boestar
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Posts posted by boestar
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Here in Ontario they have ben reporting the numbers, which are trending lower, but are adding the fine print that this number includes "catch up" number from previous days. This artificially inflates our daily numbers, again, which are trending ever lower.
The Governments Response...
Lets INCREASE restrictions..
Only the government can take something thats working and make it worse.
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10 hours ago, UpperDeck said:
I cannot say that I am surprised by those who suggest that our "rights" should not prevail over the "greater good". The same argument is made by "profilers" and I acknowledge that I have to be reminded of the adage; " Better 10 guilty persons go free than one innocent person be convicted."
The Charter of Rights exists for very good reasons. If nothing else, it acts as a restraint against those who honestly believe that the suppression of rights can serve a greater good.
I do not hold myself out as a Charter expert.
However....no Act ( or regulation) of Parliament or the Legislatures can abridge the Charter rights without invoking the " notwithstanding clause". That provision is only available with respect to s.2 rights and those enumerated in section 7-15.
In short...the right of citizens to mobility (s.6) cannot be abrogated even if the Parliament attempted to invoke the notwithstanding clause.
The Quarantine Act permits of certain rules and regulations. Any regulation now proposed by the government would be subject to the Charter.
It would be difficult to establish that the denial of " liberty"; the "arbitrary detention" of citizens; and restriction on mobility was demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society.
This "plan" to detain returning citizens in hotels at their own expense is ill-conceived BUT...since I don't believe ALL bureaucrats and elected reps are stupid, I reiterate my belief that this is a psychological ploy to inhibit vacation travel.
GArneau all but said it in an interview.
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1 hour ago, UpperDeck said:
At what point do people say;. "Just a second. That's punitive!"
Boestar...I ASSUMED they MUST mean the 14 day cost. I couldn't project how anyone...even government bureaucrats....could calculate $2000 per person for 3 days. I suspected the intention was to scare "March-breakers" into shelving travel plans.
A hotel costs $100/day. Add the test at $100/person and food at $50/person. That's $800.....for two people!! Add administrative costs of $100/day. Clearly, $2000 per person for 3 days is not "cost recovery"!
This is crazy.
And will the government impose this cost ONLY on travellers who departed Canada after notice of this new "rule" or will it apply to those who left in November without any notice other than "we recommend against travel".
That's akin to enacting a criminal law and imposing it retroactively.
And what of the "free" quarantine hotels now made available to persons without suitable quarantine facilities?
I stocked up my fridge/freezer in anticipation of quarantine. At this rate, I'll get in line here for vaccination and extend my health coverage and get someone to clean out the fridge.
Meanwhile...back in Ontario where the PM wants me to remain....my buddy ( who I've had NO personal contact with for months) carries on his business building homes; meeting with realtors and tradesmen etc daily.....no masks.
I have no doubt....there are better and more targeted ways to mitigate the risk.
Taken straight from the press conference and news cast. $2000 for the 3 days and if positive you are shipped off to a government facility (????) to server your 14 day quarantine AT YOUR COST.
This was reiterated by the now foreign affairs screw up.
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19 hours ago, UpperDeck said:
The esteemed PM acknowledges that travel accounts for a very small percentage of transmissions; "...but even 1 is more than zero." Brilliant!!
$2000. for 3 days quarantine? I don't think so. Throw around large numbers to scare would-be travellers. That amount may be the cost of a 14 day hotel all-inclusive stay. Does Uber Eats deliver alcohol?
My personal issue is my belief that I am at greater risk...much greater...quarantined in an hotel rather that on my "estate" (lol).
This mad dash to protect Canadians is because of the "variants"....virus mutations. We have the UK; the Brazilian ( used to be a sexy description!); and the SA.
There is evidence of these variants discovered with NIL evidence of any travel or traveller contact.
So here's a question.....any realization amongst the cogniscenti that mutations occur based on location and "host type"? Enough cases, and Canadians could have their very own "variant". We MAY have the UK or Brazilian variants not by reason of importation but because of locally "bred" mutations.
And all of these travel restrictions will be proven to be "much ado about nothing".
No. that is the 3 day cost including your room service and private security to prevent you from bolting.
