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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
Donations
Air Canada Heritage Poster
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Dear NetLetter,
We now estimate that the NetLetter is read by over 2718 retirees when counting our email distribution and those that print the NetLetter and give them out to their friends.
To get in touch with either the Editor/Pilot or Co- Pilot our email address is still This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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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Nice to know...
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Air Canada Jazz Launches daily year-round service between Edmonton and Los Angeles. The departure May 2nd of flight AC 8529 marked the return of non-stop, year-round service from Edmonton to the City of Angels. Air Canada Jazz operates the only daily, non-stop Los Angeles flights with next-generation Bombardier CRJ-705 jet aircraft, featuring 10 Executive Class and 65 Economy seats. Refering to the article Personal Travel in Premium Economy Class in NetLetter nr 924
Routes offering Air Canada Premium Economy Class
YYZ-FCO-YYZ AC890/AC891
YYZ-DUB-YYZ AC894/AC894
YYZ-SNN-YYZ AC894/AC894
YYZ-AMS-YYZ AC816/AC817
YYZ-FCO-YYZ AC890/AC891
YYZ-MAN-YYZ AC840/AC841
Routes are subject to change based on demand or seasonal requirement
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AC Partner Travel Policies
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Wondering about the Policies for Employee Partner Travel?
From the policies section of the Employee Travel website there is all the latest information on Partner Travel and other policies you should be aware of. To get there, visit https://travel.aircanada.com login and click on "News & Policies" and Policies. You'll find an abundance of information there.
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Star Alliance News
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Shanghai Airlines invited to join Star Alliance. Star Alliance announced it has invited Shanghai Airlines Co. Limited of Shanghai, China to join the alliance.
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Mothers Day Special!
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Mothers Day Special from FTD
Diane Garignan sends this -
A blooming good offer from www.FTD.com Surprise someone special with flowers and gifts! With over 20,000 Member florists in Canada and the US, Aeroplan® partner, FTD.com, is offering active and retired ACE family employees, their friends and family members a $15 discount on purchases of $25 or more (some restrictions apply, prices listed in US dollars).
To take advantage of this offer, go to www.ftd.com/ ACEfamily or dial 1.800-SEND-FTD and mention promo code 23456.
* Some restrictions apply. The standard service fee or product delivery fee applies on all purchases made on the website. Phone order service fee is $2.00 higher than the Internet service fee. Offer may not be combined with Aeroplan Miles or any other promotional offer from FTD.com.
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Reader FeedBack
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Marlie Kelsey sends us this sad news -
Subject: Re Duncan Dingwall McLaren
I wanted to let people know that my father, Duncan D. McLaren passed away April 13, 2006. He was a Canadian Aviation Pioneer who started his career at Vancouver Airport and Cooking Lake as a mechanic in the 1930s and worked with Grant McConachie, Punch Dickens, Wop May, Russ Baker and many other well know aviation pioneers. In his 53 year career he progressed through bush pilot (Hudson's Bay Company) , test pilot (Noorduyn Aviation) , operations manager (QCA), airline executive (PWA), aircraft sales and lease negotiator and airlines business consultant. He loved every aspect of the aviation industry and authored "Bush to Boardroom, A Personal view of Five Decades of Aviation History" chronicling his experiences.
Marlie Kelsey <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
(We send condolences to the family - eds)
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Found on the Internet
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AIRLINES SEEK COST-PER-PASSENGER SOLUTIONS
Every time the price of a barrel of oil goes up by a dollar, that translates into a $365 million hike in fuel costs for the 11 major airlines, CNN reported recently. Added to years of bankruptcies and labor strife, the airlines are struggling to cope. One strategy is to find ways to fit more passengers into the same space. Some carriers are installing seats of stronger, lighter materials with slimmer seatbacks, crowding extra rows into already packed airliners. Others are looking at new designs with flip-up seats like in movie theaters, or "sit-stand" seats, like bar stools but with seatbacks and belts. Even discount carriers like JetBlue and Southwest are feeling the pinch and raising fares, though not as quickly as the legacy airlines.
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES RAIN DOWN FROM THE SKY
Canadians had a string of close calls with falling airplane parts over the last week. "I was 12 feet away from being dead," Norm Kataras reported, after a window from a Beechcraft Baron smashed into a car lot. The window apparently broke off shortly after takeoff from Buttonville Airport. Just two days earlier, Wayne Mathias, of Orillia, was cut by flying debris when the detached door of an airplane crashed down in a parking lot. "If it would have hit me ... my head would be gone, because that aluminum strip was so sharp," he said. Monday night, a wing flap from an A300 cargo jet hit the parked SUV of a Mississauga woman just moments before she would have been in the driver's seat.
