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Since October 1995, Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker have been issuing an email newsletter for those ex Air Canada types who have provided us with their email addresses. The Newsletter was created by Vesta, who gave the name 'NetLetter' and added 'Between Ourselves' - a TCA periodical with which you are probably familiar with from the 50's and 60's. It was then changed to "Between Yourselves" to avoid confusion when "Horizons" resurrected the name. Then finally simplified to just "The NetLetter".

We believe that our NetLetter, which originates from Vancouver Island, was the FIRST to use this medium to disperse information for retirees of Air Canada.

The NetLetter contains airline related information such as anecdotes or stories supplied by some of the recipients, Internet tips, travel news, cheap... excuse me, "inexpensive" accommodations, tours, interline travel, and, in some small way, we help keep our Air Canada family together and in touch.

Our 'NetLetter' is NOT sponsored by any Pionair group, nor are we seeking any financial support, only the Internet email addresses of those who would like to receive our 'NetLetter'. Please forward this to other retirees who can then subscribe right from the forwarded link at the bottom of this email.

Marlie Kelsey sends us this sad news...

I received information through Jim McKeachie today that Bill Shivock passed away of Cancer on July 11th.

He was well know by many of us in CPAir and Canadian Airlines. I don't know the details of his career but it is worth mentioning to your members as I am sure many people will remember him. He was in Management and well respected.

Regards Marlie Kelsey

For our new readers

We now estimate that the NetLetter is read by over 2700 retirees when counting our email distribution and those that print the NetLetter and give them out to their friends.

To get in touch with either the Editor/Pilot or Co- Pilot our email address is still This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To make changes to your e-mail address or to unsubscribe, please see the links at the bottom of the page for "Update Profile/Email address" and SafeUnsubscribe. This is now automated so that you can remove yourself from the list or change your email address (or name) without our assistance. We will still do this manually if you have any difficulties.

Many of our members are having difficulty finding these links. You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page, the link in similar to the following image. (The image below doesn't work but your links at the bottom will).

Thank you

Alan Rust - ACFamily Administrator

Be flexible with your travel plans. This year, the peak summer travel season is especially busy. We re experiencing record high load factors at the same time as Mother Nature is throwing severe weather patterns our way.

A case in point is Halifax. The combination of unexpectedly consistent fog, ongoing runway renovations and full flights are putting a strain on the operation. If you plan to travel to Halifax in the next short while (until the renovations are completed hopefully this week), please be aware that it may be difficult. If possible, delay your travel. If that's not possible, remember to be patient. Your colleagues at the airport are busy assisting customers and will not be able to help employees travelling on stand-by.

Travel Reminder for Air Canada Pionairs and Others

Now that the Summer Travel is in full swing, it was thought that a reminder note was required to all on our E-Mail List. Those who would like to assist other members, Please print and make available to others. Please note the word EMPLOYEE also refers to RETIREE

RESPONSIBILITY OF EMPLOYEES INCLUDING RETIREES:
Introduction: An AC/Jazz/Zip employee, retiree, widow/er and any other travel privilege holder is responsible for the use of travel privileges issued to himself/herself, eligible family members and travel partners, regardless of any circumstances. It is the prerogative of the employee alone to offer such privileges to family members or travel partners. All contingent passengers are subject to the requirements as listed in this page where applicable - it is the employee, retiree or widow/er's responsibility to ensure all parties are aware of these requirements. Personal travel privileges on Air Canada and other airlines are solely for the purpose of pleasure travel and not for any personal/business venture for the employee, family member or travel partner or on behalf of an individual/company for which a salary or commission is paid. Travel privileges are not transferable and it is unlawful to sell travel privileges to another person.

Personal Conduct: In addition to the adherence of the dress code policy, employees, retirees, spouses, widow/ers, their dependents, parents, travel partners and interliners are expected to be unobtrusive and to act with decorum at all times.

