Cam

I was reminiscing on a recent flight with BA and the good old days of Platinum Status with CP. How long ago that seems today!

Seems to me something's got to break soon on OneWorld and their entry into Canada. I still find the OneWorld perks, at least for the routes I fly, to be superior to Star Alliance.

I wonder what the prospects might be for H Y Lui or an international carrier to take the OneWorld banner to domestics flights within Canada.

Any speculation from the pundits?

jral

Oneworld's based in YVR too!

Ace Cdn

I don't think that is going to happen...at least not with AC. There are penalties to be paid for leaving the alliance...I don't remember how much but it was around 12million dollars if I remember correctly.

Although if someone was to start another full service carrier I am sure that Oneworld would come courting quickly. Now if I can just find that extra couple of hundred million that I had sitting around I would start it myself.

Altaflyer

So about what Milton & co will get as a bonus

Cloud Lounger

______________________

I miss Canadian Airlines

Ken hAAmer

With a lead in like that on a Friday morning, it must be time for a story.

Several years ago I used CP points to fly BA First on YVR-LHR-RUH/BAH-LHR-YVR, with a 2 day stopover in LHR on the way home. I was going to meet some friends (also from YVR, on their way to DUB) for a couple of days.

But upon my arrival at LHR there was a message waiting for me that they had both come down with the flu and had cancelled their trips. I therefore decided to come straight home.

I went to the BA First counter to change my flight home. The agent was apologetic, noting that the flight was very full, and that I'd be lucky to get an econo seat. But upon calling up my PNR she noted with an exclamation "Oh! You're Emerald! No problem. How does 1A sound?"

If you've ever been on a BA 747 in 1A you might well consider it best plane seat on the face of the planet. But I (for obscure reasons) prefer 4K, and asked to switch. Well, there was already someone booked in 4A, but since I was Emerald, "we'll just move them."

A few minutes after boarding, an FA sheepishly approached me and asked if I would mind trading seats. Turns out that a family of 4 had booked all 4 row 4 seats (4A, 4E, 4F, 4K) to sit together, sort of.

Well, since it was me that displaced them in the first place, no problem. I moved to another seat which was just fine.

But shortly before landing, the FA presented me with a bottle of Champagne, to thank me for changing seats. I was a little surprised, as I didn't really think it needed much more thanks than maybe a smile. Nevertheless I took it.

At customs, I was a bit flustered, cause they wanted to know what it was worth. After humming and hawing for a while, the agent told me to just guess. I said $50. Fine, great, OK.

As I don't drink, I gave it to some friends who are big into the wine seen. For fun, they priced it out in US "discount" wine broker's catalogue.

The "discounted" mail order price? USD $184.

Shareholder

Can't see anything on the horizon. There is no market for a true full service domestic carrier in Canada, and the current situation proves what I and others have been saying for a decade. You can dream, but that's about the extent of it. The most you'll see may be a transcon or two by oneworld carriers if Ottawa permits cabotage. To all intents, oneworld has a pretty strong presence in Canada with AA operating transborder flights into our three or four major cities, BA and CX serving two cities with flights across the Atlantic and Pacific respectively. If you check any joint, interline tickets you buy on BA or CX from various Canadian cities, you'll find these are H-class on AC, which means if there is a front cabin, you can try to upgrade with your certificates. And you get Aeroplan miles and benefits. So as it is, we've got the best of both worlds, and if oneworld adopts a domestic Canadian carrier, those benefits would vanish. HMY is not offering any more reach into Canada than AA already flies, and even if it expands into a couple of more Canadian markets, it cannot replicate the domestic networks of the LCCs or what will remain as AC/JAZZ/ZIP's domestic reach.