The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- How You Would Improve Air Travel in Canada

Episode Date: February 15, 2024

This week's question was simple -- what one thing would you do to improve air travel in Canada? Your answers certainly show what concerns you most and it has to do with baggage. Lots of entries today competing for the first place prize! Also the Random Ranter takes his swing at auto theft -- what he thinks the real problem is.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, it's your turn. One thing you'll do to make air travel easier. Plus, the random renter on auto thefts. And hello there, Peter Ransbridge, and so I almost said Stratford, Ontario. But I'm not in Stratford, Ontario today. I'm in Toronto. Beautiful downtown Toronto. Well, not so beautiful all the time.

Certainly not if you're driving downtown. I had to come into Toronto for an appointment yesterday, you know, and it took me almost an hour to get from one part of downtown to another part of downtown. Because there's so much construction work going on. You know, I don't know. I guess you don't want to dig up the streets during tourist season, so let's dig it up when the normal residents are here. But here in Toronto, off late, it doesn't matter what season it is. It's construction all the time.

Putting in new sewers, tearing up tracks, putting in tracks, putting in bike lanes, taking out parking spots, whatever. It just never stops. Anyway, that's not why we're here today, are we? We're here today for your answer to the question, one thing you do to improve air travel. Plus, as I said at the beginning of the week, I'd listen to some other issues you might want to bring up as well.

There weren't a lot of them, actually, but there were some, and we'll get to them later on. But we're going to deal with the one part of air travel that you'd like to see improved, that you think would improve the overall story. And there was a certain sameness to some of the answers. And I'll tell you why. Because I think we all feel the same way. For those of us who travel by air because of our jobs, because of what have you.

In the last few years, ever since they started charging for a checked bag, people have gone, oh, well, that's easy to get around. I'll just have more carry-on. And I'll get the biggest possible carry-on bag, and I'll stuff it full of stuff. And so what happens now is you have the race for the overhead bins when they call the flight and people trying to cram their cabin baggage into those overhead bins. And you know what happens?

It gets full, and then people have to start going up and down the aisle trying to find a spot somewhere to stick their bag, and it's never anywhere near their seat. And therefore, when the plane starts to plane, you have people walking every which way trying to get their bags. Anyway, as I said, there were more than a few people who felt that was the important answer to give this week. So let's get at it, see what other issues and other ideas you had this week. Sorry if my voice sounds a little hoarse. I think I was yelling hard at the television the other night during a hockey game.

Anyway, here we go. Linda McKay, she's in Alberta. I would make check baggage free and charge for onboard baggage. I think this would solve a lot of problems, including how fast the plane can load and unload. David McIntyre, who writes from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, had a similar feeling. I'd make all check bags free and charge for overhead. This will greatly speed up both boarding and deplaning. And I like David's letter because he also added a PS. My first commercial flight was a 737 on Transair. He must have heard me talking about my old employer,

Transair. So he was on a flight from Thunder Bay to Toronto in 1974, and that was the first time he'd ever flown commercial. Good for you, Dave. Jeff Spilger. Jeff Spilger from Grand Prairie, Alberta. I knew when the airlines brought in the fee for the first checked piece of luggage, people would bring large suitcases on board, leaving no room in the overhead bins. Airlines should allow the first checked bag for free

and charge passengers for large carrying-on items, the reverse of the way it is now. This would free up room in the overhead bins and speed up the boarding process, which is slowed when people are trying to cram their items in the overhead bins and maybe have to store their items quite far from their seat. When I fly, I pay the fee for checked luggage and just bring my backpack on board and tuck it under the seat in front of me, because I know there will be little if any room in the overhead bins. Don Dufour in Ottawa, hands down my one suggestion for airline improvement is to include

one free checked bag for every ticket sold. Of course, abiding by current weight and size standards. I find it crazy the number of people who take carry-ons and occupy all overhead bin space to the detriment of other travelers who may just want to throw their jacket or knapsack up there, like in the old days. Not to mention the pre-flight exercise I hear each time I travel, looking for volunteers to check their carry-on bags for free because of a full flight. Jamie Hastings in Bracebridge, Ontario, or Bradenton, Florida. I guess he's a snowbird. The biggest change I would like to see in air travel is to have the airlines enforce the regulations regarding carry-on items.

