Air Canada Media and Tourism PEI are announcing a contest this summer featuring 150 free flights to P.E.I.
The announcement came through a press release out of Toronto on Tuesday, the very day that media attention focused on public frustration with delays and sudden schedule changes by Air Canada operations in Charlottetown.
The contest is part of the marketing campaign for the 150th anniversary celebration of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference.
The contest will be presented by Air Canada through in-flight products, digital, print and airport promotions. Contest entry is through the website www.peicontest.com.
The contest will run until August 28, 2014 but appears from the contest web site to have started on April 28.
There will be 75 prizes awarded, each consisting of two round-trip tickets to Charlottetown, valid until Aug. 15 next year. Ticket draws take place every Friday in Toronto at noon Eastern time.
"Thanks to our partnership with Air Canada Media, we're reaching and inspiring more travellers than ever to come explore this vibrant province," said Robert Henderson, minister of tourism and culture.
Neither the Tourism PEI website nor Air Canada's website currently have any indication this contest is up and running.
Last year Tourism PEI and Air Canada Media joined to host a surprise East-Coast-themed party for passengers boarding a Toronto to Montreal flight and awarding one passenger a trip to P.E.I. That 2013 event generated over "15 million media impressions," says the press release.
Getting to and from the Island with Air Canada, however, has been chaotic recently.
Flights to P.E.I. are all operated in the form of sub-contracts with smaller, regional airlines on behalf of Air Canada.
The business model for this arrangement is based on long-term contracts where Air Canada buys the seats on the regional carriers, which in turn lease, operate and maintain the aircraft. The model has suffered through recent increases in fuel costs and decreases in air travel.
Chorus Aviation Inc. had run under the brand Air Canada Jazz which is now part of the Air Canada Express brand, operating mostly jets in the 50-seat range. It has recently emerged from a court battle with Air Canada over its contract arrangements.
In what has been seen by some analysts as blowback, Air Canada has offered additional regional routes to Air Georgian, including Charlottetown to Toronto and Ottawa. That change took effect May 1.
Air Georgian operates Beechcraft 1900D twin-engine turbo-propeller airplanes with a seat capacity of 18, but now also some Canadair Regional Jets.
Air Georgian had been operating under the name Air Alliance but now runs as Air Canada Express.
Air Georgian, taking its name for Georgian Bay in Ontario, has bases in Halifax, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary.
Charlottetown is now serviced by three regional airlines on behalf of Air Canada Express brand.
Charlottetown-Halifax flights are through Gander, Nfld. carrier Exploits Valley Air Services (EVAS Air) using 18-seat Beechcraft propeller aircraft.
Flights involving Toronto and Ottawa are now with Air Georgian, also under the brand Air Canada Express.
Charlottetown-Montreal remains with Chorus Aviation operating with its Air Canada Jazz/Express jets.
There were six Air Georgian flights cancelled in Charlottetown on Tuesday and replaced with Air Canada's own planes, said Doug Newson, Charlottetown Airport Authority CEO
Crew training and federal certification for the jets that are new to Air Georgian operations was the source of the holdup," Newson said Tuesday.
Air Canada Media and Tourism PEI are announcing a contest this summer featuring 150 free flights to P.E.I.
The announcement came through a press release out of Toronto on Tuesday, the very day that media attention focused on public frustration with delays and sudden schedule changes by Air Canada operations in Charlottetown.
The contest is part of the marketing campaign for the 150th anniversary celebration of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference.
The contest will be presented by Air Canada through in-flight products, digital, print and airport promotions. Contest entry is through the website www.peicontest.com.
The contest will run until August 28, 2014 but appears from the contest web site to have started on April 28.
There will be 75 prizes awarded, each consisting of two round-trip tickets to Charlottetown, valid until Aug. 15 next year. Ticket draws take place every Friday in Toronto at noon Eastern time.
"Thanks to our partnership with Air Canada Media, we're reaching and inspiring more travellers than ever to come explore this vibrant province," said Robert Henderson, minister of tourism and culture.
Neither the Tourism PEI website nor Air Canada's website currently have any indication this contest is up and running.
Last year Tourism PEI and Air Canada Media joined to host a surprise East-Coast-themed party for passengers boarding a Toronto to Montreal flight and awarding one passenger a trip to P.E.I. That 2013 event generated over "15 million media impressions," says the press release.
Getting to and from the Island with Air Canada, however, has been chaotic recently.
Flights to P.E.I. are all operated in the form of sub-contracts with smaller, regional airlines on behalf of Air Canada.
The business model for this arrangement is based on long-term contracts where Air Canada buys the seats on the regional carriers, which in turn lease, operate and maintain the aircraft. The model has suffered through recent increases in fuel costs and decreases in air travel.
Chorus Aviation Inc. had run under the brand Air Canada Jazz which is now part of the Air Canada Express brand, operating mostly jets in the 50-seat range. It has recently emerged from a court battle with Air Canada over its contract arrangements.
In what has been seen by some analysts as blowback, Air Canada has offered additional regional routes to Air Georgian, including Charlottetown to Toronto and Ottawa. That change took effect May 1.
Air Georgian operates Beechcraft 1900D twin-engine turbo-propeller airplanes with a seat capacity of 18, but now also some Canadair Regional Jets.
Air Georgian had been operating under the name Air Alliance but now runs as Air Canada Express.
Air Georgian, taking its name for Georgian Bay in Ontario, has bases in Halifax, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary.
Charlottetown is now serviced by three regional airlines on behalf of Air Canada Express brand.
Charlottetown-Halifax flights are through Gander, Nfld. carrier Exploits Valley Air Services (EVAS Air) using 18-seat Beechcraft propeller aircraft.
Flights involving Toronto and Ottawa are now with Air Georgian, also under the brand Air Canada Express.
Charlottetown-Montreal remains with Chorus Aviation operating with its Air Canada Jazz/Express jets.
There were six Air Georgian flights cancelled in Charlottetown on Tuesday and replaced with Air Canada's own planes, said Doug Newson, Charlottetown Airport Authority CEO
Crew training and federal certification for the jets that are new to Air Georgian operations was the source of the holdup," Newson said Tuesday.
