Olympian not happy with economy seating
Feb 28, 2018, 10:42 pm
#121
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Perhaps, prior to the next Olympics, you could set up a Go Fund Me account to provide private aircraft for the Canadian Olympic athletes. That, in my opinion, would be the best way to determine the support you have for this idea.
Feb 28, 2018, 10:55 pm
#122
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If you honestly believe that someone, other than the athletes, should pony up for a private jet, why aren't you writing the cheque yourself? Why do you think that you should be deciding for someone else, be it a company or a government, what they should be doing with public or publicly traded money?
Perhaps, prior to the next Olympics, you could set up a Go Fund Me account to provide private aircraft for the Canadian Olympic athletes. That, in my opinion, would be the best way to determine the support you have for this idea.
Perhaps, prior to the next Olympics, you could set up a Go Fund Me account to provide private aircraft for the Canadian Olympic athletes. That, in my opinion, would be the best way to determine the support you have for this idea.
Mar 1, 2018, 4:14 am
#123
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Reading through 9 pages of comments was interesting.
Here's my 2 cents:
If this guy is so rich, why isn't he buying J seats himself? Why does he have to fly AC? Korean Air has a ICN-YYZ, and Asiana does ICN-YVR. There are choices. I don't have a million dollar house or sponsorship deals and I prefer J to Y, and lately that's what I buy.
Also, snowboarding was early on. The guy could have left a lot earlier than the last day...or he could have stayed a week later when the flights were empty...seems he isn't very bright.
Here's my 2 cents:
If this guy is so rich, why isn't he buying J seats himself? Why does he have to fly AC? Korean Air has a ICN-YYZ, and Asiana does ICN-YVR. There are choices. I don't have a million dollar house or sponsorship deals and I prefer J to Y, and lately that's what I buy.
Also, snowboarding was early on. The guy could have left a lot earlier than the last day...or he could have stayed a week later when the flights were empty...seems he isn't very bright.
Mar 1, 2018, 5:51 am
#124
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There were a number of Chinese athletes and officials on my connecting CA126 ICN - PEK flight, I fortunate to sit next to and chat with a Chinese Ice Hockey specialist for the 2022 Games. He was traveling with his family so had booked Y to be with them during the short flight home.
Mar 1, 2018, 10:21 pm
#125
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He's a snowboarder and 25: he ain't going to be a rocket scientist and he is almost certainly an entitled little ..... sod.... IRL.
Mar 2, 2018, 12:04 am
#126
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Mar 2, 2018, 12:04 am
#127
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The petty character attacks continue. The man's twitter comment had no real impact on anyone, save for the self appointed guardians of the internet. It was an insignificant event now being nitpicked.
You expect the athlete who is part of Team Canada to just up and leave after his Gold medal? Seriously? You'd have been on here complaining about his lack of team spirit and empathy, his selfishness etc. if he had done that. The man stayed and supported his team mates. As a medal winner he was expected to attend the final ceremony. All of the athletes had been training in the weeks leading up to the event. They have been away from their homes and families for enough time. They also have other events to prepare for. More importantly, the agreements with the COC set out terms of engagement and rules of conduct that included dates when team members had to leave. All of the athletes were expected to travel with the team on team designated flights. He did his duty in that regard.
I will explain again; as part of the sponsorship agreement that Air Canada has with the COC, Air Canada has access to the brand asset of the athletes. The individual athletes with the exception of 5 who had side deals, do not directly benefit from the sponsorship agreement. The arrangement helps the less fortunate athletes who are in non profitable sports or who do not have support. In effect, the star athletes are sharing their drawing power to help the others who do not have much money. Only a small minority of Olympic athletes arrange their transport and they are people like Team USA basketball. In previous Olympics, NHL players were obliged to arrange their own transport because of their work schedules.
