Travel to Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia, Tourism, and Travel Issues

February 18th, 2009

Icelandair Flies Back to Halifax for 2009


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icelandairA year ago I was pretty excited that Icelandair was coming back to Halifax, albeit on a part-time basis. This seasonal service worked out very well for the airline and provided another port-of-entry for European travelers into Canada and another foreign airline for Halifax.

Beginning June 4th the airline will fly into Halifax on Mondays and Thursdays until October 22nd.  However, on July 11th, the airline will add Saturdays to the visits until September 3rd. Robert Keddy, the airline’s sales manager in Canada, remarked that Icelandair is till going over the feasibility of flying to Halifax all year round.

Like the rest the world, Iceland is going through rough financial times due to the sub-prime lending crisis. However, because of its small population the island nation does not have the reserves to weather a lengthy recession and this is causing political turmoil. This is remarkable because up until last year Iceland was called “the Nordic Tiger.” But recently the króna, Iceland’s currency, has fallen over 22% against the Euro and the banks are in deep trouble.

This was a bad break for both Canada and Iceland because in 2007 the Canadian government finally wised up and worked out a deal giving the airlines from each other’s countries unlimited access to the other’s airports. The hugh fuel costs and deepening recession has put this proposal back but the familiar Boeing 757′s will be back on Halifax’s tarmac, at least on a part-time basis.

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February 17th, 2009

Starlink Route to Portland Approved


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starlinkDuring the past half-decade Nova Scotia has taken a big hit when it comes to transportation portals, especially the South Shore. The Prince of Fundy ferry  from Maine set the schedules for many tourism events and room nights in the area. For example three-day tours were designed around the arrival and departure times of the ferry. So when the ferry service stopped this whole delicate balance was thrown to the wind and many tourism operators were hurt.

But what about the Cat ferry? Well, yes it does originate in Maine but the new schedules didn’t mesh with the established tourism market in southern Nova Scotia. Hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments and other attractions suffered from the disruption of services and this financial downturn was deepened last year when oil reached record heights along with the soaring Canadian dollar.

The U.S. Transportation Department has given permission Quebec’s Starlink Airlines to run an 18-seat turboprop between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on a twice-daily basis. Not only will the service extend to the main hub of Halifax, the other Starlink route, it will also be in position for Maritimers and Americans alike to connect with major airlines that fly into Portland like Continental, Northwest U.S. Airways, United Airlines, JetBlue and Air Tran.

What this means to Nova Scotia travelers is that they have an alternative to Newark, New York and Toronto as connecting cities  for U.S. destinations like Florida. In return Americans from new England have a choice between a ferry ride and flying to Halifax via Yarmouth.

One-way fares are not cheap: $149 from Yarmouth to Portland and $249 from Halifax to Portland. However, the convenience, in many cases, is worth it. For an American it’s only $200 versus a bus ride from Halifax to Yarmouth and then a long ferry ride.

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December 24th, 2008

Air Travel Delays – Real Time on Twitter


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As I said in yesterday’s blog one of the worst things that can happen during a holiday is to be stuck at an airport. And besides a death in the family or being severrly injured th thrid worst thing is having to stay fo almost a week. That is what travelers stuck at the Vancouver International Airport are going through right now. One of them is a singing group from a country in Asia.

A great thing about Twitter is that the posts are in real time. You can read about what people are actually thinking as it happens. In this blog I have included some of these posts – without the names of course.

“We felt like hostages’: Passengers on delayed Vancouver-Toronto flight : Passengers on Air Canada Flight 156.”

“You’ll be amazed to find that like Santa, your mail actually travels by air. Yes, (Name), I may get it sooner than April. Yay!

I’m in a really narky mood. It would help if the guy next door STOPPED SHOUTING for five **** seconds. Seriously? He doesn’t stop for air.”

12 hour delay sitting on Air Canada plane = $500 voucher’

. . . .is heading out to pick up sis Sarah who got stuck in STL last night. Poor girl needs some good travel luck! Woot Xmas!”

“. . . .arrived safe and sound in western minnesota. no travel problems or delays. crh was up at 6 am to play in the snow, about 60 cm on the ground”

The travel gods have smiled. Aisle seat in an exit row.”

O the joys of air travel.”

Enjoying my dad’s curiously strong coffee while devouring a travel blog that’s new to me. Not a bad way to start the day!”

