Andrew Currie Online

Nothing earth-shattering today, just another rant about Air Canada, the airline I’m pretty much stuck with until I move to another country…

If you’ve seen my Bermuda photos on Flickr then you know I’m not too happy with Air Canada’s new paint scheme. Seriously, that tail fin makes this Airbus look like a cheap after-dinner mint!

And now I hear that their paint scheme is going from bad to worse—check out this pic from Airliners.net:

The idea behind the bare aluminum finish is that it saves weight and therefore increases the fuel efficiency of the aircraft. But does Air Canada pass on the savings to their passengers? Hell no, we’re still paying the same fuel surcharges that were conveniently introduced right after the start of the Iraqi war.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Who cares about how the plane looks on the outside if you’re going to be spending ninety-nine percent of your time on the inside?”

Well, consider this scenario: Your Air Canada flight pulls into its berth at a swanky international airport and all the other passengers in other aircraft, along with the ground crew and your loved ones waiting for you in the terminal shake their heads in unison and say: “Poor Canada, they can’t even afford to paint their own airplanes. It must be a pretty crappy place to live or visit…”