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

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Old Mar 12, 2019, 11:26 am
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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

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Old Mar 13, 2019, 5:29 am
  #151  
 
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Pure speculation at this time, but AC does not appear to have that many spare aircrafts, especially narrow-bodies. These days, you frequently see comments on ExpertFlyer when an E90 or A3XX goes mechanical about the need to wait for first available aircraft. This is prime spring break season with many planes being full. Some business decisions would have to be made about which flights to cut so that select flights could be upgaged/downgaged. Not sure if the regionals have some extra capacity that could be redeployed - and how easy this would be...
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 5:31 am
  #152  
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Originally Posted by D582
They have some flexibility but not that much. I would expect some contingency plans are being drawn up to sub in Rouge as well.
I hope so! I have a rather expensive AirBnB booked for Martinique starting Sunday and I can still cancel. The flight is essentially full, so I hope the plans wouldn’t involve cancellations or down gauging flights.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 5:37 am
  #153  
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Originally Posted by skybluesea
I will rely on judgement of Honorable Minister (& Astronaut) Garneau.

Garneau's judgement is based on what he is told by his officials who are heavily influenced by Air Canada, Boeing and the U.S.A.

Garneau is not a pilot. He was cargo on the Space Shuttle. He's a lot closer to Howard Wolowitz than to Chuck Yeager.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 5:43 am
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Originally Posted by Eternity000

I hope so! I have a rather expensive AirBnB booked for Martinique starting Sunday and I can still cancel. The flight is essentially full, so I hope the plans wouldn’t involve cancellations or down gauging flights.
It may not be the actual flights on 737 that ultimately gets cancelled. Ac would look at their loads to destinations where they have multiple flights to see if they could potentially combine some to free up an aircraft for a 737 destination such as Martinique - which would be problematic to cancel. You may also have weak loads on a thin TATL route for example that also gets cancelled temporarily or see reduced frequencies - assuming that AC can claim extraordinary circumstances to avoid EC261.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 5:43 am
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:06 am
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Originally Posted by skybluesea
anyway, are you stating that the Honorable Minister is acting in support of corporate interest - you have evidence to support this assertion?

or can it be the Minister has made judgement call that you just don’t like?
Of course there’s no evidence to support any assertion that Minister Garneau is beholden to corporate interests, whether directly, indirectly or otherwise.
Nor is there any evidence that his physics & electrical engineering education and time spent weightless provide him with any relevant aviation background.

Personally, I’m not sure whether I like or dislike the decision not to ground the type. But his being a former astronaut offers very little direct experience despite the, um, gravitas.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:18 am
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Originally Posted by skybluesea
dont understand comparison.

anyway, are you stating that the Honorable Minister is acting in support of corporate interest - you have evidence to support this assertion?

or can it be the Minister has made judgement call that you just don’t like?

Garneau is not more qualified to make the decision because of his so-called "astronaut" experience. He was a passenger on the Space Shuttle. Just because I've flown in J-class on Air Canada doesn't mean I am qualified to judge the airworthiness of the 777.

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying in Canada provides extensive reporting on the frequency and depth of the meetings with Air Canada, Boeing, West Jet, etc. Garneau's "decision" should also be considered in the context of a government that favours certain corporate interests over its own criminal justice system.

When one of the major operators of the Max in Canada has decided to ground its aircraft serious questions should be raised about why the government of Canada is putting the corporate interests ahead of the safety of Canadian air passengers.

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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:19 am
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Originally Posted by YOWCDNFF
It may not be the actual flights on 737 that ultimately gets cancelled. Ac would look at their loads to destinations where they have multiple flights to see if they could potentially combine some to free up an aircraft for a 737 destination such as Martinique - which would be problematic to cancel. You may also have weak loads on a thin TATL route for example that also gets cancelled temporarily or see reduced frequencies - assuming that AC can claim extraordinary circumstances to avoid EC261.
Loads won't matter. PRASM will. A full aircraft does not necessarily mean a profitable route or flight.

EC 261/2004 won't matter much as the EU has prohibited MAX operations, thus a government order.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:25 am
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
Garneau is not more qualified to make the decision because of his so-called "astronaut" experience. He was a passenger on the Space Shuttle. Just because I've flown in J-class on Air Canada doesn't mean I am qualified to judge the airworthiness of the 777.

