Air Canada T.AC

Passenger capacity beginning to return closer to prepandemic

[JackWabbit]

In response to surging demand for PPE and rapid test kits, Air Canada (AC) has ramped up its deployment of passenger aircraft for cargo services. For its aircraft that have seen their seats removed to make space for cargo in the cabin (known internally as Charlies), this surge spells a last hurrah before they are returned to passenger configuration. The start of 2022 turned out to be surprisingly strong, almost at the level of last January/February, said Jason Berry, VP cargo, and transpacific traffic may have been higher, owing to the jump in volumes of PPE and rapid test kits. On the Hong Kong and Shanghai routes, the lions share of ACs traffic has been hauled by 777 Charlies, doing about 14 flights a week to Shanghai and 10 on the Hong Kong sector. AC has been using Incheon for some time as a crew base to avoid Hong Kongs prohibitive quarantine regulations for flight crews that lay over in the special administrative region. It has worked well, Mr Berry said. Its not cheap. AC was one of the first carriers to field passenger planes for cargo flights and the first to remove seats for loading capacity in cabins. It has carried out over 14,000 cargo flights, as many as 40 a day at peak times, but now the Charlies are heading for the exit. They are scheduled for heavy checks and, during these, the seats will be re-installed. I believe the era of cabin freighters is over. They served a great service at a poignant time, said Mr Berry. This programme has been critical to maintain capacity for our customers through the pandemic. However, we see the need and demand for this configuration coming to an end by Q3, as passenger capacity begins to return closer to pre-pandemic levels. From eleven Charlies seven 777s and four A330s this fleet is already down to seven this month, with the last of them due to exit in May.

[bigkagan]

Quoting Alanis Morissette, isn't it ironic - the guy had all the vaccine shots and still manages to catch Omicron while some unvaccinated guys don't even come close to catching Covid because they always wear masks with glasses, take vitamins/herbs and even smoke an occasional cigarette before leaving the house - you see, smoke kills viruses

[Bozolecloune]

As always, covidiots who doesn't know that the vaccine doesn't not protect you from catching it, youre just likely not going to die from it. I'll bet you think wearing a mask is to protect yourself ?

[bigkagan]

Well, you have a 3% chance to die from Covid the older you are, so you don't want to play the Russian roulette with it. And of course a surgical mask with 3 layers protects you from Covid if you wear it tightly squeezed over the bony part of your nose and not hanging under your nose like I see some slobs do

[givemeabreak1]

Bozo The main purpose to explain the mask has always to be transmission.  Given the vaccine limits the likeli-hood you will die it does nothing for transmission hence the mask!  As for you question as to whether the mask will protect you.  It actually will give you a great deal of protection if you are wearing the correnct mask.  The Goverments of most countries downplayed this

[givemeabreak1]

Hard to believe after 2 years the idiots on this board still do not understand what a mask does and the different types of masks!

[Rambo27]

Great post. Good info!