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Subject: [The NetLetter] NetLetter nr 829 Jun 9/04 - The NetLetter
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2004 18:58:05 -0700
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T H E _| TCA |_
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N E T L E T T E R > CANADA <
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( For retirees of the new Air Canada family)
Number 829 June 9th., 2004. We first published in October 1995.
Circulation: 2700+
Chief Pilot - Vesta Stevenson - Co-pilot - Terry Baker
To get in touch with either editor/pilot our email address is
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. Nice to know.
Montreal – London A second daily flight started June 1 on B767-300s.
• Montreal – Vienna. Started May 31, four flights a week codeshared
with Austrian Airlines.
• Toronto – Amsterdam Restarted June 2 with flights five times a week, going
to daily July 3.
• Montreal – Munich Started June 8, six flights a week, codeshared with
Lufthansa.
This is the present policy as noted on the Employee Web Site -
Queries should be directed to
Employee Travel and Recognition office : 1 - 866 - 473 - 4732
PARENT / PARTNER TRAVEL PROGRAM:
Definition
Eligible employees may extend their travel privilege to parents and partners
given all conditions of travel are respected per the employee/retiree profile
and/or per the policy
Eligibility
Relatives/Friends of an AC/AC Jazz/Zip employee described
as;
Active- Employee must have attained a minimum of six (6)
months continuous active service.
Retired- Employee must have attained a minimum of ten (10)
years of continuous active service and has met the
retirement requirements for the company
Widow/er- Employee must have attained a minimum of
fifteen (15) years of continuous active service.
Rules & Regulations
- Valid for Travel on AC, AC Jazz, Zip, AC Tango, Tier 3,
Air Canada Vacations, and Air Canada/Lufthansa Joint Venture
- Not valid for travel on Star Alliance or Other Airlines
- Unless restricted as per personal travel profile
- C1/J10 is not applicable to travel partners/parents
- Active/retired employee, widow/er is responsible to ensure allotment
is not exceeded
- Usage exceeding allotment is subject to full revenue charges
- Parent/Partner allotment is not cumulative year to year
- Passes should not be used under this program for emergency or
compassionate reasons due to the nature of standby travel.
Entitlement
- Ten (10) space available trip passes per year from a combined
Parent/Partner allotment:
- Parents (part of the above allotment of10)
May travel unaccompanied at their C3/Y10 priority
If accompanied by the employee or employee’s spouse, parents
will travel on the same priority as the employee/spouse
- Partners (part of the above allotmentof 10)
Single employees/retirees have the option of naming one (1)
person of their choice, as a designated partner, who will be
able to travel “unaccompanied”, at a C5/Y10 priority
Single employees/retirees will be required to list their designated
partner in their travel profile on the Web site with the
option of changing this Designated Partner once every six (6)
months
(maximum of two people in a one year period)
- Non-dependent Children of employees/retirees will be able to
travel “unaccompanied” at a C5/Y10 priority. The employee/retiree
will
be required to list their non-dependent children in their travel
profile on
the website.
NOTE: This does not include the non-dependent children’s spouses
or their children
- Travel Partners, other than those named above, must be
accompanied by the employee/retiree or spouse up to a maximum of
four (4) partners per trip. The accompanied partners will travel
on the
same priority as the employee or spouse on all flight segments.
- Eligible Widow/er have an allotment of four (4) space available
trip
passes per year for accompanied travel partners.
NOTE: A Widow/er who is also an active/retired employee may
elect to draw from either of the two available annual
partner trip
pass allotments i.e. Widow/er (4) or
Active/Retired employee (10) the combined allocations is
however restricted to a total annual maximum of ten (10)
of
which only a maximum of four (4) may be withdrawn as the
Widow/er.
Responsibility:
The employee/retiree/widow/er is responsible to ensure the following:
- The employee and travel partner are aware of and respect Air Canada’s
pass travel policy
- The employee and travel partner are aware and respect Air Canada’s
dress code policy
- As travel partners are ineligible for reduced rate tickets, the
employee/retiree/widow/er must advise of the risks involved for
travel on a space available basis.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
An active/retired employee or widow/er must be capable of
personally
selecting the travel partner
- Surrogates, agents, administrators or persons acting on behalf of
either an active/retired employee or widow/er will not be
permitted to
either select the travel partner or engage in any of the program’s
activities.
