Ford Prefect

Back in the late 80s, I took a Canadian Airlines flight to Edmonton from Toronto on what I was positive was an Airbus (and not a 767). As this pre-dated the A330-40 era, I am wondering if CAI ever flew A300s or A310s even for a short while. It definitely was a wide body aircraft and not one of their A320s.

Any history buffs help me out?

Ford

shore9

I recall hearing that they had 310's for a brief time. Could it maybe have been a D10, they had plenty of those I know.

Gr.Dane

Must have been one of the old Wardair. They now are Canadian Forces planes.

YOWkid

This is definitely correct.

Shareholder

Yes, the Wardair fleet was comprised of B747s and A310s. During the Mulroney period, the renamed Canadian Airlines International/CAI was able to sell the A310s to the Canadian Armed Forces where they've been used as both exec transports when the PM flies on major trips abroad, or as general troop transports as the other day when one of them flew the two dead CAF members home to Trenton.

Muldoon had one of the planes done up in true exec interior, but Chretien had this stripped down, or so the story goes.

CAI inherited its 767s from Pacific Western as well as many of its 737s. That aircraft type and some DC10s came from the old CPAir fleet.

I recall flying the A310s on that same YEG-YYZ route many times, albeit more often on WARDAIR in its Business Class, which was far and away ahead of either AC's or CP's then front cabin First Class service. It was the first Canadian airline to serve microbrews, carrying UPPER CANADA DARK. (This was before BIG ROCK got up and going down in Calgary.) CAI flew them only for a short time on this route after it merged with WARDAIR.

Ah, those were indeed the days...

Wally Bird

No, PWA only ever had 2 767s and they were sold to Air Canada in May 1985, two years before CAI came into being. None of the A310s ever got a CAI paint job, just the titles.

StuMcIlwain

And I believe one of those planes, Fin 672, is still flying for AC.

Doc Fraud

Nope not true. The 310 was flagged as Canadian Vacations and carried the pre-goose flash on the tail. I remember this aircraft well, because it was my first time in J. White table cloth......real china..... fresh Kiwi, and eggs that looked like....EGGS!!

Those were the days

DF

Wally Bird

Not that I don't believe you , but I would be very interested is seeing a photo. Googling the 'usual suspects' comes up empty. My memory may be faulty but I thought only a few 737s got the Vacations branding.

mtacchi

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?i...ext_id=0105598

cur

You omitted the part where Chretien took money from the defence budget so he could buy a couple swanky jets that he could use for personal visits.

Bytepusher

Despite all the talk at the time of a "Flying Taj Mahal" I'm not sure the one A310 that is fitted out for VIP transport is all that luxurious, in any case it has NOT been stripped down, it's still in the config it was done over too originally.

Last I knew the other 4 are set up either as combis with 60 seat cabins in the rear, and a cargo area in the middle or all cargo configs. It was planned to convert two of them to refueling tankers, don't know if this ever happened.

YOWkid

Personal visits?

Sure, he used the jets on government business and for his vacations (but then again, these are RCMP/CSIS requirements and paid for by the PM her/himself, ie. the crown is reimbursed).

YOWkid

And I think Chretien used it himself many times without any problems.

Overwing

You are correct Sir.