We have welcomed 100 new subscribers so far in 2021.

We wish to thank everyone for your support of our efforts.

Back issues of The NetLetter are available in both the original newsletter format and downloadable PDF format.

We invite you to visit our website at www.thenetletter.net/netletters to view our archives.

Restoration and posting of archive issues is an ongoing project. We hope to post every issue back to the beginning in 1995.

We always welcome feedback about Air Canada (including Jazz and Rouge) from our subscribers who wish to share current events, memories and photographs.

Particularly if you have stories to share from one of the legacy airlines: Trans-Canada Air Lines, Canadian Airlines, CP Air, Pacific Western, Eastern Provincial, Wardair, Nordair, Transair, Air BC, Time Air, Quebecair, Calm Air, NWT Air, Air Alliance, Air Nova, Air Ontario, Air Georgian and all other Canadian based airlines that once graced the Canadian skies.

Please feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We will try to post your comments in the next issue but, if not, we will publish it as soon as we can.

Thanks!

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW

WHERE AVIATION'S FINEST MEET

February 15 - 20, 2022

The biennial Singapore Airshow is Asia's most influential international aerospace and defence event.

Source: www.singaporeairshow.com

Terry Baker shares this memory -

In January 1949, prior to my 16th birthday I left school and joined KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as an office boy in the accounts department at their offices on Sloane Street, London, England.

KLM was formed October 7, 1919 and, to commemorate the event, every employee was presented with a medal as a keepsake.

My first ever flight was on a Convair 240 from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) on March 25, 1949 returning on March 27, 1949. I enjoyed 8 more flights to AMS before I left KLM in 1951 to serve my conscription obligations with service in the RAF.

Northern Lights Aero Foundation announces 2020 award winners.

The Northern Lights Aero Foundation “Elsie” Awards is in its twelfth year of celebrating women in Canada’s aerospace and aviation industries.

Other initiatives include a speakers’ bureau, mentorship program and a scholarship program.

“Our goal is to bring more recognition to women working in the world of aviation and aerospace in Canada,” says Kathleen Lang, President of the Northern Lights Aero Foundation.

The 2021 gala awards dinner is scheduled for Saturday, October 16, 2021 at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel and Suites Conference Centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Full details at:
northernlightsaerofoundation.com/2020-award-winners

Among the winners was for the Flight Operations Award -

Stacey Jackson, who has over 20 years of experience in the aviation industry, has done mountainous, glider and medevac flying and captained a Dash-7 for the United Nations in the Middle East and Africa.

She received an Honours Diploma in Aviation Flight Technology from Sault College, a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, Summa Cum Laude, and a Master of Science in Aeronautics, specializing in human factors and aircraft accident investigation, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Stacey is a member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) and is a current aircraft accident investigator with the Air Line Pilots Association, representing WestJet Airlines, where she operates a B737NG.

She is the Canadian representative of the International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations' Female Pilot’s Working Group, focusing on issues that affect female airline pilots globally.

Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Newsletter for April 2021

Reproduced with kind permission of the 'Propliner' magazine, a popular aviation magazine in the U.K. dedicated to propeller driven aircraft.

Website: www.propliner.co.uk

In June 1961, Trans-Canada Air Lines "lease-sold" most of their North Stars in a package deal with Overseas Aviation in England.

Overseas Aviation collapsed in August 1961, grounding a huge fleet of Canadair C-4 Argonaut and DC-4M North Star airliners at Gatwick.

Famous British entrepreneur Mike Keegan, with financial support provided by businessman John Gaul, bought the entire North Star fleet on October 13 1961, for onward sale or lease via Keegan Aviation and Trans World Leasing.

Gatwick was an expensive airport to park these aircraft, however, and Keegan soon found a cheaper parking option at Coventry Airport, leading to Baginton’s busiest day ever for commercial aircraft arrivals!

Here we have the photos which accompanied the original article.

Air Canada's airport team in Miami celebrated Star Alliance by welcoming partners United, Lufthansa and VARIG to an informal open house. The day-long event gave employees from all three airlines a chance to get to know each other and learn more about Star Alliance.

"The constant flow of guests from our Alliance partners gave us the opportunity to meet and develop relationships. And we were able to create awareness of our codeshare agreement with United, among the United staff in the areas of Customer service, Airport Lounges, Ramp and Baggage Services," said Flavia McFarlane-Sanguinetti, Manager, Customer Service, S.E. Florida.

The total involvement of all staff in making the necessary preparations and hosting the event resulted in a good time for all.

In this photo below we have, left to right: Flavia McFarlane-Sanguinetti, Manager, Customer Service, South East Florida; Monique Gkikas, Customer Service Agent; Carmen Kostik, Administration Coordinator; two employees from United Airlines; Joan Faye, Customer Service Agent and Marie Jose Maillard, Lead Customer Service Agent.