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying in Canada provides extensive reporting on the frequency and depth of the meetings with Air Canada, Boeing, West Jet, etc. Garneau's "decision" should also be considered in the context of a government that favours certain corporate interests over its own criminal justice system.

When one of the major operators of the Max in Canada has decided to ground its aircraft serious questions should be raised about why the government of Canada is putting the corporate interests ahead of the safety of Canadian air passengers.
The argument isn't that he knows how to design or fly airplanes but rather that he has at least some training on the use of logic, evidence, statistics, etc.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:35 am
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
The argument isn't that he knows how to design or fly airplanes but rather that he has at least some training on the use of logic, evidence, statistics, etc.
The post I responded to specifically mentioned he was an "astronaut" as some reason to "rely" on his judgement.

Garneau is an electrical engineer who served as a combat systems officer in the Navy. He deserves our trust if we need a plane shot down not so much when it comes to whether it will stay up.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:38 am
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
The post I responded to specifically mentioned he was an "astronaut" as some reason to "rely" on his judgement.

Garneau is an electrical engineer who served as a combat systems officer in the Navy. He deserves our trust if we need a plane shot down not so much when it comes to whether it will stay up.
Exactly. As an EE (with at least a bachelor's degree in engineering) and an astronaut passenger, he would have some knowledge/training in logical reasoning, data, statistics, and the use of scientific evidence, but not the design of airplanes or how to fly them.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:39 am
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Originally Posted by Badenoch

Garneau's judgement is based on what he is told by his officials who are heavily influenced by Air Canada, Boeing and the U.S.A.
......
I would hope they are talking to both Air Canada and WestJet before making a decision. With (AC) 25 + (WS) 13 + (WG) 4 aircraft these three airlines are operating 42 aircraft, that is what 150 to 300 flights per day using this aircraft. The AS and WS people have more operational experience than anyone else in the country. In the case of WS and AC they are operating these aircraft following more demanding ETOPS standards. Talking to the company that designed and did the engineering on the aircraft, e.g. Boeing also makes sense.

Yes, they need to make a decision based on the best interest of the public. However that does not mean ignoring the industry they regulate.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:41 am
  #163  
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Originally Posted by skybluesea


and this is why the ban on the MAX is so troubling, because it completely denies the whole premise of SMS by putting sole blame on an aircraft type, when Lion Air clearly falls within the category of system failure.
About Lionair, that is just repeating Boeing's spin. Might be true that differnt pilots might have done a better job and saved the day, but the root cause was the MCAS turning on when it should not.
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:45 am
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I think there's a bigger issue out there and its the lack of confidence w the impartiality of these regulators, particularly in the current political environment & recent events.

Just as you suggested we should not jump to conclusions, the FAA's bold airworthness statements is equally jumping into decisions (i.e. ground or not to ground) without knowing full circumstances.

In an ideal world - you let experts understand the circumstances, weigh the risks, safety comes first and you err on side of caution. So I think there's bigger issues at play than just the 737-Max (not about the plane anymore, but that happened to be the scapegoat)
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Old Mar 13, 2019, 6:59 am
  #165  
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Originally Posted by Badenoch

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying in Canada provides extensive reporting on the frequency and depth of the meetings with Air Canada, Boeing, West Jet, etc. Garneau's "decision" should also be considered in the context of a government that favours certain corporate interests over its own criminal justice system.

When one of the major operators of the Max in Canada has decided to ground its aircraft serious questions should be raised about why the government of Canada is putting the corporate interests ahead of the safety of Canadian air passengers.
I would not question Garneau's integrity or even judgement. Decisions like these are inherently political. This is about balancing risks on one hand, and the inconvenience to airlines *and* passengers in the case of a ban. In other words, that he takes input from AC and WS into account is unavoidable. OTOH, I am not sure I would refer to Sunwing as a "major operation." Not sure either if I would make the same decision that Garneau did, or how long he will be able to stick to it. No matter what, pressure will mount. Even if he is ultimately right, politically this might eventually hurt him. When neither AC pilots and cabin crews don't really want to work on the 7M8 (and no, I don't blame them), for how long can you keep forcing them?
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