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By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Air Canada’s suspension of Kamloops service should be no surprise

Jan 13, 2021 | 4:58 AM

WHY IS ANYONE SURPRISED that Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Kamloops effective Jan. 23?

All the travel restrictions, including the requirement for COVID tests, quarantines and a general inclination for people to stay closer to home, have made it very hard for airlines to keep flying.

In an interesting turn of phrase, Air Canada says demand for air services is currently “stifled.” No kidding. Air traffic is generally down more than 90 per cent.

It’s tempting to be angry at this decision and to talk about the responsibility of Air Canada to the community but airlines don’t operate based on responsibility to communities — they go where the money is.

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To put it bluntly, they have no loyalty to communities, only to the bottom line. This doesn’t make them bad — the airline industry is a tough business to be in. That’s why it constantly changes, with mergers, cutbacks and bankruptcies. Airlines have to literally count their pennies, and it would be a bit much to expect Air Canada to continue serving Kamloops while losing money, just so we aren’t inconvenienced.

We can go looking for some other airline — such as WestJet or Central Mountain Air — to fill the void. That’s what Mayor Ken Christian is going to do but his chances are slim. If Air Canada can’t make a go of it, it’s doubtful a smaller carrier can, especially in these times and when they know it will be a temporary gig.

We’ve had a lot of airlines and a lot of airline services come and go here. More will undoubtedly come and go in the future, and it will always depend on whether they can make a profit.

Air Canada temporarily suspended its Kamloops service earlier this year and was soon back. It will be back again as soon as it can put enough bums in seats. Until then we’ll just have to grin and bear it.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.