Air Canada chops 2,000 jobs

I have been trying for like 10 minutes to try and thank you both for your comments and correct insights, but for some reason this friggin now public computer won't let me dammit.

Again...yet another non-intelligent opinion. C'mon guys...get the facts straight! Airplanes are un-environmental? No more so than your vehicle!

Consider this:

An A320 with 140 people on board, flying between Toronto and Vancouver burns 12.9 tonnes of fuel; about 16,000 litres. Putting those same 140 people in compact cars (Toyota Camry (6.9 l/100km), 2 per car, the total fuel burned in the 70 cars would be 21,000 litres. 

In one day, Air Canada and Westjet carry approximately 4200 people from Toronto to Vancouver(one way).  At 2 people per car, 6,540,000 road kilometres would be driven, resulting in

• Total fuel burn of 451,260 litres of fuel (vs approx 344,000 for aircraft)
• 260 automobile tires sent to landfill (100k per set of tires)
• An increase in CO2 emissions of 73,000 kg
• An equivalent of 22 car lifetimes (22 cars would be "retired" to landfill every day) (300,000 km per car lifetime)
• 1 death every 24 days due to the additional road miles (1.2 deaths per 160 million km) (15 people per year)

None of this takes into account the energy, cost and destruction of trees, waterways and animal habitat caused by building roads.  If everyone who currently flew, drove - additional road infrastructure would have to be increased, destroying trees, affecting waterways and animal habitat.

So, even with "car pooling" 2 people per car, airplanes are more pollution/energy efficient than automobiles.

Uncomfortable? Compared to what?

Unaffordable? C'mon now...Airline tariffs are lower than they ever have been. It's much cheaper to fly today as opposed to the 1970s/80s/90s. Hence air travel has lost its romance and has become as commonplace as taking a Greyhound bus. The fares are much lower - the difference is in the taxes applied - none of which the airlines keep.

You guys remind me of some sports fans  who think because they watch sports are world experts - NOT!!! More like inept armchair quarterbacks!

Hey Anonymous, you must be some lackie from big labour.  Is you name Buzz?  I will fly with the airline that gives me the best service at the best price.  And that does not seem to be AC.  Why would you make appologies for them?  They are dodos...soon to be gone.  If the employees weren't such assholes I might cut them some slack.  And by the way my mother started in the airline biz with Pacific Western Airlines in the 70's to later join Canadian Airlines and then Air Canada.  I have flown on hundreds of flights with just about every carrier and AC sucks at any price!  I hope they go under and some decent company takes over.   

Not exactly they way it happens. I think you've been speaking to some disgruntled wannabees who weren't good enough to hold a spot on the line. Pilots are paid commensurate to their aircraft type rating. And the only way to climb that ladder to a larger aircraft rating and higher pay scale is by  accruing seniority. Junior pilots aren't given the opportunity to fly widebodies - something that would hurt AC big time if they let go of their senior highest paid pilots on the 777/767.

The point is, that everybody loves to trash airlines, especially AC, as the Canadian public seems to think that they own the company. Hell, half of the Canadian public still thinks AC is crown operated. It's been twenty years since privitization. And it drives me nuts that people bitch about the airlines - all the while being fleeced by the government who impose ridiculous security fees, air navigation fees, and airport fees.

Funny...we get hosed by oil companies, banks, cell phone companies etc...yet everyone always bitches about the airlines. because they assume they're in the know because they've traveled. Kinda like saying you're a gourmet chef because you've eaten fine foods hundreds of times.