Business

Air Canada's bumpy post-pandemic recovery weighs on earnings – BNN

Published

2 years ago

August 2, 2022

Canada’s largest airline struggled to cope with a rebound in passenger demand in the second quarter, amid labor shortages and wider airport disruptions that included baggage handling failures.

Air Canada reported operating revenue of $3.98 billion (US$3.1 billion) during the three-month period, which fell short of the $4.02 billion expected by Bloomberg’s consensus estimates. The Montreal-based company also recorded a net loss of $386 million, or $1.60 per share, about double what analysts predicted.

Michael Rousseau, the company’s chief executive, apologized for the travel chaos, acknowledging that it has been “a difficult period” for customers.

“In Canada, we have gone from a near two-year shutdown of air travel back to capacity levels close to 80 per cent of 2019,” Rousseau said on a call with analysts after the earnings release. “It’s, of course, not at all business as usual for us or anyone else involved.”

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The airline had to cancel about 8 per cent of its scheduled flights — more than 150 per day — for July and August.

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Air Canada’s biggest hub, was recently ranked the world’s worst for delays, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

“This kind of instability in the delivery chain has a direct impact on our operations,” Chief Operating Officer Craig Landry said on the same call.

For the quarter, Air Canada still managed to increase operating revenue by nearly five times from year ago levels, when COVID-related travel restrictions were in place. Passenger revenues were still just 80 per cent of 2019 levels.

Available seat miles, a measure of capacity, also rose by about five times from the second quarter 2021. That was in line with projections made in April. That capacity was only 73 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter of 2019.

“Higher expenses, driven by elevated passenger service and distribution costs as well as salaries, wages and benefits, will carry forward into the remainder of the year,” Helane Becker, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen Inc., wrote in a report to investors after the results.

The company’s shares fell as much as 2.4 per cent in early trading, before reversing losses. They were up 0.7 per cent to $17.51 at 12:03 p.m. in Toronto.

Air Canada said it’s encouraged by the recent decline in fuel prices, which represented about 53 per cent of the increase in total operating expenses last quarter. Rousseau also said that advanced bookings show no evidence of an emerging economic slowdown.

“We’ve run recession scenarios, mild recession scenarios, and we’re quite comfortable with our plan going forward,” he said.

The airline’s earnings guidance for 2022, before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization are “ahead of consensus and well above our forecast, signaling strong demand/revenue,” Raymond James Financial Inc. analyst Savanthi Syth said in a report

Air Canada has slightly underperformed its peers since the start of the year, down 17.2 per cent over that time. As of Monday, the S&P 500 Airlines Total Return Index had fallen 14.9 per cent.

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Business

Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

Published

7 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Steven Kaszab

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

Business

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

Published

11 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Business

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

Published

11 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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