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On 1/27/2021 at 8:17 AM, Kip Powick said:
Re Boat....I don't ever want to be on any boat that has me and 4904 other passengers and about 2000+ crew members no matter how spectacular the inside is.. I get antsy being in line in a bank with only 3 people ahead of me
Just too crowded but I think it will be quite a while before they ever see a "full" load and boats near that size are generally referred to as a " floating petri dish "...
I have no desire to go on a cruise. I go on vacation to get away from crowds not to place myself in the middle of one.
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I read the comments on this article online. Alot of ill informed laymen out there.
A severe hate on for the MAX with little information to base the hate on
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This always comes up when someone spends THEIR money on something THEY want.
How many of you take a Vacation every year to some sunny resort for a week or 2 or more? Well that money could feed a family for months. Why not donate it?
Its just scale. This guys dream is to go to space and he has EARNED the funds to do so then let him have at it. This is his week at a resort.
I get a little tired of this "Oh you earned a million dollars this year, you should give it away" crap. If someone chooses to support charity then they will, if they want to use the money to make a lifetime dream a reality then have at it.
The money is not going into space to be lost forever. that money is being paid so it can again be paid to all of the support staff, contractors, employees, etc. That $55M IS putting food on peoples tables.
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19 hours ago, deicer said:
This is the first story I have seen that shows the consequences of travelling in a pandemic.
Nova Scotia snowbirds face huge medical bill after contracting COVID-19 in Florida
A Kings County couple are facing hefty medical bills after they both became ill with COVID-19 while in Florida.
Debbie Mailman of Aylesford says she and her husband, Wayne, travel annually to Florida for six months of the year because their arthritis, muscular issues, fibromyalgia and other existing conditions would leave them in in pain if they stayed in the cold Canadian winter.
“If we stayed home we'd be in agony all the time,” she said. “We just come here for the warm weather.”
They were booked to go to their Florida home, in a park for snowbird retirees in Largo, on Jan. 1. But, a good deal on airline tickets came up so they booked those and left on Dec. 5.
After they arrived, Mailman said, they weren't feeling well, but they chalked it up to a combination of their jet lag and existing health issues.
“When we fly, we're sick for the first week or so here,” she said. “We didn't realize we were as sick as we were.”
“When we fly, we're sick for the first week or so here, We didn't realize we were as sick as we were.”
- Debbie Mailman
Sometime around Dec. 21, she said, she realized that their annual insurance for their stay was still booked for Jan. 1, so she called the insurance provider and rescheduled it to start that day, getting a new policy number.
On Dec. 22, Wayne fell and couldn't get up, and she couldn't help him because she felt so weak. An ambulance was called and took them both to hospital, where they tested positive for the virus.
“He didn't look right, he looked awful,” Mailman said of her husband, who until that day told her he felt fine.
Mailman said she was hospitalized for eight days and on oxygen, but her husband's condition was worse. He was on a ventilator for a time, and remained in hospital until he was airlifted back to Nova Scotia last week. He remains in a 14-day quarantine at Valley Regional Hospital, where he is on oxygen and still unable to walk.
Mailman, though, is still in Florida.
“They wouldn't let me on the ambulance with him, because I hadn't had a recent negative COVID test,” she said. “I've been going everywhere to try to get one.”
“We only bought groceries and wore a mask. We didn't go anywhere without a mask and mostly stayed in the park.”
- Debbie Mailman
The Canadian government requires Canadians returning here to have a negative test within 72 hours of a flight. She has a test booked for Wednesday, and a flight for Thursday.
She said they don't know how or when they contracted the virus.
“I have no no clue,” she said. “We only bought groceries and wore a mask. We didn't go anywhere without a mask and mostly stayed in the park.”
She doesn't remember anything of her first three days in the hospital, but was told that within an hour Wayne went into cardiac arrest and suffered a collapsed lung. He was put on the ventilator that day.
When she got back to her Florida home after the hospital stay, she heard from the insurance company. It said it isn't going to cover their medical costs.
“I argued, but they wouldn't listen to me,” she said.
The company told her the policy was null and void because the couple already had COVID-19 when they updated the policy. Nor would it honour the Jan. 1 policy, when her husband was already in hospital, because the virus was also a pre-existing condition.
