~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |\^/| _| TCA |_ _|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R > CANADA < B E T W E E N O U R S E L V E S >_./|\._< for P I O N A I R S | Your crew is: Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson Chief Navigator - Terry Baker tm number 90 date Oct 20th 1996 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . The Vancouver Island Pionair Fall Luncheon is planned for Wednesday 23rd October at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel at 1175 Beach Drive, Victoria at 11.30 for 12.30 lunch. Featured speaker will be Sandie Dexter, Air Canada Communications Manager for Western Canada. . Gene Brown has changed his email address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Keith Ohman tells us that the author of the 'Down East Airlines' stories mentioned in Netletter nr 89 was Jack Desmarais of Toronto Base. . Following information from Bob Robbins, Ottawa District Director - Pionairs 'Our Ottawa Pionairs' newsletter gives dates and locations of social activities through the year end and into March. We'd love to have you join us. All you need to do is look in your District's newsletter files, and plan to be with us. Of course advance notice that you're coming is preferable, but if you can come and cannot notify us, we'll certainly fit you in!' . Con travel - by Terry My wife and I had decided to visit London, England again, and invited our friends to be our Travel Partners. After explaining at length the why's and wherefor's of this type of travel, they readily agreed. Our plans were to travel Sept 29 from Nanaimo (YCD). As the Travel Pass does not include travel on an Air Canada connector, they bought the special fare of CA$73. As the ID50 fare was CA$112, we elected to buy the special also. Armed with the usual intelligence information that cons need ie alternate routes to London and seats available, we arrived in Vancouver (YVR) at 0800, allowing time for plan B if necessary. After reviewing the alternate space, we elected to wait it out for the London flight from Vancouver which leaves at 17.10. During the morning, I went and viewed the new terminal to find out where standby cons should congregate. I spoke with an agent at counter 112 who told me to return at 16.30, but he did not hold out any hope of getting us out. He checked to ensure Nanaimo had listed us correctly, and adjusted the priority for our Travel Partners, which Nanaimo had neglected to do. I returned to our group and we settled down for the long wait. Incidently, we had been visited by some friends from Britisah Airways in London who could not get out of Nanaimo so went by ferry to Vancouver, and could not get out on either Air Canada or British Airways for 3 successive days and ended up buying on Canada3000 (ooch!) At 1400 we heard our names called and reported to counter 112 as requested. The same agent told us that there was no hope for the London flight, but he could put us on the Glasgow (GLA) flight which was leaving in 30 minutes. We told him our luggage was booked through to London by Nanaimo. He grabbed our baggage tags and raced off while his co-worker changed out routing and passes. After our baggage was rerouted I said we had cars booked at London, the agent, after asking 'Who with?", grabbed the phone and dialed a number and passed me the phone and I made arrangements for the cars to be available at Glasgow and to ensure there would be no drop off charge when we returned the cars to London. The effort and consideration by the agents was really 'over and above', and our Travel Partners were really impressed, as were my wife and I. Although we arrived on the other side of the Atlantic, albeit at the other end of the country of our choice, we were more than happy. After ensuring there would definitely be no drop-off charge on our rentals, we did the customary two circuits of Glasgow airport before finding our way out to the main highway! Our return flight from London Heathrow was a complete contrast - a B747, full size, with over 200 open seats. There were only six people in the rear cabin, and all received dedicated service, including a trip to the flight deck for our Travel Partners. We arrived back in Vancouver at the height of the storm only to learn that most of the AirBC flights had been disrupted, including the cancellation of the mid afternoon flight to Nanaimo, so another long wait until 19.30 ensued. As soon as we landed at Nanaimo, the power in the surrounding district failed, and we had to stumble our way into our house, but were thankful to be home. It is nice to go away for a vacation, but nice to get home too. After enduring the trials and tribulations of driving on the English