How do you know who he is or how intelligent he is? Have you ever met him, or worked with him? I can assure you that he is a healthy, disciplined gentleman and blessed with a sharp mind and a robust sense of humor. He is a good kid. He's been focused since the age of 14 and worked hard to get where he is. You have no clue as to the difficulty of the sport, and yes, the most successful athletes have to think fast because they are processing a large amount of data in milliseconds. This isn't croquet. One thing he is not is a slob without social skills. He is loved by his peers and the snowboarding community. You call him an entitled little sod. And you know this because of what? How many hours have you given to helping, encouraging and motivating kids as he has done. He leads a rigorous training schedule and has a lifestyle which does not allow for boozing it up in a MLL or on a plane, nor will you find him stuffing himself on "snacks" in the MLL, and I can assure you, he doesn't carry on about the F&B on board AC or come to FT to start a thread to complain about wait times at the call centers or the concierges being too busy to flatter his ego. His tweet was to his friends and supporters and he made the mistake of letting his guard down. Hardly an incident where anyone was injured worthy of the obsessive nitpicking over a non event.
Reading through 9 pages of comments was interesting.
Here's my 2 cents:
If this guy is so rich, why isn't he buying J seats himself? Why does he have to fly AC? Korean Air has a ICN-YYZ, and Asiana does ICN-YVR. There are choices. I don't have a million dollar house or sponsorship deals and I prefer J to Y, and lately that's what I buy.
Also, snowboarding was early on. The guy could have left a lot earlier than the last day...or he could have stayed a week later when the flights were empty...seems he isn't very bright.
Here's my 2 cents:
If this guy is so rich, why isn't he buying J seats himself? Why does he have to fly AC? Korean Air has a ICN-YYZ, and Asiana does ICN-YVR. There are choices. I don't have a million dollar house or sponsorship deals and I prefer J to Y, and lately that's what I buy.
Also, snowboarding was early on. The guy could have left a lot earlier than the last day...or he could have stayed a week later when the flights were empty...seems he isn't very bright.
I will explain again; as part of the sponsorship agreement that Air Canada has with the COC, Air Canada has access to the brand asset of the athletes. The individual athletes with the exception of 5 who had side deals, do not directly benefit from the sponsorship agreement. The arrangement helps the less fortunate athletes who are in non profitable sports or who do not have support. In effect, the star athletes are sharing their drawing power to help the others who do not have much money. Only a small minority of Olympic athletes arrange their transport and they are people like Team USA basketball. In previous Olympics, NHL players were obliged to arrange their own transport because of their work schedules.
How do you know who he is or how intelligent he is? Have you ever met him, or worked with him? I can assure you that he is a healthy, disciplined gentleman and blessed with a sharp mind and a robust sense of humor. He is a good kid. He's been focused since the age of 14 and worked hard to get where he is. You have no clue as to the difficulty of the sport, and yes, the most successful athletes have to think fast because they are processing a large amount of data in milliseconds. This isn't croquet. One thing he is not is a slob without social skills. He is loved by his peers and the snowboarding community. You call him an entitled little sod. And you know this because of what? How many hours have you given to helping, encouraging and motivating kids as he has done. He leads a rigorous training schedule and has a lifestyle which does not allow for boozing it up in a MLL or on a plane, nor will you find him stuffing himself on "snacks" in the MLL, and I can assure you, he doesn't carry on about the F&B on board AC or come to FT to start a thread to complain about wait times at the call centers or the concierges being too busy to flatter his ego. His tweet was to his friends and supporters and he made the mistake of letting his guard down. Hardly an incident where anyone was injured worthy of the obsessive nitpicking over a non event.
Mar 2, 2018, 12:59 am
#128
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 6,338
He can't be a public figure when it suits him and expect folks to ignore what he says when it doesn't. If he wanted to send that childish and unworthy message JUST to his friends there are ways to do just that....
A "good kid"? Maybe that's part of the problem..... at 25 I was a Naval officer responsible for the welfare of 29 young sailors..... Since when do 25 year olds get a pass because they are "kids"? If they do these days....then maybe that's why they act the way they do!
A "good kid"? Maybe that's part of the problem..... at 25 I was a Naval officer responsible for the welfare of 29 young sailors..... Since when do 25 year olds get a pass because they are "kids"? If they do these days....then maybe that's why they act the way they do!