Air Canada took first place in the Vancouver Sun 10K Run - Food/Hospitality division, for the second year in a row.

In this photo we have, left to right: George Agnew, Customer Service Coordinator, Cargo; Station Attendants Stephen Phillips and Richard White; Peter Villella, Lead Station Attendant; Allison Willis, Customer Sales & Service Agent; John Zakala, Lead Station Attendant; Brooke Sheridan, (race sponsor, Temporarily Yours) presenting the plaque; Station Attendants Stuart Mcdonald, Bill Hawke and Nasser Shaikh.

Earlier in 1997, Robert Milton, Executive Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer, visited our Port of Spain office and met with the staff.

Seated, left to right: Robert Milton, Asha Chotack, Shiva Beepat and Deanna Pilgrm.

Standing, left to right: Kawal Singh, Victoria Leps, Dean Bissoondial, Indra Maharaj, John Pluthero, Errol Dhanpath, Thomas Wallace and Natasha Forde.

In 1997, the Toronto Line Maintenance Crew 41 hosted its first golf tournament and was joined by the Toronto Check Crew.

In this photo, left to right, front row: J. Langan, W. Sewell, V. Gonidis, E. Machado and J. Noh.

Middle row seated: A. Bailey, A. Brodie, J. Neault, B. Lennox, J. Hobbs, J. Critchley (event organizer) and A. Pirhosseinlou.

Back row standing: R. Westgate, C. Nauboris, N. Odonnell, J. Sutton (event organizer) with son, G. Murray, R. Ellis, D. Hansen, B. Grennan, P. Ho, P. Brennan, F. Guay, S. Luengo, A. Fortain, R. Manti, M. Neilson, C. Antonopolous and K. Krajewski.

Found on the Nordair Facebook page – 

Carle Chadillon posted this photo of the Nordair uniforms introduced in 1972.

Modelling the uniforms are, from the left: Carole Boucher, Nancy Kelly, Paul Gauthier and Diane Thériault.

Source: Additional information from "Canadian Pacific Air Lines - Its History and Aircraft" by D.M. Bain.

Available at Amazon.

What's in a name, eh? Quite a chuckle when the peculiar Canadianism "eh" is added to the corporate logo!

Some Calgary maintenance staffers used cardboard letters to conjure up this humorous photo. No harm in a little fun, eh?

All of the employees of Ontario Express Ltd., our Canadi>n Partner airline in Ontario, were on hand for this photo which recently appeared in a Toronto newspaper.

Part of the company's Jetstream 31 fleet is positioned in the background. The company began operations on July 15.

As a goodwill gesture, Canadi>n employees were offered service charge waived passes on Canadi>n Partner until the end of August, 1987.

Herman Kreimes posted this video on YouTube.

A Canadian Airlines promo film circa 1990 showing the airline's aircraft and its employees.

Enjoy the 8:42 minute memory. At the finish why not read the over 30 comments from employees who have followed the video. 

YouTube videographer Alex Praglowski has posted the video below with some great footage of the Snowbirds stopover in Calgary while training for their summer tour.

The full tour schedule can be found at:
www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/snowbirds/schedule.page

Canadian billionaire investor Pierre Karl Peladeau has reportedly scrapped his effort to acquire Transat AT, the Montreal company that owns leisure carrier Air Transat.

On May 13, 2021, The Globe and Mail reported that Peladeau “abandoned” the offer because prime Transat shareholder Letko Brosseau & Associates insisted Transat is worth more than Peladeau’s offer of C$5 ($4.13) per share. 

The news comes six weeks after Air Canada’s planned acquisition of Transat fell through.

Source: flightglobal.com

RiseAir

The history of Rise Air is intimately connected to the growth of the Canadian aviation industry and the development of the Northern Saskatchewan region. 

Formed in January 2021 when Transwest Air and West Wind Aviation combined operations under one brand, Rise Air has built on the legacies of these two airlines and is now one of the largest independent air carriers in Canada with the most diverse and comprehensive fleet of fixed-wing aircraft in Saskatchewan with specialized charters and the largest scheduled service network in Saskatchewan.

Transwest Air was formed in 2000 through the merger of Saskatchewan-based Athabaska Airways and La Ronge Aviation Services.

West Wind Aviation was created in 1983, quickly growing from a one-aircraft operation into a diverse organization with a range of aviation-related services including air charter, workforce transportation, and scheduled service through its now-defunct Express Air and Pronto Airways divisions.

Source: riseair.ca

The COVID-19 vaccine campaign in the Northwest Territories is getting a helping hand from a local airline.

Air Tindi is encouraging residents in Hay River, Behchokǫ̀, Fort Simpson, Łutselk'e, Gamètì, Wekweètì and Whatì to get the shot with a prize giveaway.