Steamer trunks do not fit in overhead bins. The size of the baggage that some people are allowed to bring on a plane is totally ridiculous. I'd not ask airline personnel to be confrontational, but I would like to see this situation addressed. What drives me crazy sometimes is when I'm sitting on the plane and watch people coming on the plane and they just look, they don't even get to their seat. They look for the first available space, wherever it may be on the plane, to stick their bag up top.

And so by the time the person who actually is sitting in that seat underneath that spot gets there, there's nowhere they can put their bag. Rachel Evans in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. But she lives in Allison, Ontario. I guess these are people who are on holidays, who heard this, heard the bridge, and they're just going by their latest experience

on the flight down to Mexico. Anyway, Rachel writes, to increase the efficiency of airlines and to reduce carry-on passenger anxiety, I recommend that all carry-on luggage, Anyway, Rachel writes, Everyone's compartment would be waiting for them, and it would eliminate the crowding of the boarding gate as there would be no need for anxiety about finding a compartment for one's bag. I'm not sure, Rachel. That's usually three people in one bin. Now, you know, they're bags. Now, that should be able to fit, but not with the size of some of the bags, as somebody

mentioned here a minute ago, that seem to get on the planes these days. Andrew Menard in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I work for a major Canadian airline flying the Boeing 737. Canadian airlines say they don't fly the Boeing 737-9 MAX, but Air Canada, WestJet, Flair Airlines, and Lynx Air all fly the 737-8 MAX. As most people travel with only carry-on luggage, let's do away with the check-in counter and baggage drop system, with the exception of oversized items. You know, golf bags, that kind of thing. Skis.

Everyone tags your own bags at the gate, and they go down the slide to the aircraft. Your bag is now guaranteed to be on the plane. Bags would still go to the carousel at destination. A slight modification of the departure gate may be needed to accommodate this. Your bag is now guaranteed to be on the plane. Captain, you can make that guarantee. Really? Want to know the number of times my bag has not arrived?

It's usually a golf bag. Adam Dufour in Amsterdam, Newfoundland. I don't know. It can't be Newfoundland. We had a look, couldn't find an Amsterdam in Newfoundland or Labrador. So this must be the Amsterdam in the Netherlands, right? All right. My suggestion for airlines would be to limit the use of jet bridges.

They are also slow-moving and have caused fatalities in the past. I haven't heard of that. A simple set of stairs, or better yet, two sets of stairs, are quicker to deploy and allow speedier boarding and deplaning. I'm sure accessibility issues are trickier to handle, and North American infrastructure is not ideal for this strategy, but many budget airlines in Europe seem to be operating this way with no issues. That's certainly the case in Inverness, Scotland.

They don't use bridges. They still wheel up the stairs to the side of the plane. Doesn't seem to slow anybody down. Rosemary Fletcher in Gimli, Manitoba. And we know, we know about all the flying in Gimli. The Gimli glider. What was that? Was that a 767 ran out of gas over northwest Ontario

and literally glided into the old airport at Gimli, which was being used as a racetrack or something for car racing. And they landed on the old runway in Gimli. Heroes, those pilots. Okay. those pilots. Okay, let's get to the letter from Rosemary Fletcher. I'd love for the airlines to allow you to transfer your ticket to someone else if you can't make your flight for whatever reason. And secondly, if I may, please,

please allow me to bring however much lotions and potions and hair products in my carry-on that I want to. Barbara Stone. I'm pretty sure she's in Toronto. She didn't tell us where she was, but her phone number's there, and it's 416 area code, Toronto. The one thing I would change is for the airline to sell tickets that could be transferable. This would allow me to have less concern about changing plans and reduce the need for cancellation insurance or change fees. More like buying theater or concert tickets.

