “career”, but it paid the bills at the time.
What changed my POV vs unions was when unions tried to unionize those minimum wage jobs, trying to make them into “careers” like “professional gas jockey”, or “food service specialists”, so that Buzz Hargrove wannabes could feed off that paycheck and collected better pension benefits than I’d ever get.
What I got working those jobs were condescending sneers from the union dudes who rolled up to the pump and expected me to KTA and looked down on my non-union wage paid job with a sneer.
How many posters here have actually flown Air Canada?
From what I see, only a few. And of those few, how many times within the last year?
I have flown across Canada every 2nd week for the past two years, using both AC and WJ and say they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
AC have great counter people and the stewards aren’t seat belt/iphone off nazi’s like WJ. Plus they only come once with the snacks tray instead of being interrupted twice with WJ. Same with the monitors, old for WJ, half the flights I have flown the Satellite doesn’t work plus AC has free movies.
Oh and AC gives the receipt right away when purchasing something, WJ doesn’t. Well last flight they did, so maybe someone besides me writing and complaining has changed their policy.
So WestJet is getting tired, give it another year and they will look like Air Canada.
“What I got working those jobs were condescending sneers from the union dudes who rolled up to the pump and expected me to KTA and looked down on my non-union wage paid job with a sneer.”
I’ll be honest with you PO’d, I’ve seen my union brother and sisters treat a minimum wage earner with disrespect, but then again they would treat anyone with disrespect, heck I’ve seen welfare recipients acting and demanding treatment like they are royalty. I may of been unionized, but it went with the job, after a stint in the military.
But hey, who cares right? The public doesn’t care about who loses a job as long as they can get their items cheap. Masses do not care about the individual.
Air Canada’s motto: We’re not happy until you’re not happy.
Air Canada really isn’t that bad of an airline when comparing to any of the US carriers. I fly internationally quite a bit and while AC has its drawbacks, their flight attendants and pilots are generally pretty good. Westjet is budget. AC has TVs and yes they’ll charge you for a beer on the plane… it’s a cutthroat business and they have to keep track of every cent.
AC is held captive by the unions.. they’ll have to trim their costs somewhere. and if that has to be from a unionized maintenance outfit then it’s kind of ironic… ain’t it.
If I was to guess I would say both garyinwpg & johnbrooks are one in the same person. Both are full of BS and unionista goon tactic talking points.
Private sector unions can strike and the company can lock them out. It’s their own business to settle between them. But when strikers block airport access it’s time for firehoses and tear gas.
Having flown more than 100 times for nearly 200K miles on AC in Canada and world wide in the last 12 mths, I can say that they are a decent airline… not the best, but FAR from the worst. But, it would be wonderful to see what they could be if they were out from the union(s) that shackle them.
The real problem is not AC, but the political climate in this country for the last number of decades that allow unions to be grandfathered with no way out. The airline industry, auto industry, teachers, health care, post office and many others, all suffer from the same issue, that the union heads (left wing political masters) will never give up their so-called authority and control, and will stoop to anything to protect it.
Within any company, there will always be a small percentage of the employees that will support such tactics as the AC pilots did in Montreal. The overwhelming majority of pilots though, showed up for work, on-time and ready to fly.
For the most part, AC employees care about me the passenger, as well as any other airline (WJ, LH), and better than most. (Delta, United, AF, BA, South-worst).
Having flown many, many times on the darling of this thread (WJ), please… enough already. They are a decent, regional airline, and nothing more.
They are good at what they do… fly non-business passengers for the most part, around Canada and sun destinations, as far as their limited aircraft can reach. Can’t fly them to Europe, South America, Asia. The WJ business model simply will not work on anything but a regional basis, so let them be what they are, good regional competition.
FREE, I would say you are on cheap drugs as well.
I have my opinions and you have yours. You can put yours where the sun don’t shine.
beever. Well said. I totally agree, WestJet is a budget airline and nothing more.
For business travellers, it is ok, but not for high end travellers.