The following are examples of unacceptable behavior;
- Demanding an upgrade
- Occupying areas to the exclusion or discomfort of revenue passengers
- Entering the galley or monopolizing the attention of the gate agents and/or flight attendants
- Drinking to excess
- Loud/ belligerent/argumentative conduct
- Indiscretion in making reference to the "good deals" available to airline employees and their families when interacting in the presence of/with revenue passengers
- Challenging personnel dealing with operational requirements i.e. refusal to deplane in an oversell situation
- Unauthorized boarding of a flight

Limitations are applicable on all Travel Benefits as follows;
- Advance seat selection not permitted
- Denied boarding compensation is not applicable
- Online/Interline protection & interim expenses not applicable for delay, cancellation & disruption of service (IROP/SHED CHANGE)

Financial - Contingent passengers travelling on a space available basis are;
- expected to be financially able to purchase their return transportation in the event they are unable to complete their journey due to the limited availability of seats or irregular operations. In the event a full- fare ticket is used for travel, AC will not reimburse any costs associated to the purchase of the ticket.

Other Airline (OAL) reduced rate tickets for return are recommended as backup and should be obtained prior to commencement of travel as employee ticketing may be limited or unavailable from other cities.

Penalty - Employees will be responsible for payment of any customs or immigration penalties incurred by the airline due to the presentation of incorrect or incomplete documentation for their own or eligible person's travel. In addition, should the company be required to pay or deposit any fine or incur any expenditure by reason of the employee's or eligible person's failure to comply with laws, orders, regulations or demands of the countries concerned; the employee shall, on demand, refund to the company any amount so paid or deposited or any expenditure so incurred.

Immigration Travel - privileges cannot be used for purposes of immigration, other than under the provisions for a company employee and their families who have been transferred. Travel for the purpose of immigration requires the purchase of a full fare revenue ticket, whether on Air Canada or any other carrier. Any misuse of employee travel privileges will require payment of the full-fare and because any breach is considered by the company to be a serious misdemeanor, will be subject to disciplinary action and/or suspension of travel privileges.

Other Airlines - An employee is prohibited from personally soliciting free or reduced rate transportation from other air carriers. Other airlines have their own dress codes which may differ from Air Canada's, all contingent passengers should be aware of the standards to which they will be required to comply when travelling on other airlines.

Misuse of privilege - Misuse or attempted misuse of travel privileges is considered by air Canada as a serious misdemeanor, such as any breach of the rules is subject to disciplinary action. Any case of misuse/attempted misuse of travel privileges, including obtaining and attempting to obtain such transportation by misrepresentation of fact, is to be reported in writing to the manager, Employee Travel.

An Employee under disciplinary suspension is prohibited from using any personal travel privileges on Air Canada and other carriers with which Air Canada has agreements for free and reduced rate transportation and is prohibited from soliciting pass privileges from another employee.

An Employee must surrender their ID and travel card and any unused travel documents issued from the employee allotment if suspended as per the following;
- suspension pending discharge
- suspension pending review following a court decision on a charge under the criminal code.

Any employee who is discharged or otherwise has their employment with the company terminated for just cause shall not be eligible to receive travel privileges wither in their own right or through any other employee.

Air Canada recently announced it is canceling its much-vaunted nonstop service to India, replacing it with one-stop service via Zurich and down gauging from an Airbus A340 to a Boeing 767- 300, but returning service to year-round and daily. Effective Oct. 30, Air Canada will serve Delhi via Zurich on a daily year-round basis from Toronto. The transfer of flights to India via Switzerland will allow Air Canada to re-introduce year-round service to Zurich while returning to daily service from its current three-times weekly nonstop service from Toronto. In addition, Air Canada plans to pursue a code share agreement with future Star Alliance member, Swiss International Air Lines, by which Swiss would sell seats on the Air Canada-operated flights via Zurich.

Air Canada launched its much-publicized nonstop service to Delhi in October 2003. At the time it was daily, but the airline since then reduced service to five times a week and now operates it three times a week for the low season.

Park'N Fly
Active and Retired Air Canada and Air Canada Jazz employees can take advantage of a 50 per cent discount for leisure travel on SelfPark and Valet Parking at any Park'N Fly location across Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Windsor, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

You will be required to present your Air Canada identification card. Retirees who present their identification card at any Park N'Fly will receive the discount. Park'N Fly is Canada's only national parking company and all locations are conveniently open 24- hours a day, 365 days a year.

Your Code for use a Exit Pay Machines is : 31033#

Avoid Halifax
Airport renovations, combined with fog and the peak of air travel season in Canada all add up to a nightmare for travelers trying to fly through Halifax International Airport.

For weeks now, scores of flights have had to be cancelled or delayed during bad weather because airport construction work that has meant the airline's system for instrument landings has been temporarily shut down. Dozens of flights were affected in the last weekend alone.