- Designation of a travel partner by an active/retired employee or
widow/er must be of his or her own free will and cannot be
coerced;
court-ordered or bartered. Should Air Canada learn of any
designation
of a travel partner pursuant to an order, sale or barter, all
travel
privileges will be cancelled and further disciplinary action may
be taken
by the Company.
- An active/retired employee or widow/er is responsible to ensure the
travel partner program is to be used for the purpose of pleasure/
vacation travel only and cannot be used for: Business purposes or
Business affairs; Commuting to/from work; Profit; in bartering for
payment of services rendered or for immigration purposes.
- Transfer, sale or barter of any travel partner entitlement to another
employee is not permitted.
- Transfer/assignment of partner travel to outside agencies or charitable
groups is not permitted
- In Countries where the partner travel is taxable the appropriate
income and tax will be assessed to the sponsoring active/retired
employee or widow/er
- Partner travel privileges are unavailable to an employee under the
following conditions:
Employee has been discharged
Employee’s employment with the company has been terminated for
just cause.
Employee’s own travel privileges have been suspended
Employee who terminates employment with the Company or
is suspended must return any issued partner pass(es) as
they are invalid as of the date of severance.
Violation
Any violation of the travel partner program policy by the
active/retired
employee/Widow/er or the travel partner is considered a serious
offense
by the Company and may result in:
- Cancellation of all travel privileges
- Disciplinary action including dismissal without prejudice to any other
recourse the Company may have
- Payment of a full tariff fare for the trip used
NOTE: The web site mentioned above refers to www.travel.aircanada.ca
E&OE
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. Need to know.
Changes to cut off time for western triangle and ZIP flights. In order to
better assist our operation, effective June 9, the cut off time for all ZIP
flights and Air Canada western triangle routes will be increased from 20 to 30
minutes. The affected mainline flights are Vancouver-Calgary, Calgary-Edmonton
and Vancouver Edmonton. The reason for this change is the heavier traffic loads
and longer pre-boarding security screening. By increasing the cutoff time for
check-in to 30 minutes, we will ensure our customers are able to make it to the
gate on time and allow us to meet our on-time departure targets.
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. Found on the internet.
Airline chief had illustrious career .
A funeral will be held recently for Ralph Vaughan,
the former Nova Scotia newspaperman
who also served as a Canadian National vice-president
and president of Air Canada.
Veterans Affairs Minister John McCallum and his department refused an offer
from Air Canada to fly 100 veterans for free to France for this weekend's D-Day
commemoration ceremonies, saying it was too complicated, sources said.
The airline quietly made the offer in May during the controversy over the
limited number of veterans the government was taking to France.
Sources said that the Department of Veterans Affairs told the airline it
couldn't accept the offer because privacy reasons prevented it from confirming
whether someone was a D-Day veteran.
The government initially planned to take 60 veterans, but after much pressure,
Mr. McCallum relented and offered a $1,000 subsidy for any other veteran
wanting to go to France.
It was while the minister was mulling over his options, sources said, that Air
Canada approached senior officials in the department and offered the seats,
asking only that the veterans pay the federal taxes -- about $75 to $100 -- on
the trip worth $750.
The airline held back 100 seats on planes that would depart from Montreal and
Toronto to Paris just before the June 6 anniversary.
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. News from the districts -
From the Vancouver Island/Gulf Island newsletter
Issued by Harold Thomas - Director -
Forthcoming events
June 24th - Mid-Island luncheon
Howard-Johnson Hotel, 1 Terminal Ave, Old Island
Highway
11:30 - 12:30 social hour. 12:30 buffet lunch
Cost: $16.00 per person
Send cheques payable to AC Pionairs c/o Marjorie
Thorpe,
1760 Astra Rd,
Comox, B.C. V9M 4B6
cheques by June 21st.
July 29th - Mid-Island Picnic & BBQ
Rotary Park, Qualicum Beach
Fayre: Hamburgers, Chickenburgers & Hot dogs
Tea/Coffee
Cost: $5.00 per person
Time: 4:00 pm
Bring utensils, drinks & a dish of either a Salad,
dessert
or an appetizer to share.
Please advise Harlold or Elisabeth Thomas (250)954-3744 by July
21st if
you are going to join in.
August 11th - Annual Vancouver Island Golf Tournament
Arrowsmith Golf Course
Fee: $25.00 per person ($20 for golf $5 for prizes)
When? - Wednesday 11th of course!
First tee off at 12:00 noon.
Cheques to Bill Wood, P.O.Box1879
1113 Sharp Place,
Ladysmith, B.C. V9G 1B4
Although Bill lives at Sharp Place, cheques should be
made out to him,
and sent to him no later than August 4th.
