Trader

Based on WJ's history and actions in the last few years.......wouldn't surprise me.

A number of reasons! As the various leasors are receiving a/c from Boeing, some at an accelerated pace, they have not been planned to enter Flair's fleet until next year (10 in total) and so the owners are adjusting. While the owners adjust they may sell/lease the particular serial # onwards and adjust their future deliveries to the Flair schedule.

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/passenger-news/airlineratings-com-names-top-ten-low-cost-airlines-2022/ AIRLINERATINGS.COM NAMES ITS TOP TEN LOW COST AIRLINES FOR 2022 by AirlineRatings.com Editors July 14, 2022 Share on Facebook Tweet on Twitter The high public interest in affordable travel has prompted AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only safety, product, and COVID rating website, to identify the top ten low-cost airlines for 2022 from the almost 400 airlines it rates. Best Low-Cost Airlines – Top 10 The AirlineRatings top 10 LCCs for 2022 are, in alphabetical order: Allegiant Air, AirAsia, EasyJet, Jetstar, Flair, Fly Dubai, Ryanair, Scoot, Southwest and VietJet Air. Airlineratings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said that “each of these airlines has a good safety record and has made a big difference in their respective markets.” “From Southwest Airlines which started the low-cost revolution in the 1970s to Flair which redefines the low-cost product, each airline has made a huge contribution to affordable travel.” “In Europe, it’s Easyjet and Ryanair, in Asia/Pacific AirAsia, Jetstar and Scoot, while in the Americas one can add Flair, Frontier and Spirit, to Southwest. All are standouts.” All the airlines chosen have either good safety and incident records or have completed the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

Surprise, surprise. The big boys led by WJ attempting to quash, once again, any competition by misrepresenting the situation. The CTA foreign ownership rules have two primary components: 1. Governance, essentially how is the ownership structured and how much is owned by foreign interests 2. Control in fact - do any shareholders or other foreign interests have the ability to influence the company or other shareholders or, more clearly, that the Canadians holding 51% or more of the voting interests can and will actually exercise control in all circumstances. That is the actual test. Control in fact can be exerted in a number of ways and so the CTA's decision is always subjective and looks at debt, rights of debt holders etc. So it is not simple and prescriptive. If they determine, after an investigation, that they do not believe control in fact is established than the airline must make changes to ensure they do. That is where the Flair issue currently sits and the May 3rd deadline is the date that Flair must submit their documentation at which point the CTA begins its investigation. WJ knows this but likes to push the narrative (through media) that somehow Flair is an evil, foreign conspiracy. Again, the big boys fearful of competition.

Both have fuel issues and there is a NOTAM requesting airlines tanker fuel.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-737max-idUSKBN2B41JT

To say that that people should have a rainy day fund is fair. But we are discussing significant numbers of people losing their jobs. Significant numbers of small businesses disappearing (a tax break, as you suggest, is useless in these cases). Those suicides DO matter and who are you/me/anyone to say that saving a life over on this side (due Covid) is more important than the loss of life that occurs on the other side due to those decisions? Also, it is, in fact, a luxury for many people in this country to have money saved in the amounts required to make it through the pandemic. I know, based on my age and life history that I can afford it (agree - we have always planned for the worst) but the 28 year old just starting may not have that option. But yes, I do find those advocating a shutdown are often in a position to be able to afford to do so. I would love to see the reaction if the feds cut the civil service pay by 30%. Why should they not suffer like so many others? As I said 69% of deaths from LTC homes. That is massive. Properly handled, lockdowns would have been shorter, less severe and possibly not at all. Again, the goal is to keep hospitals functioning not move the caseload to zero. Had they protected LTC homes after the spring the situation would look far different. I contend that the governments (Feds in particular) are deflecting the issue away from that fact.

Of course in Feb 2020 the consensus was that curtailing travel was not necessarily effective. Secondly, the objective then (as it should be now) is to keep the hospitals from being overloaded. The intention was NOT to bring the case count down to zero as Australia and NZ have targeted. That type of policy is successful only if a vaccine is available and, at the time, that was not a known. Lockdowns have massive effects on the populace. We know suicides have more than doubled, that alcoholism has increased etc. The number of people who have lost their jobs or businesses is not minor. I find it a bit galling when I hear talk about shutting everything down and I note, that in most cases, those who do have that opinion are financially stable, work in government organization (with no risk or low of losing their job) or who have other guaranteed income. The average person, struggling to survive and the poor in particular, do not have that luxury. SO I throw those travel whiners into the same group as those who espouse a complete lockdown - they are not looking at the reality of the situation. Instead we should be asking why and how our fed and provincial governments allowed thousands of older people to die this autumn and winter after they KNEW, based on last spring, that these people were at risk. 69% of all deaths have occurred in LTC homes. It appears to me that the lockdowns are politically motivated as they appear to be 'leaderlike' and strong while at the same time deflecting from their absolutely woeful response.

Well, Flair pays more for a new FO than AC does. But I do love the arrogance that still exists among the pilot corps in Canada.

How many doctors and nurses have gotten COVID? Almost none. Why? According to a friends doctor wife its becasue they wear mask, always wash their hands and don't touch their faces. She deals almost exclusively with covid patients (in the US). We need that message HAMMERED home here. Well if the War Measures Act is needed then they had better take over the LTC homes - remove THOSE private rights and take care of the issue. The vast majority of deaths have occurred there and yet our governments have done absolutely nothing in that area. Now they are deflecting so that the public doesn't see their poor response.

13 aircraft this year and another 11 next year.

