Airband

Senior bureaucrat overseeing border and travel health accepted Air Canada junket to Jamaica Thu Jan 07, 2021 - The Globe and Mail Robert Fife - Ottawa Bureau Chief A senior public servant at the Public Health Agency of Canada accepted an all-expenses-paid holiday to Jamaica courtesy of Air Canada Vacations in November, even as her agency has been advising Canadians since March to avoid non-essential travel to combat the spread of COVID-19. Dominique Baker, the acting manager at PHAC’s Office of Border and Travel Health, flew with a friend to the upscale, all-inclusive Royalton Blue Waters resort in Montego Bay in mid-November. Ms. Baker, who bills herself as a beauty, fashion and travel influencer on her off-work hours, posted a video a few hours after she arrived in Jamaica, calling the hotel suite with its own infinity pool “mind-blowing – whoa.” “One of our two butlers is bringing us our pina coladas right now. No, we are not kidding – we have two butlers,” she says in the video. “Thank you, Air Canada Vacations. We are beside ourselves.” Ms. Baker’s husband, Ryan, is also a senior civil servant. He is the director of strategic communications at the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and previously served as director of infectious disease, risk and emergency communications at Health Canada. Ms. Baker did not immediately respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment. Ms. Baker released a video statement Thursday on Instagram in which she apologized for travelling to Jamaica.” While there were comprehensive precautions in place to keep people safe, the timing just wasn’t great and I shouldn’t have gone,” she said. “I acknowledge this and I urge anyone thinking of getting away this year to wait until this pandemic is over. Follow the public health advice and stay at home now.” She did not explain why she thought it was acceptable for a public servant to take a free Air Canada holiday. PHAC president Iain Stewart said the Jamaica junket did not involve government business but added that it was unacceptable for Ms. Baker to ignore the advisory on non-essential travel. “The Agency’s leadership was alerted to the employee’s whereabouts in November, after photos of her abroad were posted on social media channels for a campaign promoting international vacations,” he said in a statement. “When the situation was brought to PHAC’s attention, the matter was acted upon immediately and a review was initiated. We will not comment further to respect the employee’s privacy.” Mr. Stewart added that PHAC employees must adhere to the government’s Values and Ethics Code, which “requires them to declare any activity which could give rise to a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest.” In a Nov. 24 blog on her site, Style Domination, Ms. Baker gushed about the trip and posted pictures of herself on the beach and at poolside, horseback riding and eating at fancy restaurants. Both the video and the blog post have since been removed from the site. “Our trip was booked with Air Canada Vacations, which included our flights aboard Air Canada Rouge, our stay at the lovely Royalton Blue Waters, a private transfer to and from the hotel in Jamaica, and a free checked bag for each of us,” she wrote. She explained that people have been curious about whether she needed to quarantine upon arrival in Jamaica or whether she was required to take a COVID-19 test before arrival, but she explained that the Jamaican Travel Authority does not require Canadian residents to provide a negative test result for entry to the country. “We felt very safe. There is a low Covid rate in Jamaica as well,” she wrote. She lauded Air Canada for making it safe to travel outside Canada and praised the airline for keeping “every inch of the plane” clean and sanitized. “We were heartened to see the flight attendants wearing all sorts of personal protective equipment (PPE): from gloves and masks – to full-on head-to-toe suits that resemble light HAZMAT suits,” she wrote. “As part of Air Canada Vacations Commitment to Safer Travel, our car was completely sanitized, and our driver was also wearing the necessary PPE. We were then taken to the Royalton Blue Waters, a luxe all-inclusive resort,” she added. Air Canada’s manager of corporate communications, Peter Fitzpatrick, said the airline did not provide the paid junket to Ms. Baker because of her government connections but because of her activities as a social-media influencer. “This individual was engaged on the basis of her influencer profile, the demographic of her followers and because of her established track record as an influencer,” he said. “Her influencer profile did not mention her employment with the government.” He noted that the Jamaica holiday package involved an “exchange for content, including an emphasis on our onboard CleanCare+ program and health and safety measures at the property she visited.”

Just another way to curry favour with the feds to come up with an aid bill.... Air Canada hires influencers to promote vacation travel even as federal guidelines urge people to stay home “I cannot think of a bigger waste of money by Air Canada,”

Amazon buys four planes from WestJet for cargo fleet Tue Jan 05, 2021 - Bloomberg/BNN As demand for air travel has declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one Canadian airline has offloaded a few of its planes to help Amazon.com Inc. move cargo. Amazon announced Tuesday that the e-commerce giant purchased 11 Boeing 767-300 planes to add to its growing cargo fleet, including four from WestJet Airlines Ltd. The online retailer said in a statement the four planes from WestJet are currently being converted from passenger to cargo functionality and will join Amazon Air’s fleet later this year. “Having a mix of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us to keep pace in meeting our customer promises,” Sarah Rhoads, vice-president of Amazon Global Air said in a news release. A representative from Amazon confirmed via email that the WestJet planes were purchased in March. The other seven planes in the deal were acquired from Delta Air Lines Inc., Amazon said.

