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About us!
Since October 1995, Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker have been issuing an email newsletter for those ex Air Canada types who have provided us with their email addresses. The Newsletter was created by Vesta, who gave the name 'NetLetter' and added 'Between Ourselves' - a TCA periodical with which you are probably familiar with from the 50's and 60's. It was then changed to "Between Yourselves" to avoid confusion when "Horizons" resurrected the name. Then finally simplified to just "The NetLetter".
We believe that our NetLetter, which originates from Vancouver Island, was the FIRST to use this medium to disperse information for retirees of Air Canada.
The NetLetter contains airline related information such as anecdotes or stories supplied by some of the recipients, Internet tips, travel news, cheap... excuse me, "inexpensive" accommodations, tours, interline travel, and, in some small way, we help keep our Air Canada family together and in touch.
Our 'NetLetter' is NOT sponsored by any Pionair group, nor are we seeking any financial support, only the Internet email addresses of those who would like to receive our 'NetLetter'. Please forward this to other retirees who can then subscribe right from the forwarded link at the bottom of this email.
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Sponsors
ACFamily Services
Air Canada Heritage Poster
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Dear NetLetter,
Welcome to the 946th issue of "NetLetter". We now estimate that the NetLetter is read by over 2734 retirees when counting our email distribution and those that print the NetLetter and give them out to their friends.
The "NetLetter" is written by Vesta Stevenson and Terry Baker from Vancouver Island (see sidebar) and published courtesy of the ACFamily Network at www.acfamily.net
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Need to know...
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Due to a recent legislative change, Canadians travelling to the U.S. by land or sea now won’t have to produce a passport at the border until June 1, 2009. The deadline for air travel, however, remains unchanged and Canadians clearing U.S. customs at airports will be required to show their passport beginning January 8, 2007.
WARNING!: For our US readers -
There are only less than 72 days remaining until a passport is required for travel to the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada. This includes all cruises with port calls outside of the US. Don't be caught with a terrific interline deal and no passport. Passports are good for up to 10 years now. Apply now before the end of the year rush!
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Nice to know...
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Today more and more of our Retiree information is coming to us via the Air Canada Portal. This service is referred to as ACaeronet. You will see this referred to in many pieces of communications.
We know some of our Members have delayed signing onto the Portal and getting familiar with its various tabs and the location of information. We encourage you to access this Portal at your earliest convenience.
Some Tips on Gaining Access
First you need the Website address:
http://acaeron et.aircanada.ca
A little over a year ago you were provided information from Air Canada in the form of a letter, with the information on how to access the Portal or ACaeronet. You need your Employee Number and a Password.
Employee Number - Your entry of your Employee Number Must contain 6 digits with AC in front. An Example would be your Employee Number is 12345 . For the ACaeronet I..D.. you would enter would be: AC012345
Password - This can be the Password provided, or you can change it to some other password after you are signed on to the ACaeronet. Most passwords used a combination of letters and numbers.
What do I do if I don't have a Password - If you don't have a password you can phone the I B M Help Desk at 1-866-274-5444 and provide them your employee number and they will assign you a password.
Once you gain access to the Portal, you may be asked at various time to Re-enter your Employee Number and Password. This is because the system is designed with our Web Safety in mind. Your H R Tab will require this additional sign in.
Web address to access the Air Canada Portal is : http://acaeronet.aircanada.ca
Skyservice Airlines has permissionto introduce scheduled international service to Portugal. Skyservice presently operates a charter service to Portugal and will turn some of those flights to Lisbon and Faro into scheduled service once a week. The airline operates a combination of Airbus A319s, A320s and Boeing 757-200s.
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Reader Feedback
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 As mentioned in NetLetter nr 945, Sheila Moscoe has embarked on another one of her exciting trips.
Here is her report from South Africa -
HI everyone
Well, this has been a fantastic voyage so far. I will try to get this e-mail done before the Internet place closes down after 2 failed attempts at 2 different places!
Anyhow, we flew from Toronto to Washington (DCA) and stayed overnight to catch our South African Airways flight (A340-600) the next morning from Dulles (IAD) airport. Our route to Johannesburg (JNB) was via Dakar, Senegal and this took about 17 hours or so. Great flight, good service, comfortable airplane.
While in JNB, we took a city tour with a Zulu tour guide and he showed us around for a few hours. The city wasn't exactly what I had expected, with all the graffiti, garbage strewn about, security cameras on every 4th light standard, stores and hotels closed down, etc. etc. Anyhow, I'm glad that we took the time to see it.
