Canadian North backs down on bags
Airline responds to customer concerns over recent lowering of weight limits
Walter Strong
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 10, 2014
NUNAVUT
Canadian North airlines recently reintroduced its 70 pound weight limit per piece of checked baggage on regular passenger flights.
Canadian North employees load baggage onto a scheduled Yellowknife to Edmonton flight at the Yellowknife airport. Canadian North has reverted to its former baggage limits after customer feedback suggested reduced baggage weight allowances introduced Feb. 1 were not well-received. - NNSL file photo |
This reverses its decision to reduce weight allowances for checked baggage from 70 pounds per bag to 50 pounds per bag, which had taken effect Feb. 1.
"We listened to our customers on that," Canadian North spokesperson Scott Weatherall said. "Customers indicated that 50 pounds just doesn't cut it in the Arctic, west or east."
"We've reinstated two bags at 70 pounds each, free of charge."
While reintroducing the original higher baggage weight limit makes things better for Canadian North customers, it left the airline facing the same set of problems that provoked the weight allowance decrease.
When the weight reduction was introduced, it was described by Weatherall as a decision based on the need to balance cargo, freight and passenger requirements.
"Part of the reason we went to 50 pounds each is because we were having problems with passenger versus cargo weights," Weatherall said. "That extra 40 pounds of load was causing some headaches for fuel consumption and cargo loads."
Ticket holders will be check two 70 pound bags free of charge because the airline has leased a new jet to serve as a cargo freighter on its Ottawa to Iqaluit route, starting March 19.
"With the introduction of a new cargo freighter we can offload some of the cargo being carried by our combi-aircraft and focus more on our passenger's loads," Weatherall said.
Combination passenger and cargo - combi-aircraft - are what the Boeing 737 200s Northern Air flies to both Yellowknife and Iqaluit.
Weatherall described the 737s as the ideal aircraft for the North, carrying 72 passengers and approximately 12,000 pounds of cargo at the same time.
"It's the perfect aircraft for the North," Weatherall said. "We'll continue to use those."
The cargo-only 727 will carry up to 48,000 pounds of cargo, freeing ground crews to load combi-aircraft with a focus on passenger cargo requirements.