Air travellers entering Canada must have a negative COVID-19 test before arrival, Ottawa says CBSA has also boosted its presence in airports to reinforce public health messaging Wed Dec 30, 2020 - CBC News Air passengers entering Canada will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of arriving in the country, the federal government announced today. Travellers must receive a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before they'll be permitted to board a plane — a requirement Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said will be in place "quickly," though he did not provide an exact date. The measure does not replace the federal government's mandatory 14-day quarantine period, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair warned. "This is not an alternative to quarantine. It's an additional layer," Blair said during a public health briefing. The Canada Border Services Agency also will be increasing its presence at airports across Canada, the minister said. "Additional border officers will be present at various positions to reinforce compliance messaging," Blair said, adding that teams already have been sent to customs and baggage areas and inspection lines to speak to travellers about their obligations — and the consequences of failing to follow the rules. The federal government has advised against non-essential travel outside Canada since the start of the pandemic, though officials noted Wednesday that about two per cent of COVID-19 cases have been brought into the country from overseas. The new measures come as Ontario Health Minister Rod Phillips is under fire over news that he had travelled to the Caribbean island of St. Barts for a personal vacation earlier this month. Phillips is on his way back to Canada after Ontario Premier Doug Ford demanded his return. Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand has also received criticism for visiting Barbados during the holidays, a trip Arcand now says he regrets.

Just standard boilerplate verbiage associated with announcement of a stock issue that has not been filed with US Securities Commission. Basically saying we are not soliciting Americans to purchase this stock.

Hell, yeah. Polio? Smallpox? - just a damn con job!

'The possibility of tampering, production of counterfeit shots and even attempts to disrupt distribution are also a concern'

Appears Pfizer will ship using dry ice (sublimates 5-10/lb per 24hrs), haven't seen anything re augmentation for long distance travel over extended time period.

Pilot Unions, Crash Families Seek Changes to 737 Max Training 'Emergency checklists are "clunky at best" Tue Nov 03, 2020 - Bloomberg News Alan Levin (Bloomberg) -- Pilot unions and families of those killed in a crash of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max are asking for revisions to proposed new training for the grounded jetliner. The Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed new training module and emergency checklists for the Max are “clunky at best” and should be streamlined, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said in comments filed with the FAA before Monday’s deadline. A group of dozens of family members and friends of the 157 people who died on an Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10, 2019, go further, seeking additional design changes and publication of a more detailed training outline. “The FAA’s proposed update to the 737 Max pilot training requirements is inadequate to rectify Boeing’s history of 737 Max-related failures and insufficient to prepare pilots to safely fly the airplane,” the family group said in its comments, also posted on Monday. Most of the 29 comments posted on a government website by 4 p.m. Monday were highly technical and don’t appear to create a huge challenge to the FAA’s work finalizing changes to the plane that will allow it to return to service, possibly before the end of the year. Several people urged the FAA to allow the use of simpler flight simulators that don’t replicate the motion of a plane but are far cheaper to use and easier to access during the pandemic. Boeing’s best-selling jet was grounded after the Ethiopian crash, which was the second fatal accident involving a malfunctioning flight-control system. A total of 346 people died in the crashes. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents crews at American Airlines Group Inc., is also asking for additional training in how to handle emergencies while flying at high speeds. The FAA on Oct. 6 proposed requiring simulator training for pilots qualified to fly on earlier models of the 737 before they can carry passengers on the Max. Such training wasn’t originally required when the plane was introduced. The agency has also proposed multiple changes to the plane itself, including revisions of the system linked to both crashes.

And the refund will be applied to the form of payment used for the refundable fare, IOW the value of the travel credit will just be reinstated. Problem not so solved.

I can hear it now, the full throated roar of public support for an industry that's remained so demonstrably principled throughout the crisis.

