Air Canada to benefit from U.S. visa requirement: analyst

[Newsjock]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/02/06/aircanada-international050206.html

CALGARY - A U.S. anti-terrorism measure could provide a big gain for Air Canada, an airline analyst says.

The U.S. now requires travellers who change planes in the U.S. to get a visa, even if they don't leave the airport, says Rick Erickson, an independent Calgary-based analyst.

But travellers en route between Asia, Europe and South America who might transfer in the U.S. are now looking at Canada, where there is no comparable requirement.

That could be worth up to $350 million US for Air Canada, and even more if international flyers break their trip to spend a few days in Toronto or Vancouver, he said.

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[Benhurst]

1. Send in the clowns! Oh, wait ... They are

already here and running the government. :silly: :silly: :silly:

[American Renaissance]

2. we are moving some stuff to Canada for this reason,

Because so many of our people overseas in South Asia, Africa and South America have trouble getting visas, most of the work that requires their frequent presence has been moved from Houston, Baltimore and Seattle to Montreal. Were actually looking at building a 6 story building in Montreal for 2007.

(you would be blown away by how much money we can save in Canada, just in benefits alone since we only have to provide dental, pharma and vision coverage)

Playing the endless visa games with US consolates overseas (most of which are staffed by useless ivy leauge slackers) gets expensive and frusterating.

All of the people in question are all upstanding highly educated members of society, but their all treated like their reason for traveling to the US is illegal immigration.

[peacetalksforall]

3. Brilliant! Now we are outsourcing passengers.

U.S. airlines are flush with cash and don't really need the business?

[GetTheRightVote]

4. looks like we are sending our business over seas to the neighbor now

:kick:

[Mika]

5. How long before Canada is named part of the Axis of Evil?

Allowing terra-ists to pass thru without being biometrically scanned?

---

[Vogon_Glory]

6. Just Imagine In The Caribbean If...

Just imagine what would happen if some clever foreign air carrier teamed up with Nassau, Freeport, or Santo Domingo's airport to provide international connections without air passengers having to touch US shores and deal with US immigration chicken-shit on their way from Europe to somewhere else in the Western Hemisphere. Or perhaps either Fidel or Hugo Chavez could pick up the ball and run with it if they so chose.

I met a young Venezuelan several years ago who had run afoul of such regulations even before 9/11. What she went through was extremely unpleasant.

The Fortress America mindset might or might not keep our fellow US citizens safe. But there's nothing--NOTHING--that means that it will be of any great help to US air carriers trying to stay profitable in a competitive international market where the US isn't the all-important destination that it was in the latter half of the 20th century.