So the Feds will shut down travel utilizing an Emergencies Act. Yet they have know, since the spring, that long term care homes are incredibly vulnerable and yet have done NOTHING. Thousands have dies in those homes, the most significant number of any group, yet the feds and provincial governments havn't stepped in. Why not initiate the Emergencies Act, take over the homes, provide the needed procedures, care (pay the staff what is required) etc. Smoke and mirrors to deflect their pathetic handling of the pandemic.

While we argue about restrictions our governments continue dropping the ball. We have known since March that the LTC homes are at incredibly high risk and yet NOTHING was done in the last 6-8 months to deal with that. If we can restrict movement then why can we not restrict and set requirements for the owners of the LTC homes? If required take them over! In Ontario the largest were paid $130 million in CERB and yet still paid out dividends all while doing almost nothing to mitigate risk. We KNOW that over 90% of deaths occur in these homes and this age group. But did nothing. Seems convenient does it not to to simply blame the joe average and foist up a few examples of big get togethers. No doubt that there should be restrictions but we need to question are leaders far more deeply and all I see is a compliant media who relish in scaremongering.

Take a look at the GTAA's annual report especially executive wages. They justify them by comparing themselves to some utilities, a few international airports and oil companies. Tell you what - compare yourself to other NON-profits and then come up with a justification. AIF is for capital expenditures and airports are now pulling that in for general operations. They have 'rebated' in one form or another the landing fees for AC, WJ etc. and now cannot fund their operations.

Interesting that the airports are raising fees and cutting staff yet their Senior management and BoD's have not taken pay cuts! Same at NavCan - CEO still making $650,000/year and they want to increase fees by 30%. There is STILL a disconnect in this country.

AC and WJ had the same issue. Very sophisticated group mimicking the sites of airlines around the world and popping up a message telling passengers to call a number to help book. They then purchase a ticket for the passenger but inflate the price and keep the difference! Slick since the person actually flies and no complaints generated.

Change in titles mostly.....

Sunwing has an upgrade failure rate closing in on 50%. They have smartened up and begun interviewing experienced captains, hiring them as FO's with the knowledge that they will upgrade quickly. The last several ground schools those hires have been transferred directly into the left seat during initial training. FO's will upgrade when their experience allows Flair, within its CBA, has the ability to hire DEC's and has begun that. Again, FO's will upgrade when hours, experience and, most importantly, ability allow. If a company can remain nimble and have the ability to hire pilots in the seat they require they will find candidates. The biggest danger, in my opinion, is having a situation where you upgrade a relatively inexperienced FO into the left seat and have them fly with a very inexperienced FO. That is the situation that will soon rear its head for many companies and is the one that has to be avoided. The problem is compounded by, dare I say it, the millennial attitude that they deserve that left seat regardless of experience or, in some cases, performance. One other aspect to dealing with this training. Most expat pilots on this forum will likely agree that the "Command Course" and its requirements at airlines outside Canada are rigorous and effective. Airlines in Canada will have to adopt the same and that takes time and money.

The airlines will simply continue to lower the requirements to fill seats. They will lower them to nothing more than a basic licence if they have to. The regionals in Canada are already scraping the bottom of the barrel and the other operators take what is left over. These companies will simply lower the upgrade requirements as well. As long as the seats are filled they don't care. Airlines around the world have been doing this for the last 5 years (only now is it hitting Canada). Emirates is at the point where is is hiring pilots with 2000 hours or less. They have been short for a long time and simply increased monthly flying to the point where pilots are flying 100 hours or more a month. Doesn't matter as long as the fights go! Emirates (and it's sister company Fly Dubai) have crashed TWO airplanes in the last few years and .....nothing changes. In the last 6-8 months EK has had two 380's almost descend onto the ground on approach, multiple other approach and departure incidents... nothing changes! I forecast our 777 crash well before it happened and, but for some luck, will crash another one and not get as lucky with no deaths as the last one. You cannot have inexperience in BOTH seats of a flight deck. Concepts like the MPL etc may work if you have an extremely rigorous training regime combined with experienced captains. You also cannot simply squeeze more flying out of the existing crews - especially if they are inexperienced. Canada hasn't experience this yet but they are starting to. In the past, even at AC the FO's had good experience PRIOR to joining and spent enough time in the right seat (or sideways) to learn. In the last 3-5 years the basic ability of the FO's I have been flying with has declined dramatically. The current crop (with 2000 hours or so) are barely competent and, worse, do not realize it! They can fly wonderfully on the autopilot but anything, ANYTHING, out of the ordinary and they are lost. I could write paragraph after paragraph of examples just from the past year. Worse is the poor attitude showed by many of them - not sure if it is generational or an age related issue. This is what you will start to see very soon here (from friends at some smaller airlines in Canada they have already started to see it).

They still don't want to admit to it- wages and conditions are so bad in Canada that no young kid wants any part of it. Anyone with experience can't afford to come back and pilots are leaving Canada for big dollars elsewhere. The other issue, which Canada and Canadian companies have not had to deal with yet is the lack of experience. You can have inexperienced FO's, as Canada has now and has in the past. What you can't have is inexperienced FO's with inexperienced captains which is something I think is quickly happening in Canada. The last few years I have seen the results at EK (lasts of issues that have not made the news) and I am sure at many other airlines. Numerous accidents/incidents and almost accidents that have been due to inexperience.

In the words of Homer --"I am so smart...s-m-r-t" Thanks - that was the article!!

Funny article - but so close to reality it makes you wonder!!!