WestJet's retreat from Atlantic Canada pushes the federal government into a corner The industry is asking for loans — but a sector-specific boost could lead to broader demands for help Fri Oct 16, 2020 - CBC News by Aaron Wherry Two hours after WestJet announced on Wednesday that it was curtailing its flights to and from Atlantic Canada, an email went out to all MPs and senators from Liberal MP Chris Bittle, parliamentary secretary to Transport Minister Marc Garneau. "The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on all aspects of the Canadian economy, but few industries have been more negatively impacted than the air sector," Bittle wrote in a letter first obtained by Radio-Canada. "Many of you have reached out to us to share your thoughts about the current impact of COVID-19 on the air sector. At this stage, we would like to hear from all parliamentarians [on] what is required to support a robust air sector in Canada." Last month's throne speech promised "further support for industries that have been the hardest hit, including travel," and the government's consultations on support for the air sector apparently were due to start this week. While demands for government aid to the air travel sector have been building for months, WestJet's regional retreat will drive those demands to a new level. For the federal government, the case for doing something to prop up airlines and airports might be stronger than the case for doing nothing. But even if the government wants — or needs — to intervene, it still has to work out a way to do so that it can defend politically. Bubble trouble P.E.I. Premier Dennis King was among those calling on the federal government to take action on Wednesday. But it's the region's own "Atlantic bubble" pandemic policy — which imposes registration requirements on travellers from outside of Atlantic Canada and compels them to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in the region — that has caused the demand for flights in and out of the region to crater. The Liberals probably don't want to be blamed if reductions in air service across the country become permanent. And sure enough, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs told CBC's Power & Politics that he came away from a conversation with Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc on Wednesday with the impression that "something's going to happen" for the ailing industry. The federal response to the pandemic has not ignored the country's largest companies. All businesses have been able to access the federal wage subsidy. In May, the Liberals rolled out a targeted loan program known as the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF). WestJet has made use of the wage subsidy; Richard Bartrem, VP of marketing communications at WestJet, called it "terrifically helpful." WestJet has not sought assistance through the LEEFF program. "The conditions that were placed [on] it just made it unwieldy in terms of our ability to recover from the pandemic," Bartrem said. Critics have claimed LEEFF was rolled out too late and offers loans at terms less generous than what is available in the private sector. (When it was introduced, then-finance minister Bill Morneau called the program an option of "last resort" — so it might have been designed to not be popular.) Only one company has been approved for a LEEFF loan to date, according to the federal government. Not long after the federal government announced that loan to Gateway Casinos (which operates 26 facilities across Canada), Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre was on his feet in the House of Commons ripping into the decision as an irresponsible use of public funds. That's the risk a government takes whenever it offers help to specific firms or industries — even in the midst of a global economic crisis. The nationalization route Transport Minister Marc Garneau has had to fend off questions already about compelling airlines to refund customers for flights that were cancelled by the pandemic. At the time, Garneau's stated reason for not forcing airlines to offer refunds seemed practical. Some struggling airlines might have collapsed completely if they were forced to pay back that money, he said. But if (or when) the federal government offers airlines support, the political conflict over refunds will come roaring back. When Chrystia Freeland became finance minister in August, the National Airlines Council of Canada, which represents major carriers, wrote to her to outline a request for financial support in the form of "loans, loan guarantees or direct assistance." Airline unions have asked for $7 billion in federal loans. The airlines also want "a national framework to ease interprovincial travel restrictions ... reciprocal border agreements with targeted safe countries" and the deployment of rapid COVID-19 testing. Other countries have moved already to rescue their national carriers — in some cases through outright nationalization. The German government, for instance, now owns 20 per cent of Lufthansa. In Canada, any nationalization presumably would have to involve both Air Canada and WestJet. LEEFF's limitations notwithstanding, the program's design suggests the government knew that it would have to justify and defend any effort to bail out a major corporate entity. LEEFF loan recipients have to abide by conditions that include restrictions on executive compensation and a requirement for climate-risk disclosure. Perhaps new conditions would help make loans for airlines more politically acceptable. The political downside to bailouts But even if the Trudeau government changed the terms of LEEFF to make it more industry-friendly, it still could be left to explain why the airline industry — or any other group of wounded firms — deserves special attention right now. The Liberals have avoided taking a sector-specific approach to pandemic relief to date. If they start providing sector-specific assistance now, the floodgates will open — other sectors will demand the same assistance, or at least call on the Liberals to explain where they're drawing the line and why. The government's throne speech specifically mentioned one avenue for assistance: supporting regional routes for airlines. "It is essential that Canadians have access to reliable and affordable regional air services," the speech said. "This is an issue of equity, of jobs, and of economic development." That's a justification for targeted support. Would that be enough? There's also the question of timing. As Premier Higgs acknowledged in his interview with Power & Politics, financial support will be of limited use as long as large numbers of people are uncomfortable with the idea of flying — and have nowhere to go. Free-market disciples might turn their noses up at all of this, but the Trudeau government probably doesn't see this as the right moment to insist on laissez-faire economics. And perhaps the other federal parties will be reluctant to make the case for doing nothing as well. For Trudeau, the challenge is to come up with an approach that makes things better — without making his government's political burden significantly heavier.