AS for sun destinations, the poor fellow sitting beside me was travelling for more than 27 hours. The plane from Hawaii had a broken toilet. So they had to wait for the next one I think he said 4 or 5 hours later because the other ones were full already heading back. Then he gets on and something else happened to that one. Had to wait for the next free one again. Missed his connection in Vancouver or Calgary, and ended up on the plane to Winnipeg that I was on 27 hours from when he was suppose to first leave.
His reward? 100 free WestJet airmiles.
Happened to me from St. John’s. Missed my connection in Toronto to Calgary, missed a meeting.
Plane was to leave at 7am SJohns time, but didn’t leave till 10:30. The folks on the 10am flight were late as well trying to fix the mess from teh first flight. Oh don’t worry sir, you will make your connection in Toronto to Calgary at 1:30pm.
As we are pulling up to the TO gate, the Calgary plane is leaving beside us…had to wait till 3pm now. Oh baggage didn’t come with me. Came at 11pm…WJ wanted me to come pick it up, I said deliver it. 2am it shows up at my door.
I missed the ‘s’ on my name on the last post, just so FREE doesn’t have another freak out.
back to topic…
beever you listed United as not good, is that the guitar youtube one?
They treated me like royalty. I missed my 6:30pm flight in SanFran to Calgary (my fault got highway 860 and 880 mixed up) and I guess the counter lady could see I was flustered having drove around SanRamon, Okland, and SF for the past 3 hours trying to find the causeway!
She said not a problem and booked me on the next Calgary flight, unfortunately not till 7am the next morning. No charge or penalty.
I said thank you very much and looked for a bench to curl up on for the night. She saw that and said wait, did some typing and gave me a blue crew card to stay at a hotel/motel for 50% off.
For that, I fly United when heading to the US.
John, you get it! It is the business traveller, who regularly pays three times more (for economy) than the recreational traveller to travel on short notice that keeps international airlines going. I cannot plan months in advance when to travel to get a low fare, although occasionally you will luck into one.
For WJ to compete with AC outside of what they are doing now, they will have to move to a much more costly business model (expensive long haul fleet, true Biz Class product etc.)
The 100 WJ miles is funny (poor guy), but i did get 500 Aeroplan miles for a broken screen once. (I was sleeping anyway!)
But back on topic, I would love to see AC de-unionized. The result might be interesting. I don’t expect to see it in my career though.
side note about the westjet airmiles. I too got 100 free westjet miles for the screwup with flights and late luggage.
Ok, I understand things happen, but this was the second time already.
So on my next booking, I look for where it says ‘cash in your westjet points’ or something on the booking page, but nothing. Anyway, I book and wants me to pay the full amount. Ok, I did something wrong, so I call WJ and they say the only way to redeem the points is by calling an agent. The online booking item doesn’t automatically deduct from my registered account when booking online. A bit archaic.
Oh, only allowed 100. Doesn’t matter if this happened twice.
Maybe they changed it since 2010, but not too impressed.
Same with no receipt given for on plane purchases.
All I’m stressing is it seems a lot of ignorant posting here bashing AC and praising WJ.
I still like to fly WJ over AC being from Calgary, but if I have to fly long distances of over 3 hours, I find AC cheaper with free movies 🙂
beever, actually it is funny about the business model you were mentioning.
I was travelling WJ so much last year, that when I got onto an AC to Ottawa, I couldn’t figure out why there was a curtain drawn across the front.
Oh yeah, FIRST CLASS.
Heh, talk about having a momentary brain fart.
beever, on my last flight back from Toronto, there was no Satellite TV on WJ.
That has happened a few times as well.
I carry my iPad and watch movies on it, but felt sorry for the guy across from me who I guess was bored out of his mind…
If watching a Hollywood flick relieves your boredom, I feel sorry for you.
# of times WJ has lost our luggage = zero.
# of times AC has lost business traveling Daughter’s = every second flight.
Luggage:
90+ WJ flights… lost luggage once. Edmonton to Grand Prairie direct, how do you do that??
300+ AC flights to Canada, Europe, Australia, China and South America. Lost or delayed luggage = ZERO
Bottom line is that ALL airlines are getting pretty good at delivering luggage post 9/11.