"Our communities are so important to us. They've shown us a lot of support over the years, and that is where vaccine uptake is the least," said Chris Reynolds (pictured below), the airline's president.

Airline employees had 24 hours to provide input, a poster was designed, and by Saturday evening there was a post on Facebook promising free passenger air travel for life, a new Skidoo, and a trip to see the Edmonton Oilers as prizes. The value, said Reynolds, is around $100,000.

Source: cbc.ca

For info about Air Tindi: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Tindi

How to steal an aircraft!

I guess if you are inclined to steal, you may as well go big! I have been quite amused by the YouTube video (linked below) which includes an abridged description of when a Boeing 727 was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola in 2003.

American Airlines registration N844AA served as a passenger aircraft for twenty-five years before being bought by Aerospace Sales & Leasing and then utilized for various cargo operations in Africa.

It was out of service for a about year and undergoing a refit as a tanker when two men boarded the aircraft, started the engines, taxied to a runway (ignoring calls from the control tower) and took off over the Atlantic Ocean with enough fuel to travel about 2,400 kilometres.

Neither the aircraft nor the suspected thieves have been seen since and no debris has ever been found. There have been many searches involving the FBI, CIA and more security agencies, the mystery remains unsolved. 

Reference:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Angola_727_disappearance

www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-727-that-vanished

Additional Info: 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_missing_aircraft

Terry Baker, co-founder of the NetLetter scours the internet for aviation related Trivia and Travel Tips for you, our readers, to peruse.

Answer for the mystery airline in 'Odds and Ends'.

Darwin Airline SA was a Swiss regional airline with its head office in Bioggio, Lugano.

It  was bought by the holding company which owned Adria Airways, the largest airline in Slovenia, but remained a separate company operating as Adria Airways Switzerland. 

It operated scheduled domestic and international services in some western European countries. It used the brand name Etihad Regional from January 2014 to July 2017, when Etihad Airways sold its 33% stake to the owner of Adria Airways. It previously also operated flights on behalf of Alitalia. Its bases were Geneva Airport and Lugano Airport.

In November 2017, the Swiss authorities suspended the airline's license for scheduled flights due to financial difficulties but allowed the wet lease operations to be continued.

On December 12, 2017, the airline was declared bankrupt and ceased all remaining operations after its license was voided, while some of their fleet was transferred to its owner Adria Airways; the Saab 2000 aircraft still operate scheduled services from Ljubljana Airport in the name of Adria Airways. 

Adria Airways itself declared bankruptcy and ceased operations in September 2019.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Airline 

Interline cruise deals.

Celestyal Cuises offers interline rates on 3, 4, 7 and 14 Night Cruises to Greece and Turkey.

Sail roundtrip from Athens on Celestyal Cruises on 3, 4 7 or 14 Night sailings and experience Greece.

Their interline rates also include open bar and 2 shore excursions! How about 3 Nights for as low as USD$319pp.

7 Night Cruises start as low as USD$659 pp.

Holland America opened up 10 departures for 7 Night Alaska cruises. These are sailing roundtrip from Seattle and start in late July and go thru the end of September.

Rates are as low as USD$561pp for an inside cabin and from USD$861pp for a balcony cabin.

Check www.interlinetravel.com or 800 766-2911 for details.

Here are some web site links you may find useful -

www.world-airport-codes.com - Find airport codes here
www.webflyer.com - Mileage Calculator for determining zones for ZED Travel
www.amadeus.net - Flights, Hotels and Load Information Guide
www.skyscanner.com - Information regarding various fees, such as baggage.
www.PassRider.com - Online 'non-reving' community
www.flyzed.info - Airline specific ZED travel trips

From 'cheesy catchphrases' to word combinations that just don’t make sense, there’s been a lot of very odd airline slogans over the years.

Here are some notable examples:

• “The Low Fares Airline” - You guessed it; Ryanair is the custodian of this straightforward motto.
• “Fly for the price of a taxi” - This was the catchphrase for Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd Express.
• “Scotland’s Airline” - Scottish airline Loganair chose a relatively simple slogan for its branding.
• “Because owners care” - This slogan comes from Canadian carrier WestJet Airlines.
• “The world’s most refreshing airline” - In an effort to promote its new business class offering, Swissair produced a marketing campaign in 1997.
• “Tickets from €29. It's not a joke, we're German” - Cologne-based low-cost airline Germanwings.
• “Arrive in better shape” – Cathay Pacific.
• “Follow me home” – Hawaiian Airlines.
• “The 6000 mph airline” – Philippine Airlines.
• “Work Hard. Fly Right” – Continental Airlines.

Source: key.aero/article/worlds-strangest-airline-mottos

This cartoon, by Dave Mathias, first appeared in the "Between Ourselves" magazine issue July 1964.

The caption reads '.You may think we forget the human element of this department, Finchley, let me tell you, I like the way you plug it in"