After that, we took the Premier Classe train to Cape Town. It was 25 hours of pure pleasure and fun! The food was fantastic, the room was very comfortable, washrooms clean, interesting people on board. We met a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, a U.K. High Commissioner from Zambia, and all sorts of odds and sods! The train usually carries 84 passengers, but there were only 32 of us. After arriving in Cape Town (CPT) 3 hours late, we found our way to Nine Flowers Guest House. It was a delightful place to stay. Huge rooms, lovely patio, great breakfast and a very hospitable host. The place was centrally located in The Gardens area and we were able to walk everywhere.
However, we did rent a car to drive to the Aquila Game Reserve to see the big five(!). After a full buffet breakfast, we were ready to board our Safari Jeep for the next few hours. Saw giraffes, springbok, white rhino, blue wildebeest, lions, elephants, and a few hippos. Great ride! Then, another buffet, this time lunch. We took the scenic route back to CPT via a mountain pass. Breathtaking views.
While in CPT we took the hop on and off bus and got a pretty good overview and narrated tour of the beautiful city. Went up the cable ride to Table Rock Mountain and had lunch up on top. Fantastic views. Evening was spent at the V&A Waterfront where there a dozens of restaurants, and 100's of shops. The other day we drove to Cape Point to see where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean; however, the fog had rolled in by the time we arrived there, but we enjoyed it all the same.
After 4 nights there, we boarded our Pacific Princess Cruise. It's a small ship about 30,000 tonnes with 670 passengers or so. The ship is very well decorated, friendly staff, good food, good entertainment, lots of elderly people. After all, this is a 28 day voyage!
Our first stop was East London where we took a tour from the ship to La Bantu Village where the Xhosa children entertained us, Mama Tofu talked to the ladies all about female rites and rituals. Had a very tasty lunch, bought a few things there and was glad that I went to see this village about an hour's drive from the ship. The farm is owned by a Canadian! Today, we arrived in Durban, and grabbed a taxi and hired the driver for about 4 hours or so. He showed us all around and took us to a great Indian restaurant where we had Bunny Chow for lunch! This is a 1/4 loaf of bread scooped out with chicken curry (or mutton or whatever you choose) with the top of the bread sitting on the plate and some shredded carrots. You actually pick apart the bread and pick up the food with it, so you're actually eating with your fingers. Deelish! We all have yellow stained fingers right now!
Weather has been quite good so far. Today's the hottest, around 25C or so, with high humidity. Shirley and I shopped around the city after lunch and the driver took Nancy and Charlie back to the ship. We're going back soon. We were delayed leaving yesterday with a mechanical, so we have an extra hour at the end of the day today.
It's dirt cheap here in South Africa. Can't believe the prices!
So, that's it for now. Gotta do spell check now! We're going to be at sea for 3 days.
Until next time,
Love, Sheila
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Found on the Internet
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Delivery schedule for AC's 777s:
C-FITL B777-333ER March 2007
C-FITU B777-333ER April 2007
C-FITW B777-3Q8ER May 2007
C-FIUA B777-233LR June 2007
C-FIUL B777-333ER June 2007
C-FIUF B777-233LR July 2007
C-FIUR B777-333ER July 2007
C-FIUJ B777-233LR November 2007
1 B777-233LR January 2008
2 B777-233LR February 2008
1 B777-333ER March 2008
6 more B777-233LR delivery date unknown
2 B777F January and March 2009
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Employee/Retiree Discounts
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Buy one DVD get two free*sweet deal from Columbia House. As part of Aeroplan’s relationship with Columbia House, active and retired ACE family employees, their friends and family members can take advantage of a special offer on the purchase of DVDs. Until December 31, 2006, buy one DVD for $9.95 (cost plus taxes. All shipping costs are waived on the initial order) and get two more DVDs*free*and earn 500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles! With a selection of more than 10,000 DVDs, there’s something for everyone to enjoy! In addition, you can purchase a fourth and fifth DVD for $14.95 each. For more information, consult the Employee Discount page on the Portal under “My Life”.
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Submissions
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Important reminder, for all new articles, submissions and or comments for the "The Netletter" please send to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Please add to your Address Books).
This e-mail address has been set up so that both of us Terry & Vesta (exclusively) will get an automatic copy and so we can keep up with the continuity of news for the NetLetter.
To make changes to your e-mail address or to unsubscribe, please see the links at the bottom of the page for "Update Profile/Email address" and SafeUnsubscribe. This is now automated so that you can remove yourself from the list or change your email address (or name) without our assistance. We will still do this manually if you have any difficulties.
Many of our members are having difficulty finding these links. You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page, the link is similar to the following image. (The image below doesn't work but your links at the bottom will).
Vesta, Terry and Alan thank you for your co- operation.
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NetLetter Archives
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The archives of the NetLetter are kept on the ACFamily Network Forums area. They are in plain text format so you can print them from there if desired. If you are not a member of the ACFamily Network yet, we encourage you to join us there. Non members can Register here. (It's Free!)
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NetLetter Archives Link |
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