roads it will be good to experience a slower pace. Next time we will take a cruise and let someone else do the driving. ~-=o0o=-~ . Dream flights - The balance of the schedule for the Dreams Take Flight organised by Air Canada staff is - October 22nd - Edmonton October 23rd - Calgary October 24th - Vancouver. The British Airways staff also run an annual Dream Flight taking sick children to Disney World in Florida, this year is planned for Nov 4th with the operation of a B747. Started in Nov 1987 when Princess Diana wished goodbye to the children, some 1600 children have enjoyed the Florida sun. Each trip costs UKL300,00.00 (CA$650,00.00). . Found on the internet Air France is equipping more long-range jets with 'smokers bars' accommodating between 5 and 11 passengers. Economy and Business classes will have their own smoking zone. Powerful extractors pump smoke to the outside of the aircraft. Air France claims to be the only airline to offer a non smoking cabin while respecting the needs of the passenger who wish to smoke. First British Airways B777 trans-Atlantic flights could start during November. Virgin Airlines launched their 'drive thru' check-in service for their upper class passengers at London Heathrow. Arriving by chauffered limos, travellers are driven to an area at the short-term car parking at Terminal 3 where staff complete check-in facilities. Passengers do not have to leave the back seat of the car. Once equipped with a boarding pass, upper class passengers are dropped off at the departure level and walk through the 'fast track' security and immigration channels. British Airways has bowed to the inevitable and is allowing staff and their families who travel on discount tickets to dress in mufti. Until now a strict dress code was rigorously enforced. Welcome to the 20th centruy B.A. Jet passengers put shoulder to the wheel - Passengers on a British Airways B737-400 from Rome to London Heathrow took the strain of the plane recently when they pushed their aircraft onto the runway to beat a strike by ground staff. Faced with a six hour delay, BA staff decided to take matters into their own hands. Rounding up collegues from various sections, about 15 put shoulders to the wheels. Unable to shift the 60 tonne aircraft, they asked the passengers to deplane. When some of the passengers saw what was happening, they decided to help. With 5 men on each of the 6 wheels they managed to push the aircraft 40 metres from the terminal to the runway, allowing the captain to get underway. ~-=o0o=-~ . Interline stuff - Be aware that, when changing foreign currency travellers cheques in the UK that, unless the bank or travel agent has connections with the type of cheque you present, you will be charged 3% at some bank, or UKL3.00 for the first UKL150.00 then 2% on the balance at Thoas Cook. American Express are handled by Lloyds Bank. Some prices in the Airport Duty Free are higher than those on the Air Canada Boutique. So that you may compare prior to departing here are some prices from the latest issue of Boutique - Rothman, du Maurier, Player's, Silk Cut are CA$18 per carton 200 and Marlboro are CA$25 per carton 200. Canadian Club 1ltr CA$18, Crown Royal 1 ltr CA$17, Black Label 1 ltr CA$31, Chivas Regal 1 lts CA$34, Glenfiddich 1 ltr CA$31, Smirnoff 1.14ltr CA$13, Baileys 1 ltr CA$22, Beefeater 1ltr CA$15. Cruises - Celebrate an Exotic Holiday from Hawaii or Tahiti on the Sky Princess for 11 days. Depart Dec 18 or 29th, visit Papeete, Moorea. Bora Bora, Big Island, Maui and Oahu Cost US$1710 pp dbl includes free air travel. Beijing Tour 8 days departing Vancouver Nov 25th 1996 visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tian An Men Square, Temple of Heaven, Hard Rock Cafe. Cost includes round trip airfare, 4-star accommodation, 3 daily meals, guided sight-seeing, admissions, cultural shows & ground transportation. Cost CA$1399 pp dbl plus CA$50 tax and CA$55 for China visa. Call 1-800-690-3223 for more details. ~-=o0o=-~ . Smillies from Terry . With Air France proposing to institute a smoking section on their aircraft, one passengers comment was 'Is this like providing a p---ing section in a swimming pool?" Religious equal rights - pray equality. ~-=o0o=-~ . That's it for this time, please we need your input, send comments and email addresses of any others who may be interested to Vesta with a copy to Terry. -!- Landing on an Island in the Pacific. _____(~)_____ ! ! ! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. <<<>>> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ................................................... . GREETINGS FROM . . Vancouver Island . . BEAUTIFUL B.C. CANADA . ...................................................