That makes sense. Raj Krishnan in Toronto. Airlines could stop charging exorbitant change fees when you want to change your flight. Change fees can be as high as $250 per person per change, and those are ridiculous numbers. I'm actually hesitant to plan air travel because of these fees sometimes. The airlines would make more money by dropping these fees through more people making bookings. Harold Gold in Calgary. It should be more than obvious when it comes to improving airline performance,

the answer is money. In Europe and the United States, there are significant penalties that need to be paid to passengers when their flights are either delayed or cancelled. As a result, the airlines that operate out of those regions outperform those regions outperform those here in Canada, where penalties are rarely paid out, if at all. If we just raise the penalties and remove the loopholes currently in place, airlines here will magically improve. Glenn Lee writes from Berlin, Germany. My main concern is not so much with the airlines but

with the airports especially yyz toronto yyz i travel between berlin germany and home to toronto every two years and the chaos at customs gets worse every year. The customs officers are professional and polite, but the staff hired to herd passengers through passport control have a difficult time managing people. Very few people listen to them or obey them. They need to bring back police or people that are intimidating enough that people obey them. And the last time I was there, last summer, many of the passport scanning machines were out of order. Compared to Heathrow, which is incredibly busy, at least people know what to do and how to navigate their way, and the process was simple

and clear. Police stood guard in the background and were quick to keep order. Also, the passport control areas are much larger. At Toronto's airport, five or more full overseas planes unloading turns the passport control room into chaos. You know, I've done a lot of overseas flights in my time, and I still do. And I've got to tell you you i found the reverse i find i find it uh he throw at times in total chaos especially these last couple years and toronto it all depends on what time you land how many other planes are there it can be chaotic in the passport control, but it moves pretty quickly, I've found, even when it's crowded.

So, I'm not arguing with you here, Glenn Lee in Berlin. I'm just saying, different experiences for different people. I don't know, we're getting to the point where we won't even need a passport anymore. It'll all be, you know, a flicker of your eyes looking into a machine that you pass by.

Julie Smith Allen in Lethbridge, Alberta. I think planes should be loaded so the people in the back get on first. Doesn't that just make more sense? Yes. That way we wouldn't be stumbling all over each other and backed up in the aisles. If the first classers feel cheated because they can't sit with their warm towels and gloat as we lower classes walk by, maybe as the last ones on the plane, they can have a special area at each gate where they wait to be called in overstuffed chairs with their own first class Timmy's.

Bud Taylor in Richmond, Virginia. A lot of letters from out of the country this week. My grandson is in his final year at the University of Toronto and took his 2022-23 year at the University of Osaka. He tells me that the boarding process in Japan for domestic flights is very disciplined. First, they board window seats, then middle seats, and finally, aisle seats. This is how they quickly turn around large domestic flights. Never knew that.

Never heard of that before. Interesting. Brian Dickinson in Edmonton. When there's weather, mechanical and crew is late. Just announce what's happening. Just tell us. Mike Thornton, Paris, Ontario. Mike's a pilot, commercial pilot.

Here's one thing that can be done to improve air travel or how airlines operate in Canada is seen from a pilot's perspective. I feel that there should be a short educational video or course of some kind for passengers to take before traveling by air. This only needs to be done once or as often as the passenger likes it after. The course would include how airlines operate, what happens during periods of inclement weather such as snowstorms or thunderstorms. It will cover how a ground stop works, how air traffic control works, and how things like weather, crew duty times, and unscheduled maintenance cancel flights. It could also include airport etiquette, for example. If you choose to stand instead of walk

on a moving walkway or escalator, be courteous and stand to the right so others can pass. I believe that the more we all understand how things work, especially at airports, the more likely we are to approach a frustrating issue like a delay with understanding and a cooler head. I've personally seen enough frustrated passengers who may feel differently if they understood more of the situation behind the scenes and that every decision is made with safety first, always. Okay, Mike, it's a good idea. But just promise me this.

