Just sitting here in Calgary Maple Leaf Lounge waiting for next flight (first cancelled due to snow/mechanical?) and noticed this news release--our snowstorm is headed your way. Maybe other airlines will be affected. A little unusual to cancel in advance though? Hope the weatherman is right or there will be very irate travellers (even more so than if there was a storm).

AIR CANADA CANCELS TORONTO FLIGHTS

TORONTO - Air Canada advises travellers that as a precautionary measure, due to a snow storm expected in southern Ontario overnight, it is cancelling approximately 45 of its 130 scheduled flights departing and arriving at Toronto's Pearson International Airport between 06:00-11:00 a.m. Wednesday March 3, 1999.

Most cancellations are short haul flights to and from U.S. destinations. Air Canada will continue to operate Rapidair flights to and from Montreal and Ottawa, although at a reduced frequency.

Air Canada customers are advised to check on the status of their flight before leaving for the airport by calling a special toll free number 1-800-725-0722 or their local Air Canada Reservations and Flight Information telephone number. Flight status information is also available by consulting Air Canada's website at http ://www.aircanada.ca.

Air Canada will advise travellers of further updates as new information becomes available.

if SR would "pre-react" on snow-storms like AC, we wouldn't have had any flights from mid-feb to last Sunday in Zurich ...

BlondeBomber,

I had a chance to visit Calgary during the Stampede last July. Very nice airport and all the rodeo decor during the Stampede made it a fun airport to check out. I can think of far worse airports to have been stranded.

[This message has been edited by MileageAddict (edited 03-03-99).]

I was "stuck" in the Calgary Maple Leaf club in January for weather reasons. It was much nicer than any Red Carpet Club that I've been in. It had a roaring fireplace, big comfy chairs, and free internet access.

Not to mention an unhurried atmosphere, free drinks and snacks and (mostly) very friendly staff. Most of Air Canada's Maple Leaf lounges are great places to spend waiting out the weather and surfing the net for free.

Maple Leaf's lounges (I know Vancouver and Calgary) are as business lounges among the best I know (I compare with Swissair, Sabena, Lufthansa, UA Red Carpet Club, Delta, SAS, VARIG, Finnair, Air France, British Midland, ). One small step better the lounge at Taipeh of Chinese Air (entrance voucher from Thai, when I fly business). FREE INTERNET = FREE FLYERTAL_ACCESS!

A snow storm is expected to hit Toronto late this evening to tomorrow. I wonder if AC will cancell flights in advance this time around?

I checked on the employee INFO line and the cancellations are actually mandated by the Greater Toronto Airport Authority for capacity controls during weather events -- so it looks like Air Canada (and others) have no choice but to reduced the number of flights anyway.