Have had many many visitors arriving in Kelowna. Without fail and without prompting they often commented that WJ rules and AC sucks.
Ever seen WJ employees blocking YVR road?
Personal friend, longtime AC Captain. Secretary hands him his allotted shares after AC reorganization in 2008. Tells secretary to sell his, all of his. Secretary says but they are up today ($20 bucks?) He repeats, says sell all now.
He knew they would be going to zero soon. Again. Today 0.90 cents. No way around it. Money pit. Something about revenue, costs, attitude. Quite the combination. Left over from gov’t teat days I guess.
A friend, who’s mom works for Air Canada, posted this about the blockade:
“Don’t believe what Air Canada and the Harper government tell you! AVEOS is a private company started by Air Canada and where AC told all their thousands of laid-off employees across Canada to work for. Basically, the choice was ‘lose your job’ or ‘work for our new company, AVEOS’…..AIR CANADA is unethical.”
Might any SDA regulars with inside knowledge of Air Canada have any thoughts on where the truth lies?
These types of childish antics by unions; calling in sick, blocking roadways, screaming and chanting widens the publics and taxpayers anger at the them. They are like the bureaucrats who spout off “I’m entitled to my entitlements.” no understanding of reality and the average persons real world view.
Unions are wearing out there relevance and these people are driving another nail into their own coffin. Lets give them more nails and hammers.
Ronald Reagan had a most decisive answer to the air traffic contollers when thay went on an illegal strike in 1981 – he fired them all, decertified the union and had the leadership charged in criminal court. Sigh.
Who cares? Airport blockaders deserve a 48 hour vacation in a cell with a complimentary pepper spray entree.
When a union has gone through all the hoops and chooses the last resort, ie a strike, it is one thing but when they prevent the customer from accessing the services that the customer has paid for then it is the union that has crossed the line and needs to be taken to task.
Aveos was just spun off of Air Canada like Jazz was. So your friend is kind of correct I guess but I’m not sure what her point might be?
Fly Westjet. Best flight experience for me in Canada since PWA – Canadian Airlines before AC squeezed them out of business. I never book AC, ever. When they block airways, do they step aside for the competition?
You know what, bully tactics and extortion don’t win paying customers who really only want to get from here to there. We’re not interested in your job satisfaction. If employees don’t like AC, go work somewhere else. They want to use me to get something from their employer they can pay me to do so, otherwise I’ll fly the competition.
Ah, I remember the days of PWA and CP Air. As long as they were flying I never traveled with anyone else. Now it’s Westjet for domestic travel. Of course, living withing spitting distance of a US hub, it’s any US airline for international travel.
A/C is not longer on my vendor’s list.
There’s a straight line between years of increasing union “activism” and out of control students rioting on St. Patrick’s day. Okay, I guess the union cause is more significant than just being young and stupid drunk, but year after year more people see that some groups do what they like with police permission. Is it surprising they take on that attitude?
(BTW, don’t interpret that as an excuse for those students.)
I make $16.00/hour with no pension or other benifits. My teeth r rotting out of my mouth.
My 2011 annual income was $27000.00 I’m typing this on a used computer 10 yrs old and i live in a basement(not my mothers)in an old apartment building. I refuse to join a union. My friend works for the city of calgary, he said come on over join the union and join the city gravy train. I refuse and choose to live this way.
Tear gas and tazers. That will get them back to work. Ingrates. Maybe they need to work as rampies for Aeroflot in some Siberian backwater.
Better yet, have them work for Buffalo Joe. He’ll fire their collective asses!
Fly WestJet!
“They might have been inconvenienced for one day for whatever reason, but… when [employees] win wage increases, when they win dental plans and pension plans, then it’s a better country for all of us,” Sinclair said.”
Another Union big shot bloviates,while over on the side bar of that link,there is a story that says of the ten worst towns economically,in which to live in Canada, SIX of the top ten are in B.C.!
Unions have always gotten an easy ride here,but with the economic situation here now,I think that may be about to change.
It’s about time the cops arrested these Union agitators for obstructing people going about their business, but I guess they only come out if there’s one upset Polish guy.
doug – when i was in uni the local dental school had great deals on cleanings and check-ups because they’re real world training for the students. I’m not sure I’d want them filling a cavity (depending upon the year of studies and the amount of oversight they get) but it’s a good way to make sure you don’t get too far behind and it cost me next to nothing.
@Doug: I echo C_Miner’s comments. If you don’t take care of your teeth, you will inevitably experience much more serious health problems in the near future. You do not want to go there. The dental school route, as miner explained is a viable option; as well, for example, my dentist sometimes takes on patients with limited resources on a pro-bono or limited fee basis. I do the same in my business, as a limited way of “giving back” for the success that I have enjoyed.
Give it some thought, and explore your options…they are out there…
Robert’s headline says, “Air Canada Union Not Happy at YVR”
Two points.
1. Ever seen a happy union?
2. Never have flown AC. Taxpayers used to fund it just the same as the “MotherCorp”. I know, I know. It’s been privatized. But I look at it this way. My taxes involuntarily paid for the equivalent of hundreds of tickets over the years. I’ll be darned if I’ll buy another ticket voluntarily now.
FYI, I’ve never bought a gallon of PetroCanada gasoline either, for the same reason.
Don’t understand why folks are angry at the interruptions. Fly with the competition, it solves the whole issue. Rotten and rude service from Air Canada anyway, so…to hell with them.
It all plays out just as we would expect of AC.
There is not another airline , ever, who deserved the Ronald Reagan solution more.
I never fly AC , EVER.
Wardair was a great airline. West Jet is just wonderful today. We do not ever consider flying Air Canada. They do not care and it shows.
“Don’t understand why folks are angry at the interruptions. ”
They blocked a runway, I hear. Did they let Westjet pursue their lawful business?
I think that what really irks people is, as the CBC, we funded all their infrastructure before they went off the reservation. Not taking issue with your comment, but to have the federal government continually running interference for the managers of a publicly traded company, they should just butt out and let the thing collapse on it’s own. Westjet shares closed at $13.86 today, AC at $0.91.
I rest my case. They aren’t “too big to fail” and I will deduct my contribution from our federal government’s largess off my income tax return if they ever bail them out. Their business model sucks, just like GM’s!
Wait till this becomes a howling for the commies and libs! Canadian taxpayers have been paying to pacify those narrow interests for far too long.
There is no reason at all why AC should have been bailed out in 2009…. the end is inevitable. Let them sink or swim and that will be the end of it.
As it will be for the CBC.
PO’ed – I agree with the irks. My favorite response whenever someone says anything is “too big to fail” is to ask whether Rome was. Anything that grows to large MUST fail. That’s how nature works, or there’d only be a single creature across the entire earth.
Not sure how to go about verifying this but was talking with an airline pilot (doing some work for him) and he said that a few years back when AC was in bankruptcy proceedings, the write down on the debt was part of the action plan. Except the fuel bill for Air Canada! That was divided up between all the other airlines in Canada and THEY had to pay their fuel bill. The oil companies still got their money, so all you airline travelers in Canada have been paying the bill, even though you never set foot in an AC plane.
Only in Canada, you say!!!?
Air Canada might be private now but they had to take on the entire staff with their union and union mentality, AC was never profitable when they were government run so the private sector has to do the dirty work, I do not blame the new corporate bosses for not bowing down to their wishes, truth is they will be bankrupt if they do not change things no matter how bad a picture the union paints.
As for the government / raitt interfering, this was march break in Ontario, the busiest travel week of the year, for many families it is the only time they fly together and take a holiday, good for them for legislating, AC still has control so there is no competition.
I vowed 10 years ago to never fly with them again until they started to care about their clients, obviously I am right to still boycott them.
My holiday plans involve the following criteria, must be Westjet or Southwest if local, and must always depart from anywhere but Pearson, preferably Hamilton or Buffalo, anything else means I am just rewarding bad behavior.
One word encapsulates the whole ingrained rotten leftard union-thug entitlement mentality in which that organisation is steeped:
MapleFlot
I guess outside the Vancouver airport would have been a good spot to release the can of bear spray that “accidentally” ended up in carry on baggage today on the way to the airport.