At the end of the educational video, there's not going to be a test, is there? You're not going to have to pass a test to get on the plane. Just kidding. David Oliver writes from Oak Bay, British Columbia. My suggestion for improving air travel, a facility similar to the Air Canada Lounge, but not restricted to elite travelers, devoted to passengers who've missed connections, had flights

canceled, or for other reasons have to wait more than, say, two hours at the airport. I like that. I like that idea. Doug Yarnell in Warman, Saskatchewan. That's north of Saskatoon, not that far north either of Saskatoon. Deregulation, says Doug, allowing foreign carriers would increase competition at lower prices. Ron Kishi in Toronto. I'd like to see airports display the messages that are issued verbally at the gates onto the TV screens that are in the waiting areas. It is often very difficult, if not impossible, to understand what the person giving the announcements is saying. The only place I've seen it done is at the Toronto Island Airport

and only at the Air Canada gate. It was very comforting to see what was said, and the first thing that came to mind was, why can't all airports do this? My wife and I are both hearing impaired, but even when I had perfect hearing, I often could not get what the announcement was saying. Edward Hyde in Pembroke, Ontario. My wife and I haven't traveled since COVID lockdowns,

followed by wars and Canada's mismanagement of airports and airlines. Our plan is not to travel outside of the range of our vehicle in the foreseeable future. If we're to travel by air again, it would require that Canada's air carriers pull themselves up from the bottom of the pile regarding the quality of service provided. As well, they need to greatly improve confidence that we won't get stuck for hours and hours on the tarmac, that we won't get bumped when we arrive at the terminal for a vacation, that we won't become abandoned in another country by a carrier, that when we travel, our luggage and belongings also matter to the carrier.

We will need to clearly see that the airlines truly give a damn about the people they're supposed to serve before giving up any dollars to their industry again. clearly see that the airlines truly give a damn about the people they're supposed to serve before giving up any dollars to their industry again so not one thing but almost everything okay edward um why don't we take a quick break here? We'll take our break. We've still got lots more letters on airlines. We've still got the random ranter on auto theft. And we've got a few of your letters on other topics as well. But first, first up, let's take this quick break,

and then we'll be right back. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge right here on Sirius XM, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or on your favorite podcast platform. Okay, let's get back to our letters. The question of the week was, if you could say one thing, or do one thing, or suggest one thing to improve air travel and airlines in Canada, what would that one thing be? Travis Moore writes from Ottawa, I'd get rid of all the short-haul commercial flights between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City. Instead, I'd have a high-speed rail system constructed between those

cities. When you factor in the security lines, checking of baggage, and other time constraints associated with air travel, it will be quicker to use high-speed rail to commute between those cities. Additionally, trains offer more comforts than modern planes and are better for the environment. Europe does this quite well with its high-speed rail system. Gary Gould of Brantford, Ontario. The one change I'd like to see with air travel is an expedited disembarking procedure. The frustration of an extended wait with irritated travelers grumbling about those ahead of them who are struggling with overhead storage, slow movers, and cramped spaces is just too much to bear considering the next step is a ridiculously long walk to once again

wait for your luggage. Sure wish I had an answer for this, says Gary. Alex, Texas of Fraser Heights, Surrey, BC. I fly four times a year from the lower mainland to the greater Toronto area for work. I would like the airlines to transition to paying for flights per pound flown. And here are my reasons. The flights I typically fly on are already subsidized by cargo that is flown in the cargo area. Flying lighter passengers will allow for more cargo to be flown, which should also decrease the per person flight cost. The second reason why is that I'm 6 foot tall, about 190 pounds, and I could use a bit more elbow room and coach section of the airplane. If the new policy encourages a few people to lose some weight,

to fly more economically, wouldn't that be a win-win for everyone on the planet? And, well, that'd go over. If you're a little heavier than the guy next to you, you're going to pay more for your flight? I don't know about that. Dwight Powell in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. The one thing airlines can do to improve their operation

from a consumer's point of view is to cease overbooking of flights. I don't know what the percentage is now on overbooking. I know when I was in the airline business almost 60 years ago now, we overbooked to a certain percentage because people didn't turn up. And it was sort of, for the most part, scientific. There were times we screwed up and everybody turned up and then you had a real problem on your hands. But most days, the formula worked.

