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_| TCA |_ B E T W E E N y O U R S E L V E S
_|\| AIR |/|_ N E T L E T T E R
> CANADA <
>_./|\._< for Air Canada retirees
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Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson
**** http://www.acra.ca/between/vesta/btwn_us.htm ****
Co-pilot - Terry Baker
**** http://www.acra.ca/between ****
number 278 date May 26th, 1998 1st Published in October 1995
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. NEED TO KNOW - INFORMATION -
Your co-pilot will be on vacation until 1st week of July, so there
will be no NetLetters for awhile. BUT, send any information through
so that we can get a resumption of information as soon as we can.
Any information will be acknowledged upon our return.
PLEASE address ALL correspondence to both of us as Vesta lives in
Victoria, B.C. and Terry lives in Ladysmith,B.C. (near Nanaimo, B.C.)
This saves us extra posts between ourselves. <G>
Don't forget to visit:
TCA/AIR CANADA PIONAIRS Website at http://www.acra.ca/pionairs
and the Between yOurselves - NetLetter web page
http://www.acra.ca/between
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. Where are they now?
Friends and creditors looking for Saville Hambleton should try his new
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. Bob Robbins sends us an upade on AGM 98 -
So much went on in the four days, that I find it hard to structure
things for you. Here are some of the highlights I perceived:
- I think Roy McCormack reported a total attendance of 423 persons.
- I especially cherish the unplanned "reunions" with people I'd worked with;
they started the evening we arrived, and kept happening from breakfast time
to bedtime for five days. Heartwarming happenings - every one of them.
Goose Bay alumni sparked so many remembrances of exactly fifty years ago.
It was great to chat with Bill Willows, Claude Berry, and of course my recent
working partner Don Demeza. I'd hoped to talk "Goose Bay" with Charley
Mackie, sparked by his items in "BETWEEN yOURSELVES", so was disappointed at
not finding him on the participant lists.
Len Sampson and I swapped some good lies about the starting days of TCA's
own Air Cargo Services at Montreal's International Terminal a couple of
years later
- 19 Ottawa District Pionairs attended: - Incoming District Director
Pat Hare, Bev. and Tom Anderson, Don and June Demeza, Ann and Rodney Dove,
Grace and John Macauley, Malcolm and Sally Macdougall, Ilene Pedwell,
Jessie Rougeau, Noreen Searson, Rachel Tennant, Helen and Lloyd Wedge,
Anne and Bob Robbins.
- Most Pionairs and many spouses seemed to enjoy the numerous Agenda items
of the Monday and Tuesday mornings' Business Meetings.
Especially outstanding were the presentations of Doug Lovat, Director
of Pensions and Employee Benefits, of Paul Garratt, Vice-President of
Human Resources and Roy McCormack, Pionairs' National Treasurer. Each
used overhead-projected transparencies to get across complex messages.
- Doug Lovat described how our Pension Fund continued to accrue substantial
investment earnings, and now tops C$5 billion. He also detailed the
background to the increase in premiums for the Voluntary Supplementary Health
Plan; amounts claimed are steadily increasing as average age of Plan
participants increases, medication prices rise, and as Provinces cut back on
Medicare coverage.
Doug and delegates discussed the cancellation of services provided by
"Metropolitan Assistance for Travel Emergencies" (MATE). Doug explained that
this did not change the amount of coverage provided by the Supplementary
Health Plan for involuntary out-of-country expenses (a lifetime maximum
amount of C$25,000).
The MATE program provided various of kinds of assistance to help
subscribers obtain travel-emergency assistance, but any cash paid out came
from the individual's Air Canada Supplementary Health Plan coverage.
He stressed that in many out-of-country health emergencies, expenses quickly
soar 'way above $25,000, so he urged anyone travelling outside of Canada
(and sometimes when travelling in Canada outside their home Province) to
purchase substantially higher coverage. Such extra insurance often includes
at least some of the help-finding services that were provided by MATE.
- Paul Garratt's presentation to the delegates' Business Meeting,
and President and CEO Lamar Durrett's closing banquet presentation both
focussed on the Company's 1997 stellar economic performance.
However that subject was complex, and both executives had attentive
audiences. Mr. Durrett made it clear that while 1997's bottom line well
exceeded any previous year's, the next big job is to reduce the large debt
that the Company carries. During the evening, he and Mrs. Durrett very
actively circulated among the 400-plus of us, leaving a trail of good
impressions.
- On checking into the AGM, everyone received an Interim Copy of the
"Air Canada Pionairs' Travel Guide". Bob Robbins and Don Demeza briefly
reviewed work done to date, and introduced other members of their team -
Al Croome, District Director, London Ont., Stefanie Mandzie, District
Director, Winnipeg. and Ron Vigars, Westport, Conn.
President Olie Moore was declared to be a team member for his help in getting
the Desktop Publishing and the Printing done by AC Headquarters!
Irene Valinskas, Manager Industry Travel provided tremendous help by editing
everything we wrote. Michele Sansoucy translated all the completed
material.
The project team have contributed a lot of hard work to date.
