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Grounding of 737 Max - Effect on AC incl OMNI 767 lease

Old Mar 12, 2019, 11:26 am
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Last edit by: yyznomad
Latest updates from aircanada.com
Originally Posted by https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/book/travel-news-and-updates/2019/737-airspace-closure.html
If you currently have a reservation for a flight between now and September 02, 2019 that was scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we've implemented a policy that makes it possible for you to make voluntary changes to your itinerary within three (3) weeks of your original travel dates.
Read below for more details.

Air Canada Timetable Effective June 27, 2019 to September 29, 2019 (AC's link: https://services.aircanada.com/porta...metable-en.pdf)
Air Canada Timetable Effective June 20, 2019 to September 22, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective June 13, 2019 to September 15, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective June 6, 2019 to September 8, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective May 30, 2019 to September 1, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective May 23, 2019 to August 25, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective May 16, 2019 to August 18, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective May 9, 2019 to August 11, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective May 2, 2019 to August 4, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective April 25, 2019 to July 28, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective April 18, 2019 to July 21, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective April 11, 2019 to July 14, 2019
Air Canada Timetable Effective March 28, 2019 to June 30, 2019



May 29, 2019
If you are travelling within the next 72 hours, call:

1-833-354-5963

If you booked through a Travel Agency, please call them for immediate assistance
In compliance with Transport Canada's safety notice closing Canadian airspace to Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations, Air Canada has grounded its 24 737 MAX aircraft until further notice.Air Canada is now updating its May, June and July schedule to further optimize its fleet and re-accommodate customers. Because the timeline for the return to service of the 737 Max is unknown, for planning purposes and to provide customers certainty for booking and travel, Air Canada is removing all 737 MAX aircraft from its schedule until at least September 02, 2019. A summary of schedule changes for April is posted below in the following question and answer: "What is Air Canada doing to reschedule customers?". Additional schedule changes will be posted as warranted.
  • Air Canada's cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers.
  • We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible.
  • Given the magnitude of our 737 MAX operations which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada Call Centres.
  • If you are travelling within the next 72 hours, please call the number at the top of this page.
  • If you booked through a Travel Agent, you may contact them directly for assistance.
We appreciate our customers' patience as we work to get everyone on their way.

If you'd like to make other plansIf you currently have a reservation for a flight between now and September 02, 2019 that was scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we've implemented a policy that makes it possible for you to make voluntary changes to your itinerary within three (3) weeks of your original travel dates.If you are impacted by this policy, you may contact Air Canada Reservations (1-888-247-2262). If you are travelling in the next 72 hours, please call Air Canada Reservations number at the top of this notice. If you purchased your ticket with AeroplanExternal site which may not meet accessibility guidelines., or Air Canada Vacations or your travel agent, please contact them directly.

****

March 19, 2019

UPDATED - INFORMATION ON IMPACTED ROUTES


**********

UPDATED - Air Canada Responds to Transport Canada's Closure of Canadian Airspace to the Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...e-closure.html

March 19, 2019

If you are travelling within the next 72 hours, call:

1-833-354-5963

If you booked through a Travel Agency, please call them for immediate assistance

In compliance with Transport Canada’s safety notice closing Canadian airspace to Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations, Air Canada has grounded its 24 737 MAX aircraft until further notice.

Air Canada is now updating its April and May schedule to further optimize its fleet and re-accommodate customers. Because the timeline for the return to service of the 737 Max is unknown, for planning purposes and to provide customers certainty for booking and travel, Air Canada is removing all 737 MAX aircraft from its schedule until at least July 1, 2019. A summary of schedule changes for April is posted below in the following question and answer: “What is Air Canada doing to reschedule customers?”. Additional schedule changes will be posted as warranted.
  • Air Canada's cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers.
  • We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible.
  • Given the magnitude of our 737 MAX operations which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada Call Centres.
  • If you are travelling within the next 72 hours, please call the number at the top of this page.
  • If you booked through a Travel Agent, you may contact them directly for assistance.
We appreciate our customers' patience as we work to get everyone on their way.

If you'd like to make other plans

If you currently have a reservation for a flight that was scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we've implemented a policy that makes it possible for you to make voluntary changes to your itinerary within three (3) weeks of your original travel dates.