Andrew Faubert in Edmonton, Alberta, or Andrew Fauxbert. I think our airlines should be paying more attention to being competitive in the quality of the product they are providing. Whatever happened to complimentary adult beverages? What about bringing back hot meal service on domestic routes? Some airlines offer seating configuration without the need to sit in the dreaded middle seat. And yes, of course, we all appreciate great customer service. These are some little things that I believe most passengers are willing to spend a little more on if our airlines competed on the quality of the flying experience like they used to.

Christine Ramos in Toronto. I wish airlines would stop serving meals. I generally travel economy and I've never had a meal that I enjoyed. I'm not a picky person really. Most airlines serve meals for flights over two hours. I think most people could get by without a meal for four hours. Also, if food is to be served, how about just snacks like fruits and fresh vegetables or muffins? The amount of food I see on the trolleys as flight

attendants walk by after clearing tray tables shows that I'm not the only one not enjoying these meals. There's so much waste that there should be in-flight raccoons to take care of this. Barb Dawson in Dresden, Ontario. That's southwestern Ontario, I believe. Flying was much more pleasant years ago when there was staffing providing customer service, particularly prior to actually boarding the flights. It would be far less stressful, especially in these times of cancellations and rescheduling, to be able to talk to a real agent on site rather than scrambling to try to get through to a call center somewhere in the world only to speak with someone who's following a scripted dialogue. As a new flyer years ago,

the agent was my savior when I was faced with navigating the airport and check-in procedures. I can only imagine the panic some feel now when faced with an impersonal kiosk and hundreds of people but nobody to truly assist. Perhaps the centralization of staffing jobs as a cost-saving measure was the wrong department to centralize. Please bring back customer service so as a consumer, we feel that our business does matter to the airline we've chosen to fly with. Now, you know the rules. You've got to include the location you wrote from, right?

Dan Tumulty did not remember to do that. However, we're going to make an exception here. I listened to your show Monday, and the part about load distribution and guesstimates for passenger weights brought back memories. When Barbara and I got married, we booked a honeymoon cottage on the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland. In those days, the ferries from Oban, also in Scotland, didn't sail on the Sabbath. We booked a flight from Glasgow on Logan Air, that's the Scottish airline, for the Sunday. Reasonably bright and early on Sunday morning, we showed up at the airport and checked in. Our luggage was weighed and checked in, and the agent asked us individually to step on the scales. Barbara, as with most brides-to-be, had been very conscious of her weight prior to the wedding

to ensure her dress would fit. It did. It was beautiful. She decided that I was making fun of her and the first fight of our married life ensued. The agent pointed out to her that the other two passengers on the flight, a six-seater Cessna or Piper, were somewhat large and the point of weighing was to ensure that the plane was properly balanced. The flight took off and landed safely in Mo. I guess I was forgiven since we've still been married for 53 years this July. I like that story. Thanks for letting us know that story, Dan. The Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland.

Doesn't that sound romantic? Would that be the Mull of Kintyre? Or is that a different Mull? Or a different Kintyre? Whatever it was, it was good enough for Paul McCartney to write about it. Okay, there are your letters about air travel. A lot of different things in there.

So I'm going to have to think about this closely, because there has to be a winner each week who gets a signed copy of one of my books. You know, was it last week? It was last week. We had a winner last week. We announced the winner. Said, you got to send me your address.

Never heard from. Never heard from. So I guess he hasn't listened to the show yet. Or he's not interested in a signed copy of my book. Could be that. Okay. Having said that, if you followed the news in the last week,

you know there's been a lot of discussions, well, the last couple of weeks, a lot of discussions about auto theft in Canada. And political parties have come out with their ideas on how to deal with auto theft. I think Pierre Pelliev was first out of the gate on this. Liberals have been

talking about it as well. They had a big summit just last week on auto theft. So you know who else is thinking about auto theft? Our good friend, the random ranter. He's all over it. Want to hear what he has to say? Of course you do.

