Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 08/99) - Fourteen-and-a-half years ago, Eva Onalik inspired pride in her fellow Inuit at 33,000 feet.

Recalling with emotion just how forceful the experience was, Onalik said it meant a great deal to both her clients and to herself to be able to converse in Inuktitut aboard an aircraft.

"They were really proud to hear their own language on an airplane," said Onalik, a former flight attendant for Canadian Airlines.

Now, in 1999, those same Inuit own the aircraft -- and the airline -- and Onalik is still impressing them, albeit on the ground.

"I'm the sales and government relations manager for Canadian North," said Onalik, who left after 15 years with Canadian Airlines at the end of September to join the NorTerra Group of Companies.

Jointly owned by the Nunasi Corp. and the Inuvialuit Development Corp., NorTerra purchased Canadian North last year.

Since then, they've reinstated the scheduled flight to Ottawa from Iqaluit and just last week, Oct. 31, the airline bumped that service up to six days a week.

First Air flies to Ottawa seven days a week.

Launching the new schedule with a community luncheon, a drum dance and a draw for free airplane tickets last Tuesday afternoon, director of marketing and sales Kelly Kaylo said the six-day service was a promise they'd made to their shareholders in the spring. The only roadblock had been acquiring the combination passenger-cargo 737 aircraft they planned to use for the flight, but as soon as it became available, Kaylo said it was all systems go.

"We're really excited to be back here today with more frequent flights and more choices," said Kaylo.

"We're here to celebrate the six days a week service."

Also at the request of their shareholders, Kaylo said they were continuing in their efforts to offer more culturally-appropriate service onboard.

Including having Onalik board the plane with their customers to deliver the safety message in Inuktitut until they acquire the appropriate language tapes, Kaylo said they were planning to offer more country foods next month.

"We're bringing char in on our next meal rotation in the fall. That has been the most popular of the country foods, both from a Northern and a southern perspective," said Kaylo.

Based on shareholders' input, she said they were still deciding what other foods to offer and further added that they were looking at different programs and services to make travel for large families with children easier.

"That's a big part of the market here. Even the colouring books and sticker books are designed for a southern audience."

Finally, Kaylo noted that during a recent workshop held for their managers, John Amagoalik spoke and reiterated the importance of suggestions he made at their inaugural launch in Ottawa in April.

Kaylo said those suggestions had since been incorporated to make their service more sensitive to the needs of Nunavummiut.

"We'll be putting on a hot beverage service with the cold beverage service so that tea and coffee can be offered first or at the same time. It won't be bar service first. It was a great suggestion and one of the things (John Amagoalik) would know that the market was looking for."