The fact that these union goons weren’t arrested says everything one needs to know about what side the RCMP is on; I’m sure anyone else causing a disturbance would have been tasered and then arrested if they survived.
Air Canada is my airline of last resort and, if I have to fly, I prefer Westjet. AC’s service is the worst I’ve experienced on any airline and it’s time to let the whole rotten edifice crumble and let a company like Westjet take over.
OK let’s round up a few hundred conservatives who don’t like toddlers being subjected to full body searches for flying from Winnipeg to Regina – we’ll blockade the airport and see what happens..
And the last time I remember YVR blockaded was when cab drivers decided they didn’t like being told that they had to speak English.
I remember a few years back a pair of Air Canada pilots went down the States to pick up a 320 that an outside vendor worked on. The aircraft was to be flown to Toronto for a revenue flight. The workmanship and the serviceability was so bad, the pilots flew direct to Winnipeg and taxied it straight to the hangar doors and basically said fix it. The aircraft was down for about 2 weeks.
I never liked the style of public protest that just happened, it just doesn’t make a point.
That said, I have always believed because of the global economy and free trade agreements and being told that it is good for us and believing that such agreements will raise the standard of living for overseas workers only leads to one conclusion. It is easier to tear down than to build up. You will never see an overseas worker make 20 or 30 bucks an hour, but you will see the deterioration of the western standard of living in order to compete. One may complain about unions, civil or private, but it doesn’t matter because in the long haul every wage earner, unionized or not, in this country will see their earning and purchasing power dwindle.
The rich will get richer, the poorer will poorer and there will be no middle class.
Is there a bogey man in all this? Big evil corporations? Greedy CEOs? Big government? Socialist? Capitalist? I would say all of them plus more. It is all about money and control and the ultimate in each will be achieved regardless of which political or economic system is used, for the end result is the same…control of the masses.
Sorry to take up more time Kate…
As an ex-Air Canada/Aveos aircraft mechanic in heavy maintenance, my main concern, along with my fellow workers, was to produce a 100% reliable aircraft. And we did. With an American carrier, they went from the bottom to the top for on time performance.
What the pilots do and how the flight attendants act was not our concern, even tho we were suppose to be one big happy family, our concern was a safe and reliable aircraft.
Air Canada, the “customer” and 27% owner of AVEOS basically caused the demise. AC basically didn’t pay their bill. AC reneged on its contract.
But it is water under the bridge, I’m not expecting to see my last pay cheque.
As for the anti AC, union comments, I just figure the same commentators would probably sneer at a minimum wage earner who didn’t serve their Big Mac with a smile.
I never, ever fly Air Canada – I hope they go belly up and make more room for West Jet and Air North. The people who work at A/C are rude to their customers and never go an extra inch, never mind an extra mile, to make a flight bearable. We, in the Yukon, had the A/C as a monopoly for a short time before Air North saved us; the prices were sky high (pardon the pun!) the flights unreliable and the service was shoddy on a good day. My wish: “just go, get off my radar screen.”
and your right obsoiver i beleive everyone in here is against harper back to work legislation !! no one is supportive of it.
This is also a wonderful display of the unionistas self entitled behavior as well!!
“As for the anti AC, union comments, I just figure the same commentators would probably sneer at a minimum wage earner who didn’t serve their Big Mac with a smile.”
I worked plenty of minimum wage jobs when I couldn’t find a job in my profession, sport. I never intended making that minimum wage job a “career”, but it paid the bills at the time.
What changed my POV vs unions was when unions tried to unionize those minimum wage jobs, trying to make them into “careers” like “professional gas jockey”, or “food service specialists”, so that Buzz Hargrove wannabes could feed off that paycheck and collected better pension benefits than I’d ever get.
What I got working those jobs were condescending sneers from the union dudes who rolled up to the pump and expected me to KTA and looked down on my non-union wage paid job with a sneer.
How many posters here have actually flown Air Canada?
From what I see, only a few. And of those few, how many times within the last year?