So here he is. The random ranter on auto theft. I've been hearing a lot of talk about the auto theft problem lately, and I think people are getting it all wrong. I don't think auto theft itself is the problem. The real problem is organized crime, and auto theft is just the latest and greatest way it's manifesting itself. I mean, when it comes to stolen cars, we all know it's not kids joyriding your vehicle.

It's professionals with sophisticated tools, hacking it, overriding your security systems, programming new keys, sticking it in a container, and then shipping it off to another continent. And there's very little randomness about it. The whole thing is market-driven. There's clear demand for certain vehicles. So if you're driving a late model Lexus or Toyota or Honda or Range Rover, I mean, the list goes on and on, then you've got the supply. And hopefully, it's parked in your garage and not on your driveway. Because if you're on their magic shopping list and you live close enough to a port, well, then it's just a matter of time. And there's not much you can do about it. I mean, they've stolen the justice minister's car three times. This isn't a problem that the government can solve with tougher laws. And I don't even think this is a problem the

manufacturers can solve with more robust security. This is a problem that needs to be solved at the rail yard, at the loading dock, and at the port. And the problem is organized crime, because the criminals aren't just great at stealing your car, they're logistical wizards too. I mean, cars don't disappear on the streets of Toronto and reappear on multiple continents all on their own. It takes some mad skills to make that happen. I mean, the paperwork alone is daunting, even for legitimate shipments. So imagine the level of corruption required to pull off all the illegitimate ones. Because I'm not buying the argument that the CBSA, the port authorities, the railways, and the police are just underfunded or incompetent.

I think some of them are in on it. I mean, that's are in on it. I mean, that's how organized crime works. It corrupts, and it corrupts at all levels. The civil service and law enforcement are no exceptions. They're not just fair targets, they're prime targets. And frankly, the whole situation is getting out of hand. Because it's not just car shipments, it's drugs too. A few weeks ago, they caught a $50 million shipment of meth at the Manitoba border. You aren't shipping a thousand pounds of meth on a whim. So how many shipments made it through before they caught the motherlode? My guess is a lot.

So the real question to me is, was this a triumph for law enforcement? Was this the result of some kind of intelligence gathering on their part? Or was it all just luck? Now, I'm no criminal, but if you asked me which would be easier to smuggle, cars or drugs, I'd definitely say drugs. Cars are big and there's no secret to the where and how they're being exported. We understand the logistics, so I don't get why it's so hard. Are we really that inept? Are we really that underfunded? Or is the level of corruption really that bad? As a guy with an understanding of probability who's watched every

season of Narcos, the first two Godfathers, and every film by Scorsese, I'm surprised by the ranter. He's only watched Godfather 1 and 2. He has not watched Godfather 3. Now, I know some people didn't like Godfather 3. I did. I liked it a lot. I liked all three Godfathers. But I think the rancher's thesis is an interesting one.

But it falls apart when he doesn't talk about Godfather III, included in the way he has determined what his thesis is on auto theft. I think it's shameful that you didn't watch Godfather 3, Mr. Renter. I'll save that argument for another day. All right. I'm not going to tell you the winner yet. I'm going to read some of the other letters,

because I promised I would include other letters this week, and there were a few. Sheila Booker writes, another one from Mexico. I'm going to take a guess. I'll take a stab at trying to Guiabitos, Mexico or Ninet, Manitoba I've never heard of either one of those

and I lived in Manitoba Ninet, I don't know that Anyway, Sheila writes After listening to your podcast for about four months now I decided that I needed to become more familiar with Russian politics. I came across two books that have totally blown me away, Red Notice and Freezing Order, both by Bill Browder.

