From Cork to Toronto

A good week for Porter, a bad one for Air Canada. Its Jazz subsidiary was denied summary judgement in their attempt to regain access to Toronto City Centre and must issue a formal statement of claim within 30 days and submit to discovery processes (which would disclose Jazz' strategy towards the Island Airport). Failure to do so would mean they would be exposed to costs - Porter claim to have spend $1m so far. This was followed by the US Department of Transportation decision to allow Porter to operate to the US . This was opposed by Air Canada and some US airlines but DOT decided that what the Port Authority did to Air Canada was not their concern, and all that mattered was their relationship with American carriers - noting that TPA came to an agreement with US Airways, irrespective that US did not take up the service. Porter is expected to begin service to Newark in Q4 2007 or Q1 2008 but are expected to serve other US destinations. CEO Robert Deluce had recently announced p...

(This is a follow-on to Porter 245 ) I had left my return a little later than anticipated but thought leaving at 7pm for a flight 90 minutes later from an airport 14km away wouldn't be much of a problem. I decided to give Ottawa transit another go. First problem was making exact change for the 97 again. Second problem was having obtained said change (and a coffee from a nearby Starbucks) I saw the bus disappear into the distance. Oh well, I thought, there's always another one on such a major route right? However, frequency being about every 15mins, journey time nearly 30mins and allowing for one service not happening left things too close for comfort and so I hailed a taxi as one nervous breakdown per day was enough. The fare was, well, substantially higher than $3. Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier is a modern well appointed building in my opinion. Gate 18 is fairly isolated and quiet but it's just another gate. Unlike City Centre there are no lounge facilities and wifi is...

Just back from Ottawa on a day trip for work, flying from Toronto Island Airport with Porter Airlines . Those who have read my previous posts about the airport, the airline and the Mayor will know that I am generally supportive of the airport but this was the first time I had a chance to fly from there without it costing more and at less convenient times than equivalent flights from Pearson as it was in the bad old days of Air Canada Jazz. I picked the cheapest flights available that gave me enough time to complete my business - the 0700 leaving Toronto and the 2030 leaving Ottawa. This cost $333 ($109 out, $142 back and the rest in charges and taxes), the same as Air Canada (although taking flights reflecting the longer travel time from East York to Pearson) and more expensive than WestJet ($298) but without the taxi ride I would have undoubtedly taken to get to Pearson for an early flight. I have taken TTC to Pearson but for an evening flight with plenty of time to spare. I had c...

David Miller called for the Federal Tories to review the operation of the Island Airport. Lawrence Cannon duly appointed Roger Tassé but war drums in the NDP offices at City Hall and that of the MP for Trinity-Spadina began to pound when Cannon filled up the board seats at the Port Authority, setting the scene for the final report (pdf) which claimed all is rosy in the Port Authority and the Island Airport . Now, I've made no secret of my support for a piece of infrastructure that if you needed to build it would cost billions, but is already there and serving the downtown business community who provide the tax base that hasn't yet fled to Vaughan, Markham, Brampton and Mississauga (where Pearson is). Even I don't quite buy the level of vindication Tassé hands to Lisa Raitt and her chums. But the report is a sore poke in the eye to a Mayor who will be re-elected despite reverses on some of his main issues (waterfront and the Expo he failed to personally shepherd, shortfal...

A lot of the anti-TCCA bloggers and those who comment on them remind us (approvingly) of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's closure of that city's airport, Meigs Field . (Meigs can still be seen on Google Maps - hat tip to Information Echo ). It's worth reminding ourselves of some of the history around that closure. Daley moved in the middle of the night with bulldozers to make the main runway unusable with no notice to the Federal Aviation Administration, the small fine this offence attracted causing the FAA to increase it ten-fold for future offences . Sixteen aircraft had to be given permission to depart from the taxiway, hardly normal or safe practice! An investigation appears to be be still pending (no sign of resolution on faa.gov) regarding Daley's use of funds from O'Hare International to demolish Meigs. The reconstruction of Northerly Island is being funded by granting a concert stage to Clear Channel - the kind of corporate media giant that would surely chil...

REGCO, the regional airline championed by Robert Deluce, is one large step closer to reality with the announcement of 10 firm orders for Bombardier Q400 70 seat turboprop aircraft . The airline's plan is still to operate from Toronto City Centre , where at present only private flights operate with the exception of a single Air Canada route to Ottawa operated by 37 seat Bombardier Q100s, which are approximately 150 kilometres per hour slower than the Q400. This order, valued at $500m but which with the usual discounting will net to substantially less, is good news for local workers who build the Q400 and who pleaded with City Council not to reverse the decision to build the bridge, a decision which David Miller would cost $2 but has so far cost the Feds $35m. Whether REGCO will be a success is anyone's guess. There is scope for traffic to Ottawa for bureaucrats and business types but beyond that it's hard to say. However I do admire that he is bothering to try, given the...