The tail of the newly revealed Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft is seen at a hangar at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ont., Thursday, February 9, 2017. Air Canada has signed a partnership deal with American Express for the airline’s new loyalty program that is expected to launch next year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — In the wake of the devastating plane crash in Ethiopia, a union representing Air Canada employees says some flight attendants are concerned.
In a statement from the Air Canada component of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) they ask the airline to put the safety of passengers and crew first.
The union adds Air Canada should respect the wishes of crew members who do not want to be forced to fly on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, by re-assigning them to a different plane.
The CUPE union representing WestJet employees also released a statement, saying they are in constant contact with that airline, but believe it is still safe to work on those planes.
The union adds that “WestJet is in round-the-clock contact with Boeing, as well as frequent contact with TC, the FAA and other North American operators including Southwest, Air Canada and Sunwing. All North American operators of the Max-8 continue to operate the model confidently, based on the guidance of Boeing and regulators.”
They go on to say they will continue to work to ensure the safety of the workplace is always at the forefront.
On Tuesday, the European Union and other countries said the aircraft cannot fly over their airspace. Other countries have also taken action since Sunday’s accident, forbidding airlines from operating the plane.
In a statement to Global News, Air Canada said it has cancelled some flights following the airspace bans.
“Air Canada will be cancelling its Halifax to London and St. John’s to London flights today and tomorrow,” the airline said.
“We are working to rebook impacted customers as soon as possible through our Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa hubs,” it added, noting that affected customers can contact the carrier directly for more information.
WestJet told Global News in an email Tuesday that none of its flights are currently affected by the airspace bans.
“While we do have MAX aircraft that fly to Gatwick and Paris from Halifax, these flights are seasonal and do not start until late April. There are no impacts at this time,” the statement read.
The airline added that it is in active discussions with Transport Canada, Boeing and other Canadian operators over the aircraft and will provide passengers updates if anything changes.
Global News has also reached out to Sunwing for comment.
What options do passengers have?
Gabor Lukacs, the founder of Canadian advocacy group Air Passenger Rights, explained to Global News that passengers’ options will vary depending on the situation.
He said that airlines may be scrambling to arrange alternate plans for travel in the next 48 hours, and this could lead to delays. In this case, he said airlines are obliged to put passengers on the next available flight.
“This became known today. If they cancel a flight today, it’s probably out of their control. It’s hard to shuffle things that quickly,” Lukacs said.
If delays extend for several days, however, this is a situation in which he says passengers could be eligible for compensation.
“If you cancel flights two weeks from now, that would be a whole separate issue,” he added.
Lukacs noted that there is no law in Canada that allows passengers who feel unsafe flying on the Boeing planes to refuse to fly and demand a ticket refund.
“Legally, the passenger has no right to cancel their tickets or change their tickets,” he said.
Gabor said he hopes airlines will take this unique situation into account.
“I would call on airlines to let passengers change their flights if they do not feel comfortable flying on that particular model,” he said.
Flight Centre travel agency also confirmed that Canadian airlines are not waiving flight-change or cancellation fees for such passengers. The stance from Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd. comes amid a wave of requests from worried travellers who have, so far, been excluded from goodwill policies.
Why hasn’t Canada grounded or banned the planes?
While Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said on Monday that Canada would not ground the Boeing aircraft, he changed his tone a day later.
Garneau indicated on Tuesday that Canada is now considering grounding the planes, if needed.
“I have directed my group of experts to be ready for all possibilities, including a decision to ground the MAX 8,” Garneau told reporters.
The minister added that he has cancelled all his meetings for the day in order to come to a decision.
Boeing is standing by its plane amid the grounding and bans. On Tuesday, the company issued a statement saying it has “full confidence” in the aircraft.
“Based on the information currently available, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators,” it said.
Boeing also confirmed Monday that it will deploy a software upgrade to the 737 MAX 8.
—With files from Global News reporter Andrew Russell and The Canadian Press
Update by Canadian Aviation News – 13 March 2019 Now banned in Canada, India and New Zealand
After two of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets crashed within 6 months, 33 countries and nearly 30 airlines have suspended operation of the fuel-efficient aircraft in the span of two days, the AP reports.
Driving the news: The European Union aviation authority banned flight operations of Boeing 737 Max jets, a huge blow to Boeing’s efforts to maintain the confidence of governments and airlines. The U.S. and Canada are still allowing the aircraft to operate until more information is available from the FAA.Show less
Consumer Reports asked airlines, including American Airlines and Southwest, and the FAA in a statement to temporarily ground Boeing 737 Max 8 jets until a safety investigation is finished.
Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have called for the jet to be grounded in the U.S. pending an investigation.
The state of play: There are 59 operators of the MAX series worldwide, per the FAA. U.S. airlines Southwest, American Airlines and United Airlines are still running their MAX series jets. American tweeted it’s waiting on the outcomes of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
US officials say the aircraft are still safe to fly.