The Magnitsky Act and just how important it is. Canadians need to sit up and take notice of Putin and his regime and just how corrupt they really are. Our government needs to support Ukraine in any way possible, if only to keep Putin repressed. If we help Ukraine, things can change, and for the greater good. Bill Browder is sort of very well known in those who read about modern day Russia

or Russia under Putin because he's had this fight with Putin going on for years. And Bill Browder has been a frequent guest on news channels across North America and across Europe, especially in the UK, for the last couple of years. That doesn't take anything away from his books. His book, especially the first one, Red Notice, is quite something.

Nathalie Perez. She's in Gannon-Ockway, Ontario. It is home for her now. I've come across an interesting topic that's very disturbing. I know you had the random ranter mention this some weeks ago about artificial intelligence, but this was a story on the passionate eye. Deep faking of women's faces on pornography. 90% is fake. about artificial intelligence, but this was a story on the passionate eye. Deep faking of women's faces on pornography.

90% is fake, women's faces. The laws have not been successful in Canada except somewhat in BC. I wonder if this was done to men with their faces on other men, if this law would move forward and be accepted as soon as possible. It's hard to believe this is not illegal. It's an issue.

It's going to become more of an issue. John Dunn in Scarabray Ranch, that's in Cowley, Alberta. I am attentive to the broad swath of opinion on Canadian media, and in particular regarding the CBC, an institution that my generation once not only revered, but equated with our Canadian identity. While listening on Friday, it struck me that the CBC

is now needed more than ever. This is our program last Friday. To be clear, though, what is needed is a modernized version of the CBC of Peter Zosky and all the different people from that era. My own view is that there needs to be bipartisan agreement on a complete reboot of the CBC as a news organization that has minimally a comprehensive Canadian

footprint, that has a culture of unimpeachable objectivity and a governance structure built around that it will be a long road to rebuild the public trust, but that is, in my view, necessary. It would be wonderful if we could have a bipartisan approach to the future of the CBC. I just don't know whether this bipartisan approach is able on any subject.

Brenda Hattie writes this. And this is the last one. She highly recommends this read. I'm not going to read it, but I'm going to tell you what it is, and you can find it. I've read it because Brenda pointed it out to me. But it's Margaret Atwood's Substack column, and all you need to do to find it is just Google

or whatever your search engine is, Substack column. And all you need to do to find it is just Google, or whatever your search engine is, Margaret Atwood Substack, and it'll take you there. But it's basically about, it's about Trump. It's quite the beast. Now, we know she's a brilliant writer. And we know our feelings about Trump. But having said all that, it's still a great read.

And you should read it. Okay. Winner, winner, chicken dinner you know how I every week I say you know name location and keep it short well Brian Dickinson in Edmonton

he wanted to keep it short and he did and he's so right he's so right about this's so right about this. This is his answer to the question, if there's one thing you could do to improve air travel in Canada, what would it be? Here's his answer.

When there is weather, a mechanical situation, or the crew is just late, just tell us, announce what is happening. How many times, for those of you who travel by air, have you sat in an airport

and the plane's delayed and it's delayed and it's delayed and they don't tell you what the hell is going on? This happened to me a short time ago on my book tour. Trying to get from Halifax to an event where people are sitting waiting in

Ottawa for me. And they just didn't tell us. They have come up with some garbled excuse for something. So I finally had to take it into my own hands. I phoned a friend who was in the back rooms of the airlines on the sort of mechanical side of things. I was able to figure out what was going on. So I took another flight.

Couldn't get to Ottawa. Bypass. Went on to Winnipeg, where the next book event was. Anyway, Brian Dickinson in Edmonton. Send me your email me back with your mailing address. I'll get you a copy of one of my books. signed, and off to you in the next few days. Brian's letter was simple. When there's weather, a mechanical situation, or the crew is just late,

announce what is happening. Tell us. I echo that. I thank you for all your letters this week. They're all great wonderful to hear from you again and we'll figure out what next week's question is going to be

and we'll also welcome once again letters on other topics that's it for this day I'm Peter Mansbridge. Tomorrow, good talk. Chantel and Bruce will be here. You want to hear that? Talk to you again then in 24 hours. Thank you.