August 18th - Victoria Summer Picnic, this year at the picnic shelter at Elk
Lake, located
near the Rowing Club. Starting at 11:00.
Bring a picnic lunch and join in the fun and games. Cost:
$2.00 per person.
Late September/early October - a district luncheon around the Duncan/Ladysmith
area is being planned.
From the Pionair newsletter issued by Gord Dalziel -
PIONAIR DISTRICTS HOLD SUMMER EVENTS
NEWFOUNDLAND
June 16, 2004 - Central Newfoundland Luncheon, Gander
at Sinbad's Hotel at 1300. Please RSVP by June 11th to either Janet Hillier
368-1383 or Joe Boland 256-4479.
July 21, 2004 - Summer BBQ
UNITED KINGDOM AND WESTERN EUROPE
June 14, 2004 - London Evening tour - very popular event.
The coach will leave Radius Park at 6.30 pm.
July 6, 2004 - U.K. AG M at Savill Court - light refreshments provided.
July 28, 2004 - ACRA Riverboat shuffle, departing Kew - gbp20.00 for members
and
gbp22 .00 for non-members
August 4, 2004 - ACRA Kempton Park race night (Irish evening) gbp11.00. First
race 6.30 pm
EASTERN ONTARIO
Thursday, June 17, 2004 - Luncheon
Minos Village Restaurant, 2762 Princess, Kingston. (Out of towners travelling
on 401, take exit 611 and turn south on Gardiners Road to Princess Street, turn
right and the restaurant is on the right past the Midland Road intersection.)
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Cost - $20.00 per person. Meal tickets are to be purchased on arrival. There
will be a cash bar.
Please notify Geoff Pratt of the attendance of yourself and/or your
spouse/companion before June 16th with your choice of Meal --- Chicken or
Salmon. Geoff may be reached by phone at 613-530-3523 (leave a message if no
answer) or
K7K 6S1.
Jess Rougeau, Pionair's Eastern Ontario District Director, will comment on the
recent Pionair AGM in Edmonton and will present a video on Gordon MacGregor
that Claude Taylor presented at the AGM. Ted Page who is Pionair's Quebec
District Director, will provide us with an update on the pension issues in the
CCAA proceedings. He is on the Pionair Pension Committee and participated in
negotiations with the government on the pension fund deficits. He will respond
to any questions you may have on the mail package you will have received on
pensions.
Charlie Simpson former Vice-President, Operations and a former President of
CALPA and IFALPA has been invited to address us. At time of writing, his
participation has not been confirmed.
There will be a draw for a door prize or two and Pionair pins will be on sale.
Hope to see you there!
OKANAGAN
June 22, 2004 - Barbecue at Sun Oka in Summerland details to follow.
OTHER GROUP/COFFEE CLUBS EVENTS/MEETINGS
Kelowna/Vernon Pionairs, 1st Tuesday monthly 10am Coffee & Chat at Muffin
Break, Kelowna In the London Drug Strip Mall. Off Spall and Harvey Ave.
SOUTH-WESTERN ONTARIO
June 23, 2004 - Summer Luncheon and Elections
Dufferin Hall, 445 Dufferin Avenue, London, 11:45 a.m. cash bar, lunch 12:15
p.m.)
QUEBEC
June 28 - July 4, 2004 - Trip to Labrador City
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. Second part of the Mediterranean cruise, first part in NetLetter nr 826 -
Thursday Apr 8th.
Docked at Laverno, weather chilly around the ship, temperature 60c, but
clearing. In the
Afternoon we walked off the ship and strolled around the town as it was only 1
km away. There are six possible docks for cruise ships varying in distance from
the town, 6 miles, 3, 2 and 1 km, so we were fortunate that we had the lesser
distance. A shuttle bus was provided by NCL at us$5.00 one way, but as we at
the nearest dock, we decided to walk.
We had to be careful of the traffic, especially the scooters as they are fast
and quiet. We found a liquor store and bought a 1 litre carton of wine for
euro1.50 and 2 large bottles of beer for euros3.00. We got the carton of wine
to avoid the x-ray on reboarding as liquor was being confiscated and held until
the final day. My camera set off the bells, and while the security were
checking that out, we passed through with the two bottles as well!
N.C.L. has a policy for automatic gratuities of us$10.00 per day per person. As
we object to being told where to put our gratuities, we will be able to sign a
form during the final 3 days of the cruise to have the debit removed, and we
will handle our own gratuities.
