I know my Dad is sticking it out. He is a mechanic with ~30 years of seniority built up and a few years from "retirement". He is sticking it out until his pension is maxed and then will probably bolt to a different job. On the maitenance side of the company there are alot of people with that amount of seniority doing the same thing.
If there is anything left to pay his pension with that would work fine, but the way Air Canada is going, I wouldn't bet on it.
unions=fail...structuring your business(airline) like westjet is the best way to go. More profit that is made, the more the people will make at the end.
Westjet had the advantage of coming in later and designing a low cost system that gave them a leg up. Air Canada is hamstrung with many years of the unions demanding the kind of wages and benefits that are now uncommon in the airline world. This is the same kind of situation North American manufacturers face from competition from China. When a plant is designed and constructed in China the latest and most efficient machinery is used, that is hard for a North American plant to implement by retrofitting.
Air Canada needs to restructure to survive or no one is going to have a job there, union or no union. For the record I prefer flying Air Canada to pretty much any other airline in North Amarica, the best entertainment system and the best seats in my opinions.
I think saving Air Canada is beyond a restructuring. You've got a hostile management team, a hostile group of unions, they're customer base is bleeding as is their revenue streams.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
No, that's still price. A low(er) price will always be the very best feature an airline can offer the masses. As an individual who flies a fair bit for pleasure, I cannot afford to spend anything more then I have to. And with that said, I don't think I've flown AC for 10 years, no matter if the flight is national, to the States or overseas, AC is never (well, maybe not never, I sure they have seat sales, but they've never been cheaper for the routes/times I was travelling) the cheapest, and usually are quite a bit more expensive.
I am sure there are many air travellers out there that can afford to spend a little extra money for a few extra features, but I would suggest most wouldn't, thus WestJet's continued and ever growing popularity.
I've found the exact opposite true on the LHR-YYC route over the years. This Wednesday will be the first time I'll be using BA because on every other occasion, AC has been the cheaper option.
As for service, I'd definitely empathise with the views of those who have not flown with AC for over 5 years when they say the service was awful. However, I have noticed a considerable improvement in service at AC over recent years. In that respect it seems the airline is finally getting the message, but they really need to look at the culture of the organisation and how they work together internally if they want a hope of survival.
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There's no reason for unions to exist in this day and age. Period.
Bring it on.
There is always need for balance. It is likely that many of the reasons you believe Unions are no longer relevant is because of legislation that has been implemented by successive Governments to protect employees rights.
This legislation would like never have been enacted but for the influence of unions.
There is always need for balance. It is likely that many of the reasons you believe Unions are no longer relevant is because of legislation that has been implemented by successive Governments to protect employees rights.
This legislation would like never have been enacted but for the influence of unions.
I get that there's a reason unions exist. But that's history now.
Their usefulness is long gone.
Unions exist now to protect the right of fat and useless people to "earn" a living and suck up my tax dollars.
most union members abuse the tax dollar system...they use and abuse their power and sick days
That may be the case in some instances but it's not universal. I could make the same sweeping statement about white collar workers but if you've got proof back it up.
"Originally Posted by Barnet Flame There is always need for balance. It is likely that many of the reasons you believe Unions are no longer relevant is because of legislation that has been implemented by successive Governments to protect employees rights.
This legislation would like never have been enacted but for the influence of unions."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Krack Korn
I get that there's a reason unions exist. But that's history now.
Their usefulness is long gone.
Unions exist now to protect the right of fat and useless people to "earn" a living and suck up my tax dollars.
Huh, that's a joke. How long do you think it would take for big business and the political right to pass new legislation to take away employee rights. They are trying to do it every day.
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I'm sat on the BA 0103 Boeing 767 from LHR to YYC now. Initial impression - not impressed. Had to wipe crumbs from my seat and the whole plane looks a bit tired and it is really ####ing stuffy with a stale smell.
Prefer the seat and plane on Air Canada.
By a distance.
Oh well...skiing at Sunshine tomorrow, so it is still good.
As someone who travels over seas allot In my opinion air Canada's in flight service compares with the best in the world. Good seat space, average food as every other airline and as good an entertainment system you will find. Fly ex first( business class) and on most over seas flights you will have a lay flat bed.
IMO air Canada is way above standard for N.A carriers and on par with the best of the Asian and European airlines. Also air Canada's aeroplan points system is great value.
This is not a paid endorsement by air canada
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IMO air Canada is way above standard for N.A carriers and on par with the best of the Asian and European airlines. Also air Canada's aeroplan points system is great value.
I agree about the NA and European part, but strongly disagree about the Asian Airlines. Singapore Airlines, Cathay etc blow AC out of the water, especially the further up front you travel. AC compares favorably with the Asian carriers' business class, but can't hold a candle to their first class cabins.