If you are impacted by this policy, you may contact Air Canada Reservations (1-888-247-2262). If you are travelling in the next 72 hours, please call Air Canada Reservations number at the top of this notice.

If you purchased your ticket with Aeroplan, or Air Canada Vacations or your travel agent, please contact them directly.


*********
March 13, 2019

Air Canada confirmed today that it will comply immediately with Transport Canada's safety notice closing Canadian airspace to Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations until further notice.

Air Canada's cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers. We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible. Given the magnitude of our 737 MAX operations which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada Call Centres. Priority will be given to customers travelling within the next 72 hours. We appreciate our customers' patience.

If you'd like to know what type of aircraft you are flying on, simply retrieve your booking from the My Bookings tab, then click on the 'Details' link in the Flight Details section. We also advise you to check the status of your flight before heading to the airport.

We fully support Transport Canada's decision and will continue to work with them towards a resolution of this situation as soon as possible.

Alternate Travel Plans
If you currently have a reservation for a flight operated by a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, we've implemented a policy that makes it possible for you to make voluntary changes to your itinerary within three (3) weeks of your original travel dates.

If you are impacted by this policy, you may contact Air Canada Reservations (1-888-247-2262).

If you purchased your ticket with AeroplanExternal site which may not meet accessibility guidelines., or Air Canada Vacations or your Travel agent, please contact them directly Some questions you may have are below with our answers, but if you can't find what you need, contact us at 1-888-247-2262, or reach out to us on on FacebookExternal site which may not meet accessibility guidelines. or TwitterExternal site which may not meet accessibility guidelines..

How many Boeing 737 MAX aircraft does Air Canada have?
Air Canada has a fleet of 24 Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft, which have been in operation since 2017. We have a total fleet of 400 aircraft (including 24 737MAX), comprising Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express aircraft.

Where do the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft fly to?
These aircraft operate flights across North America, to Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, as well as from Atlantic Canada to London Heathrow.

How many Boeing 737 MAX flights are there each day, and how many passengers are affected?
We typically operate approximately 75 Boeing 737 MAX flights daily out of a total schedule of approximately 1,600 daily flights system-wide, representing less than six percent of our total flying.

We have a total fleet of 400 aircraft (including 24 Boeing 737 MAX), comprising Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express aircraft.

What is Air Canada doing to reschedule customers?
We are making adjustments to our schedule to minimize the disruption to customers as much as possible, by optimizing the deployment of the rest of our fleet and looking at alternative options, including accommodating customers on other airlines.

As an example of some of our adjustments to Boeing 737 MAX flights cancelled, we have re-scheduled widebody aircraft to serve Hawaii starting today, March 13. Some flights will operate as scheduled with mainline or Air Canada Rouge aircraft, such as on Montreal-Martinique and Montreal-Guadeloupe. Other routes, notably Halifax-London and St. John's-London are cancelled in the short term, with customers being re-routed through our Montreal and Toronto hubs.

What should I do right now?
As changes are finalized in our flight schedule, customers whose flight times or flight numbers have changed can expect to receive an email detailing their updated itinerary. This information is also available in My Bookings on the Air Canada App.

If you are travelling soon, you can also contact us or your travel agent. Please understand that priority is being given to customers travelling within the next 72 hours.

We have also put in place a rebooking policy, space permitting, and without additional fees for affected customers. Given the magnitude of our Boeing 737 MAX operations, which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada's Call Centres.

Where can I go to for more information?
If you would like to know what type of aircraft you are flying on, simply retrieve your booking from the My Bookings tab, then click on the 'Details' link in the Flight Details section.

If you are travelling soon, you can contact us, reach out to our social media teams on FacebookExternal site which may not meet accessibility guidelines. or TwitterExternal site which may not meet accessibility guidelines., or call your travel agent.

We also advise you to check the status of your flight before going to the airport.

We thank all of our customers for their patience.

Will Air Canada cover my out-of-pocket expenses such as additional accommodation costs that I may incur as a result of these disruptions?
Our normal protocol for irregular events which are out of our control is in effect. We are regrettably unable to reimburse for such expenses.



****


MONTREAL, March 13, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada confirmed today that it will comply immediately with Transport Canada's safety notice closing Canadian airspace to Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operations until further notice.

Air Canada's cancellation and rebooking policies are in place with full fee waiver for affected customers. We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible but given the magnitude of our 737 MAX operations which on average carry nine to twelve thousand customers per day, customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada call centres and we appreciate our customers' patience.