The cost of the coach to Pisa laid on by the N.C.L. was us$59.00 per person.
Our friends took a taxi for euro100.00 return. NCL quoted taxi fare as
euro150.00 so it pays to bargain. The taxi driver waited for two hours to allow
for a good look around.
An express train to Pisa cost euro4.00 one way, but NCL quoted euro12.00
return.
Taxi to city centre was quoted by NCL was euro15.00, to Pisa at euro150.00 and
to Florence euro350.00
The tours by NCL to Florence was us$179.00 for a 9 hour trip.
It is certainly worth checking local rates for the various sightseeing tours
one is interested in.
Friday Apr 9th.
The weather in Genoa was dreadful. It poured all day, so we stayed on board.
The cruise ship was docked some 2 miles from down town, and NCL laid on a free
shuttle between the pier and down town.
A trip to Milan arranged by NCL takes 4 hours each way and one hour in Milan
for shopping and sightseeing. Hardly worth the effort and cost us$59.00 each.
Saturday Apr 10th.
Today we have reached Cannes, where the weather is decidedly better that that
experienced at Genoa yesterday.
The tour by NCL to Monaco was billed as us$149. Our group took the TGF train
to Monaco for just euro59.60 per person return. The trip took 90 minutes, all
alongside the sea, and provided some spectacular sights.
We had to use a tender from the ship, and then a walk along the harbour to the
railway station. Passing some very large and expensive yachts
Monaco station is immaculate, very modern. We took the elevator up, when we
should have taken the escalator down as we found ourselves at the top of a
bluff. We elected to walk down to the sea front, traveling alongside the road
and through several tunnels, and, on one occasion, having to backtrack due to
road works. Quite un-nerving at times with the traffic.
We had a light lunch in one of the numerous cafes on the water front, then
meandered along what turned out to be part of the racetrack for the Monaco
Grand Prix. We stopped at the model of a racing car, with a model of Fangio
alongside, you could clamber into the car model, we took several pictures.
We left Monaco in fine time to get back to the tenders for the ship, but the
sea had become unsettled since we had left in the morning, and the crew had
difficulty in getting alongside. We did not take in the show that evening, as
the subject did not appeal.
Sunday Apr 11th.
Today we arrived at Marseilles such a drab waterfront. As there was nothing
of interest we decided to stay aboard ship and have another lazy day. The ship
had docked 4 kms from the city, and a shuttle was arranged by NCL for us$10.00
one way. Later, we heard that the shuttle was complementary.
A taxi cost euro15.00 one way to the city centre.
During the evening, the captain announced that there would be very high winds
during the night, and the waves would be 6 to 7 feet. During the night, the
ship was rocking quite a bit, and the noise of the waves hitting the ship was
loud, and we had the spray hitting the porthole. We almost expected to see fish
peering in!
Monday Apr 12th.
Barcelona, our second visit by cruise ship in 2002. During our last visit, we
had just a few hours and had walked along a pedestrian street and saw the mimes
which were performed by students. This time we decided to take a bus tour and
visit the Cathedral.
The ship had docked 2 miles from downtown, and NCL offered a city shuttle for
euro1.50 one way and euro2.00 return, but it turned out that the city shuttle
was euro2.50 return.
We visited the craft market next to where the shuttle dropped us and there,
we met up with another Pionair couple from London, they were on a different
cruise such a small world.
NCL city tour was posted at us$40.00, but we decided on the local city tour.
The city tour is in two circuits, one blue and one red which intersect at one
point. Cost euro16.00 per person and allows you to hop on and hop off all day.
We switched to the red circuit and got off at the Cathedral just as the
threatened cloudburst arrived. The locals were very enterprising as many
suddenly appeared with armfuls of small umbrellas for euro5.00 each!
Fortunately, there was a McDonalds nearby, so we scampered inside and had lunch
waiting for the rain to ease off. We got coffee for euro.70 and 2 chicken
burgers for euro2.50 using our 2 for 1 coupon.
As time was getting short, we decided to hop back on the red bus and continue
on until we intersected the blue line. The weather was still raining and,
fortunately, they decided the red bus would do the blue circuit, so we did not
have to change buses and wait in the queue and get wet.
We reboarded the city shuttle bus for our return trip to the ship. We noticed
another cruise ship docked nearby, but it looked deserted. Upon enquiry, we
were told it was the MV Europa which had been there since before Christmas,
impounded due to being unable to pay for the port fees. No news about how the
passengers were handled.
