Last ever CP flight to YYG
Feb 10, 2000, 3:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Charlottetown/Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 346
Last ever CP flight to YYG
Already posted to the Itineraries BB, but this is very much a Canadian Airlines story.
I have been flying Canadian Airlines (CP)for years, since before I moved to YYG. It broke my heart when it was announced last month that effective 2000-02-01 they would no longer fly here (they had already stopped flying to my hometown in December).
Anyway, I found I was booked on the last flight into YYG on January 31. It was a full flight, and the co-pilot thanked us all for having stuck with CP through thick and thin. At the end of the flight, we applauded the crew before we got off the plane. I had said goodbye to most of the airport staff when I was outbound the previous week, and said goodbye to the poor woman who was the last employee of Canadian left at the airport, handling that last flight before she herself was laid off.
My next trip I have to fly Air Canada. I'm not looking forward to the strange faces and stranger attitudes at what was once a government-owned airline and still acts like one.
I have been flying Canadian Airlines (CP)for years, since before I moved to YYG. It broke my heart when it was announced last month that effective 2000-02-01 they would no longer fly here (they had already stopped flying to my hometown in December).
Anyway, I found I was booked on the last flight into YYG on January 31. It was a full flight, and the co-pilot thanked us all for having stuck with CP through thick and thin. At the end of the flight, we applauded the crew before we got off the plane. I had said goodbye to most of the airport staff when I was outbound the previous week, and said goodbye to the poor woman who was the last employee of Canadian left at the airport, handling that last flight before she herself was laid off.
My next trip I have to fly Air Canada. I'm not looking forward to the strange faces and stranger attitudes at what was once a government-owned airline and still acts like one.
Feb 10, 2000, 8:14 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Programs: BA GGL, FPC Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Amb
Posts: 3,372
With all due respect to your loyalty, I think it's a shame. (I still believe in shopping canadian!) I have seen great improvements in AC's service over the last 15 years.
When you compare AC with what is available in 1W, I have to wonder, "why stay?" Whatever else you may think, AC can beat ANY American carrier (including MidwestX) any day of the week. And * also brings in other heavy hitters, especially SQ.
AA is so appalling it is laughable. They make UA look good, (which is saying something).
BA is fine, if you can afford to fly up front--but their corporate policy clearly favours the high yield flyer over the leisure traveller.
I flew CX for years when I lived in Hong Kong and they were still with Aeroplan. They can be very nice, provided that what you want is in the manual. (and provided that you are neither asian nor female).
QF is the one bright spot in an otherwise bleak frontier. They aren't much help to you in the US, though.
However, the short answer to your question is probably to switch to AA, unless you want Emerald Status, or you want to fly BA regularly across the pond. The scheme to get ExecPlat at AA is heavily tilted to high yield.
More importantly, if you are going to stay at the Sapphire level, you want usable upgrades.
When you compare AC with what is available in 1W, I have to wonder, "why stay?" Whatever else you may think, AC can beat ANY American carrier (including MidwestX) any day of the week. And * also brings in other heavy hitters, especially SQ.
AA is so appalling it is laughable. They make UA look good, (which is saying something).
BA is fine, if you can afford to fly up front--but their corporate policy clearly favours the high yield flyer over the leisure traveller.
I flew CX for years when I lived in Hong Kong and they were still with Aeroplan. They can be very nice, provided that what you want is in the manual. (and provided that you are neither asian nor female).
QF is the one bright spot in an otherwise bleak frontier. They aren't much help to you in the US, though.
However, the short answer to your question is probably to switch to AA, unless you want Emerald Status, or you want to fly BA regularly across the pond. The scheme to get ExecPlat at AA is heavily tilted to high yield.
More importantly, if you are going to stay at the Sapphire level, you want usable upgrades.
Feb 11, 2000, 11:54 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: New York City, NY, USA
Programs: AA Platinum
Posts: 176
Even though I am from "south of the border" I can more or less relate to the loss of CP as a choice. Due to oneworld, I have been flying CP codeshares several times a month. Twice within the last month I have been "re-booked" on an AC southbound flight after my CP was canceled 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Of course by the time I treked from T3 to T2 I was cutting it close. Both times an agent walked me through immigration at the crew line and welcomed me to AC. CP ground staff seem to have had it. Both times that I attempted to check in at T3 the agent looked blankly and with stated, "flights been canceled go to Air Canada". Having flown probably 60 times in/out of YYZ in the last couple of years I have never set foot into T2. The agent pointed towards the door when I inquired how to get to AC. As to the other comment re: oneworld. We all belong to these "alliances" due to miles. I travel to Asia once a month and fly CX, CP or an AA codeshare for miles. Several times due to last minute availability I have flown on SQ and find their highly touted service on par with CX,CP or QF internationally. The opportunity here is for AC/UA to offer to comp. those of us that are PLT to Elite. I will still miss CP as I drag myself to EWR this evening and stand in line behind a gazillion other people because my "FF status" on AA/CP means nothing to AC. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif