Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 01/99) - First Air and Canadian North are looking to beat the winter blues by enticing Northerners on board.

Both airlines are offering seat sales up to about 70 per cent off regular excursion rates.

Makivik-owned First Air says it's marketing move is part of a celebration of the creation of the new North.

The deals apply to flights occurring between Feb. 8 and April 15. Booking deadline is Feb. 15.

First Air is offering Iqaluit to Ottawa return for $549, about half the regular excursion fare.

The sale means travellers can get from Iqaluit to Pangnirtung for $149 and to Pond Inlet for $449. These seats regularly go for about $350 and $1,000.

Return tickets from Yellowknife to Edmonton or Rankin or Cambridge Bay are running $349 GST. That amount applies to flights booked seven days in advance and include staying over a weekend.

The Yellowknife to Edmonton return normally costs $600 to $700.

"Over the coming months, our customers will see new initiatives that enhance the flow of people and goods and services between Northern communities and to the south," First Air president Bob Davis said.

The company unveiled the program, dubbed Celebration '99, to its 1,000 employees in Yellowknife, Iqaluit and Ottawa earlier this week. The airline also launched a passenger-focused campaign at the same time.

"This is an exciting opportunity for all of us at First Air to celebrate what will be a historic and eventful year in the North," said Jim Ballingall, First Air vice-president, marketing and sales.

First Air, owned by Makivik Corp., flies to about 30 Northern communities.

Kelly Kaylo, director of marketing and sales at Canadian North, a member of the NorTerra Group, said Canadian North has included a number of southern destinations in the seat sale, like Calgary and Toronto, she adds. "This is a sale we have done in past years."