She's been told the bill for her husband's stay could be upwards of $300,000.
“That's what I've been fighting,” she said.
She said the company did arrange the air ambulance to bring Wayne back to Nova Scotia so he wouldn't keep accumulating hospital bills there.
But, she said, she's been told the bill for her husband's stay could be upwards of $300,000. She doesn't yet know what the cost of her stay will be.
“Right now I just can't even think about it, upsets me so much and I get a migraine,” she said. “I've decided to put it on the back-burner for now, until I get home and see what kind of condition Wayne's in. I'm just going to concentrate on him.”
After the couple was hospitalized, Mailman didn't see her husband again until he was being prepared for the air ambulance because he had been in isolation.
“He's lost a lot of weight, he's very sick,” she said.
She said she had talked to him four times a day since he arrived in Kentville, and she can tell from his voice that he's getting better and stronger. But, she said, he's still on oxygen and needs to learn to walk again.
ZERO Sympathy
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The best part is today on the news in Ontario. Lowest number of cases since Dec 10. Establishing a week long DOWNWARD trend. Apparently though we need to lockdown more to stop the spike.
Do you want to tell him its a trough or shall I?
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2 hours ago, UpperDeck said:
Well, guys.....I repeat my comment about cavalier responses to warning sensors. I acknowledge readily that lack of use can result in "issues"....but they remain issues.
My wife was driving to work the other day when a number of warning lights came on including "check engine". I was reminded of a "Big Bang" episode when Sheldon got upset because Penny attached no significance to an engine warning light.....just before the car died.
I asked my wife to pull off the road and check oil. She did....ok. I called "resource" and was told okay to drive to work but.....Then time permitting, ran diagnostics. Defective sender rear wheel. Point is...there is a purpose for the existence of the senders and warning lights and they must be respected.
One should be aware of the purpose of and what is being conveyed to a warning light.
Your example of the check engine light is a good example.
If the check engine light comes on STEADY. you are ok to operate the vehicle as normal but avoid hard acceleration and undue stress on the engine. Have engine diagnosed when possible.
If the light is FLASHING. Pull over immediately and stop the vehicle. have the vehicle diagnosed and repaired.
Same light two functions, two failure modes.
In the Cockpit when a light comes on, the number one reaction should be that the sensor has found a fault and something is wrong. Shut her down and diagnose the issue. PERIOD.
Too many times of my 30+ years have I seen the "Oh its just a sensor fault" Really? Prove it. The only way to prove it is to do the procedure required to validate the fault. anything else is cutting corners.
When the light comes on, you do the steps. PERIOD.
Yes we all get to know our respective planes quirks and know when it may be a bad sensor but we still go through the process, delay be damned.
/end rant
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International travel is easy to blame. "It's not Canada fault...See look at all the international flights"
When you deflect like that, you are fully expecting the general public to agree because they don't know any better and you would be totally correct.
On a given day in Ontario right now we are seeing 2500 - 3000 cases with a positivity rate of around 4% based on testing.
On a given day Canadian Airlines are moving around 20,000 - 30,000 passenger at most (I know our numbers but can only guess at others numbers) likely that number is actually high.
So say we have 20 flights that have confirmed Covid cases on board. Sounds scary when taken completely out of context. However the average load on these flights is well under 50% and more likely under 30% right now. So lets say 50% and Average seating of 250. thats 125 people per flight (WAG Numbers but not totally unreasonable) that is a possible infection rate of 2500 HOWEVER that is Canada wide NOT just ontario and of those 2500 only 4% of them based on a positivity rates from testing will be infected. so 100 people possibly infected canada wide from international travel.
So the impact in Ontario in the off chance that they all end up in YYZ would be 0.03% of all positive cases per day could directly from international travel. Yes that number could grow by contact transmission but not likely close to 1%
So as stated above the 80% in long term care homes that are falling like flies get all the media but no solutions while 0.03% of all cases deserve national outrage and immediate cessation of all international travel.
This is an example of how not to fight your way out of a wet paper bag.
/NOTE: I do realize that the numbers above are not perfectly accurate and frankly I was too busy with work to do the research for accurate numbers. Mainly used for illustration purposes to point out the idiocy of the policies.