Last edited by trooper; Mar 2, 2018 at 1:05 am
Mar 2, 2018, 1:06 am
#129
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
On those flights, J is likely packed with people who actually paid there. What would you have AC do, kick out someone who actually paid for J so that this guy can sit there? What if the women's hockey team had won gold, would you have given them the entire J cabin?
quoted: Also, Delta wouldn’t upgrade the gold-winning US curling team’s seats
Right, so AC isn't doing any worse than the US Olympic team's airline. But next you'll probably tell us how wonderful UA is and how they would have let all these nice Olympians fly in J.
quoted: Also, Delta wouldn’t upgrade the gold-winning US curling team’s seats
Right, so AC isn't doing any worse than the US Olympic team's airline. But next you'll probably tell us how wonderful UA is and how they would have let all these nice Olympians fly in J.
Mar 2, 2018, 1:13 am
#130
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DL isn’t the US team carrier, that’s UA. Most of that team flew on UA charters as it’s down to one daily schedule ex-US after going to non stops instead of using NRT as a regional hub. DL has several dailies between ICN-US mainland and it eventually did upgrade some winners into seats that were empty in J at departure. AC did what the situation called for accommodating athletes on its scheduled flights along with regular revenue fliers. Had the Canadian team flown on AC charters, then some lucky team members would have landed the J and PE seats as happened with the US team charters/athletes go8ng home on UA.
Mar 2, 2018, 1:21 am
#131
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A few years ago a friend from Edmonton won a Geni Award for a film she had made. When she checked in for her AC flight home, it was hard for the agent to not notice the award statue. At the gate she was called up and given a seat in J and later the pilot acknowledged her accomplishment during his “seat belt sign turned off...” announcement. (BTW she had been/is a 50KElite so likely didn’t deprive an eUpgrader of their seat in J.)
Mar 2, 2018, 1:27 am
#132
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 71
The petty character attacks continue. The man's twitter comment had no real impact on anyone, save for the self appointed guardians of the internet. It was an insignificant event now being nitpicked.
You expect the athlete who is part of Team Canada to just up and leave after his Gold medal? Seriously? You'd have been on here complaining about his lack of team spirit and empathy, his selfishness etc. if he had done that. The man stayed and supported his team mates. As a medal winner he was expected to attend the final ceremony. All of the athletes had been training in the weeks leading up to the event. They have been away from their homes and families for enough time. They also have other events to prepare for. More importantly, the agreements with the COC set out terms of engagement and rules of conduct that included dates when team members had to leave. All of the athletes were expected to travel with the team on team designated flights. He did his duty in that regard.
I will explain again; as part of the sponsorship agreement that Air Canada has with the COC, Air Canada has access to the brand asset of the athletes. The individual athletes with the exception of 5 who had side deals, do not directly benefit from the sponsorship agreement. The arrangement helps the less fortunate athletes who are in non profitable sports or who do not have support. In effect, the star athletes are sharing their drawing power to help the others who do not have much money. Only a small minority of Olympic athletes arrange their transport and they are people like Team USA basketball. In previous Olympics, NHL players were obliged to arrange their own transport because of their work schedules.
How do you know who he is or how intelligent he is? Have you ever met him, or worked with him? I can assure you that he is a healthy, disciplined gentleman and blessed with a sharp mind and a robust sense of humor. He is a good kid. He's been focused since the age of 14 and worked hard to get where he is. You have no clue as to the difficulty of the sport, and yes, the most successful athletes have to think fast because they are processing a large amount of data in milliseconds. This isn't croquet. One thing he is not is a slob without social skills. He is loved by his peers and the snowboarding community. You call him an entitled little sod. And you know this because of what? How many hours have you given to helping, encouraging and motivating kids as he has done. He leads a rigorous training schedule and has a lifestyle which does not allow for boozing it up in a MLL or on a plane, nor will you find him stuffing himself on "snacks" in the MLL, and I can assure you, he doesn't carry on about the F&B on board AC or come to FT to start a thread to complain about wait times at the call centers or the concierges being too busy to flatter his ego. His tweet was to his friends and supporters and he made the mistake of letting his guard down. Hardly an incident where anyone was injured worthy of the obsessive nitpicking over a non event.