Boeing to take on Airbus with (1000 seat) giant 797 Blended Wing plane ....Boeing is preparing a 1000 passenger jet that could reshape the Air travel industry for the next 100 years. The radical Blended Wing design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center. The mammoth plane will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to the 747's 211 feet, and is designed to fit within the newly created terminals used for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide. The new 797 is in direct response to the Airbus A380 which has racked up 159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers.
....Boeing decide to kill its 747X stretched super jumbo in 2003 after little interest was shown by airline companies, but has continued to develop the ultimate Airbus crusher 797 for years at its Phantom Works research facility in Long Beach, Calif. The Airbus A380 has been in the works since 1999 and has accumulated $13 billion in development costs, which gives Boeing a huge advantage now that Airbus has committed to the older style tubular aircraft for decades to come.
....There are several big advantages to the blended wing design, the most important being the lift to drag ratio which is expected to increase by an amazing 50%, with overall weight reduced by 25%, making it an estimated 33% more efficient than the A380, and making Airbus's $13 billion dollar investment look pretty shaky. High body rigidity is another key factor in blended wing aircraft, it reduces turbulence and creates less stress on the air frame which adds to efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 8800 nautical mile range with its 1000 passengers flying comfortably at mach .88 or 654 mph cruising speed (another advantage over the Airbus tube-and-wing designed A380?s 570 mph)
....The exact date for introduction is unclear, yet the battle lines are clearly drawn in the high-stakes war for civilian air supremacy.
This is a great advancement in commercial aviation and a huge win for Boeing.
More info at: http://travel.howstuffworks.com/flying- wing2.htm
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Terrys Travel Tips
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Just a reminder -
Carry-on baggage allowance for all customers
It's a busy travel season, so please keep in mind our maximum carry-on baggage allowance. Starting January 5, 2006, airport agents will be strongly enforcing carry-on luggage size and weight restrictions. Oversized carry-on bags cause many flight delays, so don't forget to confirm your allowance before your trip.
Items, which falls within the 2-piece carry-on allowance, include: Carry-on bags or suitcases (wheels and handles included in the size), briefcases, Laptop computers, diaper bags, camera cases, cartons or other similar items.
** Include all airport and duty free purchases in the carry-on allowance.
Standard article: 23cm x 40cm x 55cm (9" x 15.5" x 21.5")
Personal article : 16cm x 33cm x 43cm (6" x 13" x 17")
Maximum weight of each article is 10kg (22lb). Items permitted but not considered part of the allowance include camera, coats, purses (25cm x 30cm x 20cm - 10" x 12" x 8" or less), urns containing human remains, strollers, child restraint systems, canes, crutches, walkers, containers carrying life sustaining items and other similar items. Checked Baggage Allowances Customers are allowed to check the following amounts of luggage free of charge:
Hospitality Service (to and from all destinations) 2 bags
For each bag:
Maximum weight 50lb (23kg)
Maximum linear dimensions 62in (158cm)
For complete baggage info see: www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/airport/baggage/ind ex.html
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Smilies
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 In another famous SR-71 story, Los Angeles Center reported receiving a request for clearance to FL 600 (60,000 ft). The incredulous controller, with some disdain in his voice, asked, "How do you plan to get up to 60,000 feet?
The pilot (obviously a sled driver), responded, "We don't plan to go up to it; we plan to go down to it." He was cleared.
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The pilot was sitting in his seat and pulled out a .38 revolver. He placed it on top of the instrument panel, and then asked the navigator, "Do you know what I use this for?"
The navigator replied timidly, "No, what's it for?" The pilot responded, "I use this on navigators who get me lost!"
The navigator proceeded to pull out a .45 and place it on his chart table. The pilot asked, "What's that for?" "To be honest sir," the navigator replied, "I'll know we're lost before you will."
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"Flight 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 degrees."
"But Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?
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AC Heritage Poster
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Enjoy this visual display of Air Canada’s historic fleet from its beginning in 1937 to the present including aircraft from:
- Trans-Canada Airlines
- Canadian Airlines
- Pacific Western
- Eastern Provincial
- Nordair
- Transair
and Wardair
This 68 x 96 cm (27 x 38 inch) poster is printed in full colour on high quality paper and depicts over 300 aircraft and liveries flown by Air Canada throughout its history.
The cost of the poster is $24.99 plus tax and shipping where applicable. This is a great gift for reunions, retirements and birthday gifts, etc.
A donation is made to Dreams Take Flight for each poster that is sold.
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More info here |
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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.
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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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