The spectacle, which has left many travelers angry that the airport waited until the busy summer months to do the work, is an ironic chapter for an airport that recently won a series of passenger satisfaction awards.

Halifax International Airport ranked first in overall passenger satisfaction for airports worldwide with under five million passengers, for the second year in a row. In addition, Halifax was rated as best airport in the Americas of any size for overall satisfaction, and best domestic airport worldwide.

These results of June s load factor performance the highest ever for June marking 15 consecutive months of record load factors. Thursday June 30th we boarded 111,980 passengers, the single highest day in our history.

To top it off, we had a domestic load factor of 81.3 per cent, 7.7 points higher than our main competitor.

With the departure July 1st., of flight AC065 en route to Seoul from Toronto, Air Canada inaugurated its first-ever non-stop service between eastern Canada and Korea.

Russia s first scheduled all-cargo airline, Airbridge Cargo (ABC), which is part of the Volga-Dnepr Group of companies, has signed a marketing agreement with Air Canada Cargo.
The agreement covers scheduled and charter Boeing 747F services to and from the European hubs of Frankfurt and Amsterdam to the former Soviet Union and Asia.
The contract is effective immediately and will run until March 31, 2007.
Air Canada Cargo, as a GSA, already markets the unique capabilities of the Antonov AN-124-100 aircraft in the Volga-Dnepr Airlines fleet for Canada's Department of National Defence.

Australia began an exercise on Monday using part-time workers such as university students and retired people to screen passengers at airports, drawing criticism that the plan would endanger security.

U.S. airlines must inform passengers about where aircraft assembled. Prompted by a U.S. lawmakers concern that many aircraft are being manufactured outside the country, U.S. airlines must now comply with a new rule which requires them to tell passengers where the plane they're flying on was built. Carriers, including American Airlines and United, must place the information on the plastic cards in the seat backs that describe emergency exits. The FAA estimated it would cost carriers $522,000 US to print stickers with this information and place them on the placards in 6,559 aircraft.

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This special is for July and August travel only. Orginal price is $659 pp dbl. Save $90 pp dbl. Pay only $569 pp dbl for this great trip! Reserve your package now! phone: 1-800-255-2376

An Air France A330 carrying 196 passengers ran into a herd of cattle at Nigeria's Port Harcourt International Airport about 4 a.m. last Wednesday. None of those on board were hurt. Seven cows were killed. The A330 was checked and found to be undamaged. Local reports were not clear as to whether the cattle were on a runway or a taxiway, but they did say -- and we quote -- that security has been "beefed up" to prevent further incidents.

The mailing and formating of the NetLetter for HTML format is provided by the ACFamily Network and Nerds On Site. Content is researched and submitted by Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker. Thank you for letting us into your homes!

(From the ACFamily Network)

I have found in talking to many retirees recently that some feel that they are "too old" to worry about data backup, or that this tool is used only for businesses. Hogwash!

As retirees (and baby boomers) you now belong to one of the biggest growing numbers of Internet and computer users. You've heard about the two inevitable things that you can count on is "death and taxes". Well you can also add "Hard Drive Failure".

I work with a company, (Nerds On Site), that regularly encounter people, every day, from all walks of life, who have the misfortune of losing their precious data, and it's not always businesses, it's people like you and me. They lose pictures of their children and grandchildren taken with digital cameras that are stored on their computer. Email addresses and email from their loved ones, tax information from Quicken or Simply Accounting, their "favorites" for surfing the net. etc.

There is no longer an excuse for losing all this data. Please take a minute and check out the "Nerds Data Deposit Box" at the link below, it's easy, it's dependable and it's very affordable. (30 day free trial)

Sincerely,

Alan Rust
The ACFamily Network

Most Internet users are familiar with Adobe Acrobat Reader. When web sites (and email lists) wish to share files with their readers it is not practical to have them download files that they are not able to open or which could be infected by viruses.

To solve this problem, Adobe Software provides a "Free" reader to allow anyone that downloads their viewer to read these files.

Click on the "Adobe Reader 7.0" image to download your free copy of Adobe Reader. Instructions for installing it are found using the link below. (The NetLetter does not provide support for installing the reader, but Nerds On Site do.) See the links to them on the left panel.

The archives of the NetLetter are kept on the ACFamily Network Forums area. They are in plain text format so you can print them from there if desired. If you are not a member of the ACFamily Network yet, we encourage you to join us there. Non members can Register here. (It's Free!)