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all this as the transmission rate drops below 1.0 which means the case numbers are DROPPING. Just stick with the current plan if its working
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On 1/18/2021 at 10:58 AM, J.O. said:
No that wasn't mentioned.
The original idea for fedex was drafted as a business plan for a university course. The very detailed plan was given a poor grade and the professor said something like would never work and the logistics would be impossible to manage.
Post graduation he started the company and could only afford to pay the pilots with shares in the company (Those guys are rich today) the rest is history.
I worked with FedEx for some time and I can tell you it is a great company to work for.
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That is not a hard landing. That is a crash.
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On 1/15/2021 at 9:13 PM, UpperDeck said:
Boestar....
Your position is that flights are cancelled not as a business decision per se but rather by reason of restrictions imposed by the government and for that reason, the airline that didn't operate a flight should be able to offer a credit rather than cash refund. Have I correctly summarized your position?
I suggest that the restrictions imposed by Canada are not unduly onerous; quarantine of arriving pax and, recently, negative Covid tests.
These restrictions are imposed upon the pax and not the airline. I suggested that if it is the pax that cancels...because they don't want to quarantine or pay for a test.....they bear the consequence.
The reluctance of pax to actually book a flight is an entirely different issue. The airlines are responsible for flight management and decisions on when and where to offer flights. Once they make a decision to fly from x to b on a particular date and offer seats for sale, they are obliged to operate. If they choose not to operate because not enough seats were sold, the absolute LEAST they can do is refund the money.
To say that the money has already been spent and isn't available for refund is to support the argument that airline operations are an elaborate Ponzi scheme.
I note that in assessing whether to "plan" our travel now, we look first at loads generally and if light one way but good the other, we assume the flight will operate. If both legs are empty....we look for an alternative assuming that flight will be cancelled.
I suggest again that the decision to cancel is a business decision and one of the relevant factors should be the loss of booked revenue.....the refund of fares paid.
Compare airline operations with restaurants. The immediate impact of government restrictions on restaurants is indisputable....and yet, no offer of assistance is forthcoming notwithstanding the absence of any evidence of correlation between the restrictions imposed and the reduction in virus transmission. If Canada was to mandate " no fly"....THEN the airlines would have a stronger argument for financial relief.....notwithstanding the denial of same to restaurants.
Back when this all started in March 2020. The government imposed restrictions on travel interprovincially as well as internationally. That limited AC to 7 international destinations and 5 domestic destinations for ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ONLY. Those restrictions are what caused the cancellations and the issues with vouches vs refunds. Those restrictions were, relatively, short lived and replaced with the 14 day quarantine requirements which stifled a rebound in travel and still does to this day.
THAT is where I have the issue, the initial cancellations. that is an UNCONTROLLABLE flight cancellation just like the weather.
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On 1/15/2021 at 3:34 PM, Guest said:
I had friends with Flying Tiger and they were quite concerned when it was announced that Fedex was going to buy them, however it certainly worked out good for most of them.
FedEx is an excellent company to work for.
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On 1/15/2021 at 2:31 PM, J.O. said:
I remember it well. I've always believed that starting off small like that helped them to gain a foothold before the rest of the industry had time to react in a meaningful way. It really was a brilliant business plan.
I didn't read the whole article. Did they Mention that the Business plan received a failing grade from his university professor because "It would never work'
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18 hours ago, Kargokings said:
Orbital has been doing this for years with an Ex Air Canada L-1011
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I had heard that 2 767 were being converted in Europe before Christmas. Perhaps it was just conjecture
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1 hour ago, Malcolm said:
Air Canada signs up for converted freighters as it targets air cargo
From Air Cargo News – link to source story
By Damian Brett | 14 January 2021
Air Canada will sell two passenger Boeing 767s to be converted into freighters before leasing them back as it targets growth in air cargo.
The Montreal-headquartered company will sell two of its B767-300ER aircraft to ATSG-owned lessor Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM).
The first aircraft will be inducted for conversion in March 2021. Both are expected to be redelivered to Air Canada by the end of 2021.
This is the first sale-leaseback agreement between ATSG and Air Canada.
