Air Canada Shows Off It's Brand New Airbus A220 - Simple Flying | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Air Canada Shows Off It's Brand New Airbus A220 – Simple Flying

Published

5 years ago

 on


Air Canada revealed its brand new Airbus A220-300 in Montreal yesterday, Wednesday 15 January 2020. The gleaming new aircraft, the first of 45 the airline has on order, is due to start flying today. Lucky passengers on AC317 between Montreal and Calgary this morning will be the first to ride the new plane.

Air Canada’s first A220 passenger service is taking flight this morning. Photo: Air Canada.

The airline is also set to rapidly deploy the A220 onto new international routes, jetting between Montreal and Seattle and Toronto to San Jose.

Best-in-class passenger experience in North America

The airline says its new 137 passenger narrow-body Quebec made aircraft will provide the best-in-class passenger experience for North American domestic flights. The aircraft has 12 business class seats in a 2-2 layout and 125 economy class seats in a 2-3 layout.

Advertisement

All passengers, regardless of where they are seated,  will have access to satellite-based high-speed Wi-Fi, personal touch screen TVs that allow gate-to-gate access to on-demand video and audio programs, moving maps with flight path data, and games and wellness applications.

Advertisement

In the main economy cabin, seat pitch is 76.2cm, seat width is 48.01cm, and seat recline is 7.62cm. Also in the economy cabin, every seat has in-seat power for laptops, USB ports for recharging, adjustable headrests and ambient mood lighting. Up the front in business class, seat pitch is 93.98cm, seat width is 52.07cm, and seat recline is 15.24cm.

The main economy cabin on Air Canada’s A220. Photo: Air Canada.

Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s vice president of network planning, told The Financial Post the A220 is the best airline in its class. In addition to having the widest economy class seat in the market, he cited the larger windows and ample overhead luggage space as key to providing overall greater passenger amenity.

Advertisement

In a statement provided to Simple Flying, Air Canada said;

“This aircraft is a game-changer for Air Canada as there is simply no rival in this category. The A220 will further strengthen our position on transborder and transcontinental markets and be instrumental in our continued growth. Our customers will benefit from innovative design features in a spacious and comfortable cabin.”

Air Canada order put the A220 program onto a more solid footing

The A220 order from Air Canada helped put production of the aircraft onto a more solid footing. Manufacture of the aircraft was passed from Bombardier to Airbus in 2018 and since then sales have increased significantly as the A220 production program was revitalized.  And the manufacturer remains appreciative of Air Canada being the first North American airline to put money down and order the A220.

Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada’s President and Chief Executive Officer said yesterday;

“I am especially pleased today given Air Canada’s role in completing the 2016 order for the C Series, as it was then called, at a time when the future of this aircraft program was in doubt. We are very proud to have paved the way for orders from other major carriers.” 

The new A220 at its official unveiling yesterday. Photo: Air Canada.

Not a stopgap or substitute for the 737 MAX

Arguably, Air Canada didn’t need a lot of persuading. While smaller than the 737 MAX, the A220 is more 20% fuel-efficient and more nimble in terms of airports it can access. And while bringing in the A220 will allow Air Canada to begin phasing out their use of aircraft like the  97 seat Embraer E190s, Air Canada says the A220 is neither a substitute or stopgap for the 737 MAX. 

Air Canada’s A220 on a test flight. Photo: Air Canada.

Air Canada has 24 Boeing 737 MAXs grounded and a further 37 on order. The airline was expecting to have 36 MAXs in the air by the end of 2019. Air Canada says its contingency plans to cover the gaps left by the 737 MAX grounding do not include the A220.

Rather, Air Canada sees the A220 as opening up new opportunities for the airline. They say the aircraft will not only facilitate future growth but also strengthen their existing market share on North American routes.

Deliveries of the A220 to Air Canada will continue throughout 2020 and beyond.

Advertisement

Let’s block ads! (Why?)



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

Published

1 day ago

 on

October 22, 2024

By

Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

Continue Reading

Business

Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

Published

1 day ago

 on

October 22, 2024

By

 

NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

U.S. vote has Canadian business leaders worried about protectionist policies: KPMG

Published

1 day ago

 on

October 22, 2024

By

 

TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.

The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs

It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.

The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.

Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.

Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version