France and Germany announced earlier that they had grounded the jets, joining similar decisions by other nations such as China.
The EU Aviation Safety Agency said it made the decision “as a precautionary measure”.
Investigators have recovered the flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines plane and are currently examining the data to determine what caused the crash.
EU Aviation Safety Agency said: “The accident investigation is currently ongoing, and it is too early to draw any conclusions as to the cause of the accident.”
The CAA said the directive would remain in place until further notice.
It said it took the decision because it did not currently have “sufficient information” from the flight data recorder about the fatal crash.
Tui Airways and Norwegian both operate the Boeing Max 8 in the UK as part of their fleets.
One Turkish Airlines flight to Birmingham turned around and returned to Istanbul. And a Norwegian Air plane from Stockholm to Tel Aviv turned back over Romania.
A Tui statement confirmed their 737 Max 8 aircraft were grounded.
“Any customers due to fly home today on a 737 Max 8 from their holiday will be flown back on another aircraft,” it read.
“Customers due to travel in the coming days will also travel on holiday as planned on other aircraft.”
Norwegian said it had also suspended flights of the aircraft and apologised for the inconvenience to passengers.
Image captionAmerican and Southwest airlines continue to fly their 737 Max 8s in the US
Which other countries are affected?
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declared the 737 Max 8 airworthy.
But the largest operator of 737 Max 8s in America, Southwest Airlines, is offering passengers scheduled to fly on one of the Boeing planes the chance to change their bookings.
Rival American Airlines said its “standard policies for changes still apply”.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running to be the Democrats’ presidential candidate, called on the FAA “to get these planes out of the sky.”
Boeing has confirmed that for the past few months it has been developing a “flight control software enhancement” for the aircraft, but says it is confident they are safe to fly.
More than $27bn (£21bn) has been wiped off the company’s market value since the close of trading on Friday.
In the aftermath of the accident, Ethiopia, Singapore, China, France, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia have all temporarily suspended the 737 Max.
Singapore’s Changi Airport is the world’s sixth busiest and a major hub connecting Asia to Europe and the US, but only a handful of airlines operate the Max 8 aircraft in and out of the country.
No Australian airlines operate the Boeing 737 Max, and only two foreign airlines – SilkAir and Fiji Airways – fly the model into the country.
Media captionThe BBC’s Emmanuel Igunza, at the scene, said there was a huge crater at the site of the crash
What is a Boeing 737 Max aircraft?
The Boeing 737 Max fleet of aircraft are the latest in the company’s successful 737 line. The group includes the Max 7, 8, 9 and 10 models.
By the end of January, Boeing had delivered 350 of the Max 8 model out of 5,011 orders. A small number of Max 9s are also operating.
The Max 7 and 10 models, not yet delivered, are due for roll-out in the next few years.
Following last October’s Lion Air crash in Indonesia, investigators said the pilots had appeared to struggle with an automated system designed to keep the plane from stalling, a new feature of the jet.
It is not yet clear whether the anti-stall system was the cause of Sunday’s crash. Aviation experts say other technical issues or human error cannot be discounted.
Eyewitnesses say they saw a trail of smoke, sparks and debris as the plane nosedived.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A Vancouver-Maui flight almost half-way to its destination has had to turn around and fly back to YVR after a mechanical issue.
Air Canada says flight AC535 is now on its way back to Vancouver with 167 passengers, for whom the airline is arranging another airplane to get them back to Hawaii “as soon as possible.”ADVERTISEMENTView image on Twitter
Isabelle Arthur, Air Canada’s director of media relations, says the Boeing 737 MAX 8 had to return for “maintenance reasons due to hydraulic indication.”
Monday 9 July 2018 – Posted by Travelweek Group
VANCOUVER — Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Yes, not just one plane but two, and they were shooting new footage for Air Canada.
Back in May, Vancouverites reported seeing a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft flying unusually low over English Bay, with another smaller plane following closely behind. Both aircraft were reportedly flying at just 2,800 feet.
It turns out the smaller plane was filming footage of Air Canada’s new aircraft as it flew above local landmarks like BC Place Stadium and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
A new video that was posted on Air Canada’s YouTube channel includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into how the footage was shot. Although the brand new Boeing is undoubtedly the main star, the video also beautifully captures Vancouver in all its glory.
A new video that was posted on Air Canada’s YouTube channel includes a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into how the footage was shot. Although the brand new Boeing is undoubtedly the main star, the video also beautifully captures Vancouver in all its glory.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf2W84jrGqs&w=656&h=399]
Air Canada has 61 firm orders for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery by 2021. By the end of 2018, 18 of these will enter its fleet, reports Daily Hive.
Back in May, Vancouverites reported seeing a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft flying unusually low over English Bay, with another smaller plane following closely behind. Both aircraft were reportedly flying at just 2,800 feet.