Customers are further advised to check the status of their flight on aircanada.com prior to going to the airport.

We fully support this decision and will continue to work with Transport Canada towards resolution of this situation as soon as possible.


SOURCE Air Canada

For further information: Isabelle Arthur (Montréal), [email protected], 514 422-5788; Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), [email protected], 416 263-5576; Angela Mah (Vancouver), [email protected], 604 270-5741; Internet: aircanada.com

https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2019...7-MAX-Aircraft




https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...to-london.html

Originally Posted by ac.com
Information on Air Canada Halifax-London and St. John’s-London service

March 12, 2019

Due to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority banning all Boeing 737 Max aircraft operations in the U.K. Air Canada has cancelled the following flights:

AC 860 Halifax London-Heathrow on March 12
AC861 London-Halifax on March 13
AC822 St. John’s-London on March 13
AC823London-St. John’s on March 14

We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible through our Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa hubs.

Affected customers may contact Air Canada Reservations to change their flights to another date free of charge.

As well, due to anticipated call volumes, customers can expect delays reaching Air Canada call centres, so we appreciate our customers’ patience.

Air Canada will provide updates as more information becomes available.
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Grounding of 737 Max - Effect on AC incl OMNI 767 lease

Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:25 pm
  #91  
 
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Originally Posted by ac/elite
I just called and changed a flight to get off the Max and AC waived both change fee and fare difference (which was large). I asked if they're doing this just for SEs and she replied that they are now doing it for "pretty much anyone who calls in as we want our customers to feel comfortable flying".
.....lol. Given your experience, I guess nobody is surprised that the CBC wrote this article:

Passengers looking to avoid Boeing 737 Max 8 find little help from Canada's airlines

Air Canada and WestJet Airlines won't waive flight-change fees amid a wave of requests from worried travellers
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/boe...ines-1.5052823
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:25 pm
  #92  
 
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Originally Posted by Eternity000
It finally departed with a delay. I wonder if someone with EF can see why it switched from cancelled back to allowed to fly. Still really curious if I can make it for my weekend flight there.

One time exception to get the plane home?
I read somewhere where operators are allowed a single non-commercial ferry flight to return plane to suitable location. Not sure if this is the case for this flight.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:28 pm
  #93  
 
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Originally Posted by Eternity000


It finally departed with a delay. I wonder if someone with EF can see why it switched from cancelled back to allowed to fly. Still really curious if I can make it for my weekend flight there.

One time exception to get the plane home?
The remarks are still there, with "/ SEE ZX1995 FOR PRO"

I'm assuming PRO means protection.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:29 pm
  #94  
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delete

Last edited by skybluesea; Dec 31, 2020 at 10:54 am
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:32 pm
  #95  
 
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Originally Posted by skybluesea


So Honorable Minister (Astronaut) Garneau will find it necessary to run for political cover? Family and friends are asking about this and I refer them to who in Canada will make this call? I certainly will not place my limited knowledge/judgement over that of an Astronaut.

every day we take on many many higher risk propositions, and we depend on those in charge to make the right call… Why is this any different, especially with Garneau at the helm.
While I have a lot of respect for Marc Garneau, his knowledge on the B737 MAX is no different than ours.

Astronaut or not, he does not know what caused this second accident; I am afraid these planes are being kept in the air for political reasons.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:38 pm
  #96  
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Originally Posted by YYT82


The remarks are still there, with "/ SEE ZX1995 FOR PRO"

I'm assuming PRO means protection.
And now AC948 (Guadeloupe) tomorrow is cancelled. The weekend flights are still showing, but suppose those will also be cancelled unless they can get another plane (767 maybe...) for the two French island routes.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:39 pm
  #97  
 
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Now its time for a game of chicken - I'm on the Max next Friday, YEG-YYZ and I need to be back in Toronto for an event do I wait for them to (hopefully) swap out the equipment or change now as there are only connecting flights left that will get me back in time. I don't want to switch to a connecting flight if the Max is going to be grounded
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:40 pm
  #98  
 
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From CNN:

US and Canada are the only two nations still flying a substantial number of Boeing 737 MAX 8s

From CNN's Swati Gupta and Pamela Boykoff
The only two nations still flying a substantial numbers of Boeing 737 MAX 8s are the United States and Canada.