After such a miserable rainy day, we departed Barcelona in brilliant
sunshine!
Tuesday Apr 13th.
Today is a day at sea, on our way to the next port of call Cadiz.
As we were out of a port, the stores and casino were in operation. All sales
carried a Value Added Tax of 20%, and the vessel is not allowed to provide
purchase certificates to non EC members to obtain a refund of the VAT. Local
law did not allow the stores to sell either tobacco products or liquor.
At about 10:30 in the evening, we passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, and
could see the silhouette of the ‘Rock’ and the town lights.
Wednesday Apr 14th.
Today we docked at Cadiz, just 1 mile from town, an easy walk. We decided to
take the city tour. NCL tour cost us$55, we decided to take the local city tour
at euro8.00 for an hop-on-hop-off circuit which takes about 1 hour, and runs
every ½ hour. The weather was bright sunshine, but windy. We got off the bus at
a hotel which has the biggest trees we have ever seen. We walked into the local
park which had many different trees and shrubs. In one corner, there was a
setup for a play for children with several adult teachers dressed up, and we
stopped to watch for awhile. We caught another bus and went back to the local
square where we were planning on taking the conducted walking tour, also
covered by the euro8.00 cost. But, we missed the group, so wandered back to the
ship.
Notes:
You may have noticed the number of 'mis information' by NCL regarding prices
of shuttles - this became very irritating after time.
Cost for using the internet on board is 100 minutes for us$55.00 or 250
minutes for us$100.00 with a sign on charge of us$3.75 for each email sent or
received.
At Barcelona be sure to collect the discount booklet from the dockside
visitor kiosk, there are lots of discounts available throughout the city.
More in another NetLetter.
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. What about the competition!
CanJet, Canada's Low-Fare Airline, announced today it will expand its Florida
flying with the addition of a new non-stop service between Halifax, Nova Scotia
and Orlando, Florida on Sunday, October 31, 2004
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. Terry's travel tips.
Some land deals from Dargal -
Oasis Akumal - Mexico
Come to Oasis Akumal, and leave your every day world behind. Here you will
discover an oasis of nature and pleasure for you and your family. A magnificent
tropical resort - tucked away in the beautiful and secluded ocean front
community of Akumal.
Now to Jul 10: 3 Night Stay from $180, Extra Nights from $57 per night
Your Friends & Family can book an additional room at the same great rate!
Club Med Sandpiper ~ Florida, USA
If it's an American-style vacation you're after, then you'll find it at
Sandpiper. Head for the golfers' paradise. Your children will love it too.
Now to Jun 19: 3 Night Stay from $205, Extra Nights from $65 per night.
Jun 19 to Sep 2: 3 Night Stay from $277, Extra Nights from $93per night
Your Friends & Family can book an additional room at the same great rate!
Grand Xcaret by Occidental ~ Mexico
This captivating newly-built resort is located on the pristine Mexican
shoreline in an exotic natural setting. Swim with dolphins, explore ancient
Mayan ruins and see 80 varieties of tropical orchids. Elegant architecture and
an extensive variety of activities guarantee an unforgettable vacation.
Your Friends & Family can book an additional room at the same great rate!
Now to Jun 19: 3 Night Stay from $293, Extra Nights from $95 per night
Jun 20 to Jun 30: 3 Night Stay from $328, Extra Nights from $106 per night
Breezes Bahamas ~ Bahamas
The playful side of paradise for couples, singles and adult families 14 years
and older. Breezes is the first and only Super-Inclusive resort in the Bahamas
and is situated on quiet, powder-white Cable Beach.
Jun 6 to Jun 30: 3 Night Stay from $469, Extra Nights from $153 per night
STP: Rates are land only, quoted in U.S. dollars per unit/week.
AI Resorts: Rates are land only, quoted in U.S. dollars per person (based on
double occupancy). 3 Night Stay rates are per person, Extra Night rates are per
person/night. Blackout dates may apply. Club Med Membership Fee is not
included.
Dargal Interline Worldwide
Phone: 1-877-DARGAL1
International:(Int'l Access Code)-800-2832-7425 (ext. 303)
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Important reminder, for all new articles, submissions and or comments
for the "The Netletter" please send to:
Our joint e-mail address is:
please add to your Address Books.
This e-mail address has been set up so that both of us (exclusively)
will get an automatic copy and so we can keep up with the continuity of
news for the NetLetter.
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