I have flown across Canada every 2nd week for the past two years, using both AC and WJ and say they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
AC have great counter people and the stewards aren’t seat belt/iphone off nazi’s like WJ. Plus they only come once with the snacks tray instead of being interrupted twice with WJ. Same with the monitors, old for WJ, half the flights I have flown the Satellite doesn’t work plus AC has free movies.
Oh and AC gives the receipt right away when purchasing something, WJ doesn’t. Well last flight they did, so maybe someone besides me writing and complaining has changed their policy.
So WestJet is getting tired, give it another year and they will look like Air Canada.
“What I got working those jobs were condescending sneers from the union dudes who rolled up to the pump and expected me to KTA and looked down on my non-union wage paid job with a sneer.”
I’ll be honest with you PO’d, I’ve seen my union brother and sisters treat a minimum wage earner with disrespect, but then again they would treat anyone with disrespect, heck I’ve seen welfare recipients acting and demanding treatment like they are royalty. I may of been unionized, but it went with the job, after a stint in the military.
But hey, who cares right? The public doesn’t care about who loses a job as long as they can get their items cheap. Masses do not care about the individual.
Air Canada’s motto: We’re not happy until you’re not happy.
Air Canada really isn’t that bad of an airline when comparing to any of the US carriers. I fly internationally quite a bit and while AC has its drawbacks, their flight attendants and pilots are generally pretty good. Westjet is budget. AC has TVs and yes they’ll charge you for a beer on the plane… it’s a cutthroat business and they have to keep track of every cent.
AC is held captive by the unions.. they’ll have to trim their costs somewhere. and if that has to be from a unionized maintenance outfit then it’s kind of ironic… ain’t it.
If I was to guess I would say both garyinwpg & johnbrooks are one in the same person. Both are full of BS and unionista goon tactic talking points.
Private sector unions can strike and the company can lock them out. It’s their own business to settle between them. But when strikers block airport access it’s time for firehoses and tear gas.
Having flown more than 100 times for nearly 200K miles on AC in Canada and world wide in the last 12 mths, I can say that they are a decent airline… not the best, but FAR from the worst. But, it would be wonderful to see what they could be if they were out from the union(s) that shackle them.
The real problem is not AC, but the political climate in this country for the last number of decades that allow unions to be grandfathered with no way out. The airline industry, auto industry, teachers, health care, post office and many others, all suffer from the same issue, that the union heads (left wing political masters) will never give up their so-called authority and control, and will stoop to anything to protect it.
Within any company, there will always be a small percentage of the employees that will support such tactics as the AC pilots did in Montreal. The overwhelming majority of pilots though, showed up for work, on-time and ready to fly.
For the most part, AC employees care about me the passenger, as well as any other airline (WJ, LH), and better than most. (Delta, United, AF, BA, South-worst).
Having flown many, many times on the darling of this thread (WJ), please… enough already. They are a decent, regional airline, and nothing more.
They are good at what they do… fly non-business passengers for the most part, around Canada and sun destinations, as far as their limited aircraft can reach. Can’t fly them to Europe, South America, Asia. The WJ business model simply will not work on anything but a regional basis, so let them be what they are, good regional competition.
FREE, I would say you are on cheap drugs as well.
I have my opinions and you have yours. You can put yours where the sun don’t shine.
beever. Well said. I totally agree, WestJet is a budget airline and nothing more.
For business travellers, it is ok, but not for high end travellers.
AS for sun destinations, the poor fellow sitting beside me was travelling for more than 27 hours. The plane from Hawaii had a broken toilet. So they had to wait for the next one I think he said 4 or 5 hours later because the other ones were full already heading back. Then he gets on and something else happened to that one. Had to wait for the next free one again. Missed his connection in Vancouver or Calgary, and ended up on the plane to Winnipeg that I was on 27 hours from when he was suppose to first leave.
His reward? 100 free WestJet airmiles.
Happened to me from St. John’s. Missed my connection in Toronto to Calgary, missed a meeting.