You expect the athlete who is part of Team Canada to just up and leave after his Gold medal? Seriously? You'd have been on here complaining about his lack of team spirit and empathy, his selfishness etc. if he had done that. The man stayed and supported his team mates. As a medal winner he was expected to attend the final ceremony. All of the athletes had been training in the weeks leading up to the event. They have been away from their homes and families for enough time. They also have other events to prepare for. More importantly, the agreements with the COC set out terms of engagement and rules of conduct that included dates when team members had to leave. All of the athletes were expected to travel with the team on team designated flights. He did his duty in that regard.
I will explain again; as part of the sponsorship agreement that Air Canada has with the COC, Air Canada has access to the brand asset of the athletes. The individual athletes with the exception of 5 who had side deals, do not directly benefit from the sponsorship agreement. The arrangement helps the less fortunate athletes who are in non profitable sports or who do not have support. In effect, the star athletes are sharing their drawing power to help the others who do not have much money. Only a small minority of Olympic athletes arrange their transport and they are people like Team USA basketball. In previous Olympics, NHL players were obliged to arrange their own transport because of their work schedules.
How do you know who he is or how intelligent he is? Have you ever met him, or worked with him? I can assure you that he is a healthy, disciplined gentleman and blessed with a sharp mind and a robust sense of humor. He is a good kid. He's been focused since the age of 14 and worked hard to get where he is. You have no clue as to the difficulty of the sport, and yes, the most successful athletes have to think fast because they are processing a large amount of data in milliseconds. This isn't croquet. One thing he is not is a slob without social skills. He is loved by his peers and the snowboarding community. You call him an entitled little sod. And you know this because of what? How many hours have you given to helping, encouraging and motivating kids as he has done. He leads a rigorous training schedule and has a lifestyle which does not allow for boozing it up in a MLL or on a plane, nor will you find him stuffing himself on "snacks" in the MLL, and I can assure you, he doesn't carry on about the F&B on board AC or come to FT to start a thread to complain about wait times at the call centers or the concierges being too busy to flatter his ego. His tweet was to his friends and supporters and he made the mistake of letting his guard down. Hardly an incident where anyone was injured worthy of the obsessive nitpicking over a non event.
Mar 2, 2018, 6:47 am
#133
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
I think the real question missing from this article is the fare basis of his flight. Was he booked in tango, flex, latitude or on a promotional fare? If the latter he would earn no PQM on UA (and I suspect the same for AC). I'd be happy sitting middle seat in Y if AC/UA would give me a milage multiplier (i.e. 2x/3x) for my Gold status at Olympics. It would sure suck to fly 12+ hours on a cramped 777 and not even have the miles and corresponding status to show for it! Although based on the reporting the athlete may be a kettle who isn't aware of FF programs and is just leaving those miles on the table.
Just my 2 cents.
Safe Travels,
James
Just my 2 cents.
Safe Travels,
James
Mar 2, 2018, 7:12 am
#134
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Yeah, the Gold winning men's curling team asked for upgrades on DL (UA is the official Olympic airline but these guys were from Duluth) via twitter and were turned down. Then some businessman/investor from Florida recognized the team and offered his business class seat to the captain, who accepted the trade at the gate.
ADDED: DL apparently did an announcement during the flight and served sparkling wine to all. The curling team also was greeted by supporters when they arrived at Duluth airport.
ADDED: DL apparently did an announcement during the flight and served sparkling wine to all. The curling team also was greeted by supporters when they arrived at Duluth airport.
Last edited by MSPeconomist; Mar 2, 2018 at 7:48 am
Mar 2, 2018, 9:33 am
#135
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It's apparent to me that the chief detractions within this thread are based upon jealousy over some or all of the following: his athletic ability, youth, house, income, opportunity, sponsorship deals and likely a pretty envious lifestyle now and in the future.
Yes, he issued an unfortunate tweet. But that does nothing to explain the widespread insecurities of so many others. One can't help but wonder how many of the more vocal character assassins have ever met the man?
Yes, he issued an unfortunate tweet. But that does nothing to explain the widespread insecurities of so many others. One can't help but wonder how many of the more vocal character assassins have ever met the man?