Wow, feeling sorry for people trying to travel today. The entire airline system is wedged, sounds like. But the storm was days ago.”

Someone needs to build a travel site with ratings for airlines built in. Unfortunately air travel is not quite commoditized.”

So, there you have an up-to-date Twitter report from those who are still stranded and those who are finding out other things about Christmas travel.

Cheers and Merry Christmas,

Kim

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December 23rd, 2008

Airport Delays


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flight delay, flight delaysEvery year the Christmas season brings with it weather conditions that may transform a fun journey into difficult time. Here are a few sites that you can access directly for flight delays in your area. Maybe you can avoid these crunches in the future.

Federal Aviation Administration: This is a great map with all the major airports. Just click on the green spots and you will get an airport update. Regional maps are also available through this site. In this way you can see smaller airport like Bangor, Maine.

Flight Stats: This gives similar information to the FAA but you can see the weather maps at a glance.

Weather.com: What I like about this site is that it gives you the complete forecast for your whole trip. Just fill in the blanks with all the legs of your journey and you have an up-to-date forecast.

Flight Arrivals.com: This site is a comprehensive information center for both the U.S. and Canada, not only for getting weather but for all year service. Any schedule changes will show up here.

AvoidDelays.com: For you pessimists out there here is a site that actually rates the airports. It will give you live, up to the minute details of delays and also will tll you how many flights were delayed on a certain day at a certain airport. In addition, on a month-by-month basis it will list:

  • Top 10 Most Delayed Departure Airports
  • Top 10 Most Delayed Arrival Airports
  • Top 10 Worst Times to Fly into Most Delayed Airports
  • Advice From Air Traffic Controllers
  • Report Your Complaint
  • Tips and Tricks for Avoiding Delays

There you have it. Now you never have to sleep in an airport again.

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February 8th, 2008

Gimli Glider Retires


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gimli glider, air canada

Photo byWayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press

 

Two Guys, a 767 and a Calculator

One of the most famous aircraft that ever took to the skies (next to The Memphis Belle, The Enola Gay and The Spirit of St. Louis) was The Gimli Glider. Because on July 23, 1983 - a very memorable day for the racing enthusiast who gathered in Gimli, Manitoba, just north of Winnipeg veteran pilots – Bob Pearson and Maurice Quintal, in the cockpit of Air Canada Flight 143, made one of the greatest “dead stick” landings in history. Thus began the legend of The Gimli Glider.

The aircraft was a new Boeing 767 and because of a mistake in fuel calculation (Canada had yet to convert all measurements to metric) the big jet was under-fueled. When the fuel ran out Pearson glided the 767 at 220 knots with Copilot Quintal began making glide-slope calculations to see if they’d make Winnipeg but he calculated that Winnipeg was going to be too far. He advised Pearson to turn north to Gimli, the site of an abandoned Royal Canadian Air Force Base around 12 miles away.

Drag Strip Runway

Quintal was familiar with Gimli because he’d been stationed there during his time in the Canadian Air Force. However, unknown to him and the air traffic controllers in Winnipeg, the 6800 foot runway he chose was now being used for auto racing and a steel guard rail had been installed down most of the southeastern portion dividing it into a two lane dragstrip.

This just happened to be “Family Day” for the Winnipeg Sports Car Club with go-cart racing for kids. Parked around the sides were dozens of cars, campers, kids, and families.

Front Wheels Don’t Lock Down

The Ram Air Turbine, a propeller driven hydraulic pump tucked under the belly of the 767 are supposed to supply hydraulic pressure to move the control surfaces and enable a dead-stick landing. So down came came the landing gear – almost. there was not enough pressure so a manual override was attempted right out of the manual. The main gear came down but not the nose gear. As it landed two tires blew with explosive force as Pearson jumped on the brakes. Then the unlocked nose gear gave away and the giant aircraft sprayed a shower of sparks as the nose skidded on the tarmac. Luckily everyone cleared away and no one on the 767 was injured.

A commander of one of the space shuttle flights said later, “It was one of the greatest dead-stick landings in history.”

In a few days Air Canada Aircraft #604 was repaired enough to be flown out of Gimli. After approximately $1,000,000 in repairs #604 started back on its schedule and flew without incident until its forced retirement on January 24, 2008.

The Boeing 767 – Canadian air registration C-GAUN – is now parked in the desert.

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