Island Airport Jets Bid Called 'Political'

November 10, 2003

Island Airport Jets Bid Called 'Political'
Port Authority suspicious of Air Canada Jazz request
But airline says matter never intended for public debate

Toronto Star, Canada

Air Canada Jazz's request to fly jets in and out of the island airport is
bogus, a political move possibly aimed at stopping the anticipated
construction of a fixed link bridge, says the head of the Toronto Port
Authority.

Lisa Raitt, port authority chief executive officer, also said in an
interview with the Star that the airline is reducing service from seven
return flights to five or six daily.

But Air Canada Jazz president Joseph Randell said the request to fly jets
in and out of the island airport is "absolutely not" political. And
although service is down from last year, the airline is actually adding a
flight to its schedule beginning today, he said. Throughout the summer,
five return flights were operating daily and that is increasing to six.

The request for jets was never intended to become a huge public debate,
Randell said.

"This is political," Raitt said. "I don't know if it is involved with the
election here. It could be political in the sense of making sure another
carrier doesn't get to operate out of the island airport. I almost think
that Jazz would rather see us have to close the island airport completely
rather than have competition at the airport."

Randell said he welcomes and encourages competition, but it should be fair
competition, he said.

Air Canada has been flying turboprops out of the island airport since
1990, but under the expansion plan, the majority of commercial slots are
being given to Robert Deluce's startup airline, REGCO.

The anticipated construction of a fixed link bridge has been a
controversial issue in the municipal election with mayoral frontrunners
David Miller and John Tory taking opposite positions. Miller's waterfront
plan does not include a bridge to the island, while Tory supports the
project.

"The eve before a municipal election they (Air Canada Jazz) send a letter
saying we want to start flying jets. They didn't call me; they didn't pick
up the phone. It is either Joe Randell trying to see whether or not he can
prevent us from building the bridge completely knowing that the politics
here are terrible, or he is being put up to this by somebody else," Raitt
said.

Jazz is disappointed with the port authority's refusal to introduce jets
to the island airport, Randell said.






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