For many workers, reduced hours or pay cuts beat pandemic layoffs. Just ask a WestJet pilot WestJet pilots agreed to take a 50% hit to their compensation to help preserve jobs Mon Oct 05, 2020 - CBC News Kyle Bakx After the airline industry was grounded in the spring when governments around the world introduced COVID-19 lockdown measures, WestJet pilots were facing significant and immediate job losses. In total, about 1,200 positions were on the chopping block, but those in the cockpit made the choice to take a hit on their paycheques instead, agreeing to a 50 per cent pay cut and reducing the number of job losses to 450. The WestJet agreement is just one example of the tradeoff that many workers and companies face as the pandemic causes severe financial stress for many parts of the economy. Introducing pay cuts or reducing hours for workers and executives is one way to keep companies afloat until business picks up. "Our pilot group has done what we can to help our company survive," said Capt. Dave Colquhoun, the union chair representing pilots at WestJet and the company's discount carrier Swoop. "We balanced saving jobs versus how much of a pay cut our membership was willing to take," said Colquhoun, a WestJet pilot himself. Additional pilot positions at WestJet Encore, which are represented by a different union, were also lost. Economists say that for some workers, taking home a smaller paycheque is better than no paycheque at all, considering the current job market. "We've seen it in a lot of different sectors," said Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist with Alberta Central, the central banking facility for credit unions in the province. "A lot of workers are making the decision that we're probably better to take a pay cut than being unemployed and not being able to find work again, or not finding work for some time." Employers want to retain skilled workers For employers, negotiating either reduced wages or hours can be one way of retaining employees, especially those with unique skills, training or certification. "If you lay them off, how easy is it to re-hire?" said St-Arnaud. "You don't want to lose your workers, as you would like to be ready to pounce and start making money again" if business improves. That's one reason behind many cuts to pay and hours in industries like the oil and gas sector, since many workers who leave that industry often don't return. CBC News has learned that the federal government is looking at subsidies for airlines to help rebuild some of the regional routes suspended when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the travel industry. 1:47 However, economists say the prevalence of pay cuts is difficult to quantify because there are so many other factors impacting the workforce during COVID-19. For instance, average wages in the country were actually higher this summer compared to 2019 because many lower-wage jobs have been lost during the pandemic. At WestJet, the pay cut was the result of reducing the minimum amount of hours guaranteed to pilots and the suspension of a program where the airline matched the amount of company shares pilots purchased, up to 20 per cent of their pay. An interim deal had been in place after WestJet was purchased by Onex in 2019, while the two sides negotiated a replacement program. Airlines continue to lobby for aid package "It's a significant cut and may be the most significant cut in compensation across the industry in Canada," according to Capt. Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, which represents pilots at 15 airlines in the country. "It's absolutely drastic," said Perry, who is also a WestJet pilot. "It's hard to overstate the significance of something like that." He said about half of all the pilots he represents are either furloughed or facing imminent layoffs, and that those who have lost their jobs can have difficulty finding other work. "We have members who are losing their homes, who are lucky to find a job driving a truck in many cases, or worse off than that," Perry said. "It's taken an enormous toll on people's ability to cope and get by." The airline sector has lobbied the federal government for a financial aid package specific to the industry. The federal government has rolled out several programs offering liquidity and loan guarantees, such as the large employer emergency financing facility (LEEFF) and the business credit availability program (BCAP), which are offered to a variety of sectors. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not directly addressed a bailout of the beleaguered industry, but has said he plans to keep working with airlines hit hard by the pandemic.

Sure they have

Producing battery ev's is not the challenge, selling them is. Stand by for forced feeding.

However they can find half a billion dollars to prop up a product that they have to bribe the customer to buy.

Challenger_The_Final_Flight_Official_Trailer_Netflix.mp4

or vet?

Just a guess - because he's familiar with the tools which might offer maximum leverage across various media platforms given his role in developing digital strategies for one of the country's largest integrated media organizations, coupled with his function of being communications director and national spokesman for a sizeable religious group affords him established relationships with media contacts who might be prepared to listen to his plight with a sympathetic ear? Like I said, just a guess.

"that the behaviour of the rest of the passengers left the crew feeling unsafe to fly."

'A photobombing satellite is nothing new'