India’s aviation authority is grounding the Boeing 737 MAX immediately, according to a tweet from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

"These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations," the tweet reads.

Fly Dubai said on its Facebook page that its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 was also grounded, on a directive from Dubai’s General Civil Aviation Authority. It will use its fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft for flights instead to minimize disruption.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:42 pm
  #99  
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Originally Posted by MME2YYZ
Now its time for a game of chicken - I'm on the Max next Friday, YEG-YYZ and I need to be back in Toronto for an event do I wait for them to (hopefully) swap out the equipment or change now as there are only connecting flights left that will get me back in time. I don't want to switch to a connecting flight if the Max is going to be grounded
Isn't it better to switch now, while you can get some space that works for you even if it's not what you'd prefer? There could be a lot of stranded passengers if these birds are grounded by either the carrier or a regulatory agency.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:43 pm
  #100  
 
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Originally Posted by yyznomad
According to the item on ac.com (also in the wiki), they are definitely waiving change fees. (but nothing explicit regarding fare difference)
Thanks for that - do you have the link? I could only find reference to the grounded UK flights, and the phone agent claimed any waiver only applied to those flights.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:47 pm
  #101  
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Originally Posted by Eternity000
And now AC948 (Guadeloupe) tomorrow is cancelled. The weekend flights are still showing, but suppose those will also be cancelled unless they can get another plane (767 maybe...) for the two French island routes.
Now replaced by an A321 under AC1992 .... things change fast!
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:50 pm
  #102  
 
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Originally Posted by codfather
While I have a lot of respect for Marc Garneau, his knowledge on the B737 MAX is no different than ours.

Astronaut or not, he does not know what caused this second accident; I am afraid these planes are being kept in the air for political reasons.
You have got to be kidding. They are being GROUNDED for political reasons. Nobody made a peep about grounding the 737 MAX after Lion Air, and now a second hull loss which could be literally anything not even remotely related (as all these EU, UK, etc. directives admit - they have zero information on the ET crash) and all of a sudden now it is unsafe to fly? This is public pressure and clueless people all over social media and regulators saying "well, better to cave to the hype and ban the MAX for a while then have it crash again on my watch". Plus there are not enough airframes in service outside of North America to make the grounding a serious issue for these EU/UK/whatever operators, so they get no pushback there either.

The FAA and TC (and the US / Canadian airlines) seem to be the only ones asking for some information before making a decision. If it turns out it is MCAS related then I bet a grounding ahead of a fix is in order (although software changes for MCAS have been in the cards for months). What if this turns out to be a much more benign issue compounded by pilot error, and nothing to do with MCAS? Or related to engines? Or terrorism related? Are we grounding any type of aircraft when there is a crash now? AF447 happens again tomorrow and we ground the A330?

This entire thing smacks of politics and cover-my-... time and nothing to do with objective decisions based on science or evidence.
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 1:53 pm
  #103  
 
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Originally Posted by codfather
While I have a lot of respect for Marc Garneau, his knowledge on the B737 MAX is no different than ours.

Astronaut or not, he does not know what caused this second accident; I am afraid these planes are being kept in the air for political reasons.
Same reason there are no jets at YTZ. I wonder who made that decision, oh wait nm....
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 2:05 pm
  #104  
 
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Originally Posted by Troopers
I read somewhere where operators are allowed a single non-commercial ferry flight to return plane to suitable location. Not sure if this is the case for this flight.
From FlightGlobal ( https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...operat-456568/ )

"EASA will allow operators to conduct a single, non-commercial ferry flight comprising up to three cycles to return aircraft to suitable maintenance locations."
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Old Mar 12, 2019, 2:08 pm
  #105  
 
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Originally Posted by RatherBeInYOW
You have got to be kidding. They are being GROUNDED for political reasons. Nobody made a peep about grounding the 737 MAX after Lion Air, and now a second hull loss which could be literally anything not even remotely related (as all these EU, UK, etc. directives admit - they have zero information on the ET crash) and all of a sudden now it is unsafe to fly?
Nobody is saying the plane is unsafe. They're saying "we just don't know". The investigators are working as fast as they can, but we just don't have the facts yet. So, in the meantime, should we assume the plane is safe, or should we err on the side of caution?

The prudent thing is to chose the latter. I don't see politics there. I see prudence
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