In November 2020, Air Canada announced its plan to use converted freighters to grow its cargo business in response to “evolving opportunities in the airfreight market”.
“Getting these two [Boeing] 767 freighters into our operation in 2021 is aligned with our announcement in November,” said Jason Berry, vice-president of cargo at Air Canada. “We are excited to be in a position to capture the market opportunities that currently present themselves. Delivering on our commitments is critically important to all of us at Air Canada.”
The aircraft will be converted by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) of Tel Aviv, Israel.
“It is always a great feeling to gain a new lease customer and we are proud to be able to again support a great airline like Air Canada,” said Mike Berger, chief commercial officer of ATSG. “We are looking forward to delivering these airplanes and extending our special partnership with Air Canada.
“We continue to see growth outside of the US, and ATSG continues to enable great companies to take advantage of growing global e-commerce and mobile-commerce trends.”
Like most carriers, Air Canada has seen cargo become an increasingly important part of its business as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak as passenger demand droped and cargo revenues increased.
In the second quarter of last year, the airline saw cargo revenues exceed those of passenger revenues for the first time in its history.
Last year, the carrier operated more than 4,000 cargo-only flights.
Meanwhile, the conversion market looks set to take off as carriers look to offload unwanted passenger aircraft and there is increased demand for freighters.
The airline also sent out an update today on how it had been preparing for handling Covid-19 vaccines.
As part of its preparation, Air Canada Cargo said it had finalised agreements with additional suppliers of active, passive and hybrid packages, as well as increased capabilities for pharma handling, by undergoing a thorough review of all stations in its network, including those managed by third parties.
“We are seeing shipments of vaccines and vaccine consumables being transported by Air Canada Cargo for distribution in Canada since December. These shipments are a result of close collaboration with our supply chain partners, and our operational readiness to expertly handle them,” said Vito Cerone, vice president, cargo sales and commercial strategy.
"Will?" Are they not already in process of conversion?
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likely fewer pairings on other aircraft types.
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10 hours ago, UpperDeck said:
I cannot understand how anyone can even attempt to justify a refusal to refund monies paid when the service provider fails to provide the service. Pay for a garage door...in advance...and the supplier says; " Sorry. No doors". And then says; "I'll give you a credit for the same door which will be available next month but it may cost more." To suggest that the taxpayer should refund the money is ludicrous.
Sorry.....I bail out and I understand you keeping my money if the flight operates. You allow me to change flight dates and waive change fees? Thank you....good marketing. Failure to refund when the airline cancels the flight? Shame!
No one "Failed" to provide a service. The government placed a restriction on Travel which caused the airlines to cancel the flights. To an airline that is an UNCONTROLABLE cancellation caused by the government. The ultimate responsibility lies with the government NOT the airline.
The policies are spelled out in the Tariffs as to the differences in types of cancellations and the responsibility of both parties.
The government Paid thousands of people CERB payments that they were not entitled to why not reimburse travellers or provide the support necessary to enable refunds.
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I see they have dropped direct flights from YOW to YYC and YVR. That has a direct impact on MPS travelling from the west.
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a USED TUG for pulling baggage carts runs around $22,000. Good on them for finding a cheap solution
Travel during the continuing PANDEMIC
in Airline Aviation Forum
Posted
In all honesty the reported Case numbers mean nothing on their own. if you test 10 people and have 5 positive then you have 5 cases. Without knowing the number of test 5 cases sounds pretty good. problem is that its a 50% positivity rate. Positivity rate is a number that many news organizations and the government do not give readily. The reason for this is that it has never gone over 4.5% in Ontario.
For the last week or so they have been touting issues with the system tracking the data and the reported number include "catch up data" which means the daily case count is inflated with number from tests taken days ago. again a number without context. Without the catch up numbers added in Ontario is trending quickly downward.
The Downward Trend means that Fords Lockdown was a success and is working. The problem is they have introduced further restrictions that are unnecessary which we will not see data from until late next week.
International Travel and related contact cases account for less than 2.5% of ALL cases of covid to date. The focus on Travel is to point the finger at someone else because we couldnt possible be mismanaging this thing (<Sarcasm). This is just to appease the public. The travel restrictions will have little effect on case numbers but will kill a significant number of airline jobs, if not airlines.