Plane was to leave at 7am SJohns time, but didn’t leave till 10:30. The folks on the 10am flight were late as well trying to fix the mess from teh first flight. Oh don’t worry sir, you will make your connection in Toronto to Calgary at 1:30pm.
As we are pulling up to the TO gate, the Calgary plane is leaving beside us…had to wait till 3pm now. Oh baggage didn’t come with me. Came at 11pm…WJ wanted me to come pick it up, I said deliver it. 2am it shows up at my door.
I missed the ‘s’ on my name on the last post, just so FREE doesn’t have another freak out.
back to topic…
beever you listed United as not good, is that the guitar youtube one?
They treated me like royalty. I missed my 6:30pm flight in SanFran to Calgary (my fault got highway 860 and 880 mixed up) and I guess the counter lady could see I was flustered having drove around SanRamon, Okland, and SF for the past 3 hours trying to find the causeway!
She said not a problem and booked me on the next Calgary flight, unfortunately not till 7am the next morning. No charge or penalty.
I said thank you very much and looked for a bench to curl up on for the night. She saw that and said wait, did some typing and gave me a blue crew card to stay at a hotel/motel for 50% off.
For that, I fly United when heading to the US.
John, you get it! It is the business traveller, who regularly pays three times more (for economy) than the recreational traveller to travel on short notice that keeps international airlines going. I cannot plan months in advance when to travel to get a low fare, although occasionally you will luck into one.
For WJ to compete with AC outside of what they are doing now, they will have to move to a much more costly business model (expensive long haul fleet, true Biz Class product etc.)
The 100 WJ miles is funny (poor guy), but i did get 500 Aeroplan miles for a broken screen once. (I was sleeping anyway!)
But back on topic, I would love to see AC de-unionized. The result might be interesting. I don’t expect to see it in my career though.
side note about the westjet airmiles. I too got 100 free westjet miles for the screwup with flights and late luggage.
Ok, I understand things happen, but this was the second time already.
So on my next booking, I look for where it says ‘cash in your westjet points’ or something on the booking page, but nothing. Anyway, I book and wants me to pay the full amount. Ok, I did something wrong, so I call WJ and they say the only way to redeem the points is by calling an agent. The online booking item doesn’t automatically deduct from my registered account when booking online. A bit archaic.
Oh, only allowed 100. Doesn’t matter if this happened twice.
Maybe they changed it since 2010, but not too impressed.
Same with no receipt given for on plane purchases.
All I’m stressing is it seems a lot of ignorant posting here bashing AC and praising WJ.
I still like to fly WJ over AC being from Calgary, but if I have to fly long distances of over 3 hours, I find AC cheaper with free movies 🙂
beever, actually it is funny about the business model you were mentioning.
I was travelling WJ so much last year, that when I got onto an AC to Ottawa, I couldn’t figure out why there was a curtain drawn across the front.
Oh yeah, FIRST CLASS.
Heh, talk about having a momentary brain fart.
beever, on my last flight back from Toronto, there was no Satellite TV on WJ.
That has happened a few times as well.
I carry my iPad and watch movies on it, but felt sorry for the guy across from me who I guess was bored out of his mind…
If watching a Hollywood flick relieves your boredom, I feel sorry for you.
# of times WJ has lost our luggage = zero.
# of times AC has lost business traveling Daughter’s = every second flight.
Luggage:
90+ WJ flights… lost luggage once. Edmonton to Grand Prairie direct, how do you do that??
300+ AC flights to Canada, Europe, Australia, China and South America. Lost or delayed luggage = ZERO
Bottom line is that ALL airlines are getting pretty good at delivering luggage post 9/11.
Have had many many visitors arriving in Kelowna. Without fail and without prompting they often commented that WJ rules and AC sucks.
Ever seen WJ employees blocking YVR road?
Personal friend, longtime AC Captain. Secretary hands him his allotted shares after AC reorganization in 2008. Tells secretary to sell his, all of his. Secretary says but they are up today ($20 bucks?) He repeats, says sell all now.
He knew they would be going to zero soon. Again. Today 0.90 cents. No way around it. Money pit. Something about revenue, costs, attitude. Quite the combination. Left over from gov’t teat days I guess.