Now they need feedback from those more than 400 persons who have
been given an Interim Copy. Please contribute an hour of your
time to study the Guide and to let us have:
* Your questions
* Your criticisms
* Your compliments
* Your suggestions
See the Guide's Cover Page for where to send your effort. This will
enable completion of the first edition of the Guide for probable
distribution to all Pionairs in early July.
The future? It depends upon feedback from retirees and the availability
of volunteers.
- President Olie Moore presented a Pionairs' plaque of appreciation for her
help over the years to Irene Vazalinskas, Manager Industry Travel.
Irene retires at month's end.
- There were many more highlights.
Bob Robbins
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. Ron Vigars sends us this -
There have been several conflicting rumors going around lately, that After
May 31, we will no longer be able to use our Continental passes. I checked
with Irene Vaszalinskas in Industry Travel just this morning, and was advised
that there is no truth to any of the rumors. We can still use our
Continental passes and there is no planned cessation of said privileges
that they know of. Regards...Ron Vigars
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. In NetLetter nr 276 we issued an appeal from Tom Grant for the collection
of National Geographics magazines.
We threw down a challange for the Pionairs USA to assist, and this
challange has been accepted -
Subject: Helping Build a Bridge
Dear Tom, I am volunteering the Northern California Pionair Group to
help in the project. If you can gather the book in Canada and send
them down to SFO via Air Canada Cargo (with cargo passes), we will
deliver them to Pier 23 in San Francisco.
mac francis <
Tom Grant makes this comment -
We got this wonderful response from N. Ca and Mac Francis.
In order to coordinate this effort, readers should not send their books just
yet.
They should package them and get them ready for shipment and let me know
that they are ready. This way Mac will not have to go to SFO and the Pier
too often. I will run what we are doing on the Pionairs website.
Cheers, Tom Grant <
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. Terry's travel tips.
Introductory fare for the Family Affaire program
Montreal to Frankfurt AC 876 and 875 only until June 19th
ca$249 regularly ca$409.
Afraid of CAT's? Don't let them get you - buckle up when flying.
Dargal Interline cruises and Tours -
Princess Cruises
Dawn Princess - 7 Nts - 13-June-98
Inside us$527 Port Gov't Fees us$87.80
Anchorage(Seward), College Fjord Cruising, Glacier Bay Cruising, Skagway,
Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
- Regal Princess - 7 Nts - 14-June-98
Inside us$527 Port/Gov't Fees us$91.60
Vancouver, Inside Passage Cruising, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay Cruising,
Sitka, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
- Sky Princess - 7 Nts - 15-June-98
Inside us$749 Outside us$899 Port/Gov't Fees us$81.80
Vancouver, Inside Passage Cruising, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard
Glacier Cruising, College Fjord Cruising, Anchorage (Seward).
- Sun Princess - 7 Nts - 20-June-98
Inside us$627 pp dbl Port/Gov't Fees us$87.80
Anchorage(Seward), College Fjord Cruising, Glacier Bay Cruising, Skagway,
Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
- Regal Princess - 7 Nts - 21- June-98 and 28-June-98
Inside us$627 Inside 28-June-only us$727
Port Charges/Gov't Fees us$91.60
Vancouver, Inside Passage Cruising, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay Cruising,
Sitka, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver
- Sky Princess - 7 Nts - 22-June-98
Inside us$627 Outside us$727 Port Charges/Gov't Fees us$81.80
Anchorage(Seward) College Fjord Cruising, Hubbard Glacier Cruising,
Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
- Crown Princess - 7 Nts - 22-June-98
Inside us$577 Outside us$677 Port Charges/Gov't Fees $87.80
Vancouver, Inside Passage Cruising, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway,
Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier Cruising, College Fjord Cruising,
Anchorage (Seward).
- Dawn Princess - 7 Nts - 27-June-98
Inside us$727 Port/Gov't Fees us$87.80
Anchorage(Seward), College Fjord Cruising, Glacier Bay Cruising, Skagway,
Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
- Sky Princess - 7 Nts - 29-June-98
Inside us$749 Outside us$899 Port & Gov't Fees us$81.80
Vancouver, Inside Passage Cruising, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard
Glacier Cruising, College Fjord Cruising, Anchorage (Seward).
- Island Princess - 10 Nts - 23-July-98 13-Aug-98 03-Sept-98
Inside us$609 Outside us$709 Port/Gov't Fees us$99.80
Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Seward, College Fjord Cruising, Hubbard Glacier
Cruising, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
- Sky Princess - 7 Nts - 14-Sept-98
Inside us$749 Outside us$899 Port and Gov't Fees us$81.80
Anchorage(Seward) College Fjord Cruising, Hubbard Glacier Cruising,
Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Inside Passage Cruising, Vancouver.
Call 1-800-690-3223 for details and mention Pionairs.
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. Smilie.
Judy and Gord Dalziel sends more True Travel Stories
The following are actual stories told by travel agents -
FANTASY REALITY
"old world charm..." bathroom in the hallway
"relaxed pace..." leisurely room service
"friendly, exuberant natives.." everyone expects a tip
"I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started
to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she
interrupted me with "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown
is in Massachusetts". Without trying to make her look like the stupid one,
I calmly explained, "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa."
Her response....click."
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. 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.
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| NetLetter | ---|/-- |
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