flights to and from Mon- cton to Charlottetown each day, but both~ the flights £2 Moncton leave late in the evening, 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm, too late to make connec- tions anywhere. And both flights from Moncton leave that airport early in the morning, 6:45 am and 8:30 am., too_ear1y for a traveller to have arrived there by air from any other destin— ation.

In fact, the awkward timing of these flights means that anyone wishing to spend a shopping or business day in Moncton

must spend two overnights

there before he can get a return flight to t e

Island! of all Canadian cities and provinces, Charlotte— town and the whole of Prince Edward Island are the only Canadian capital city and province from which there is no direct (toll-free telephone) access_to information on Air Canada routes, fares and services! Eastern Provincial provides only 7a connection to the nat— ional airlines and a tra- veller from P.E.I. must use one of the larger airlines if he is to go beyond the Atlantic area or Montreal. Yet from this province no free direct information on any such further service, connections, rates of routings is available to the traveller. He is ad- vised to use the services

of EPA or of a local travel agent, and altho— ugh these sources are no doubt well-meaning and well-intentibned, they are frequently and recur- rently unaware, mistaken, and incorrect. ‘

It is not the intention of this brief to blame these sources of inform- ation; the blame lies full-square on Air Canada and the Canadian Trans— port Commission for fail- ing to provide a whole Canadian Province with direct toll-free tele- phone access to the per— sonnel of the national airline and through them to the computer—links which they have immed-\ iately available. It is a national scandal that hundreds of foreign cit- ies and entire states of our neighbour to the south have direct toll— free telephone access to Air Canada services, while a Canadian prov- ince has none at all!

The airport terminal and runway facilities at Charlottetown are also, grossly disproportional in a negative way to the buildings and services supplied at correspond— ing Canadian cities. The passenger through—traffic in Charlottetown is gr- eater than that at Fred— ericton. Both are prov- incial capitals. Yet the facilities available.at Charlottetown's airport are greatly inferior. The air connections to Fred- ericton are poor and,

cumbersome. The connect- ions to Newfoundland

are very expensive and even worse. .

The cumulative effect of these and other dis— parities and discrimin- atory policies makes Prince Edward Islanders "Second Class Citizens" in the Canadian context.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1) That provisions be made that residents of Prince Edward Island and their visitors immead- iately receive at least the same benefits on air fare rates and policies as residents of other

The cadre, Sept 24, J974, pg 7

parts of Canada. 2) In view of the spec- ial transportational req— uirements arising from the island nature of the province, air fare rates and services to P.E.I. shOuld discriminate in favour of Island resid- ents and their visitors. 3) Direct access without charge to the inform- ation and reservation

. services available thr— ough Air Canada should be provided in Prince Edward Island immead- iately. 4) Facilities and ser- vices should be provided at Charlottetown airport commensurate with the flow of traffic, the num— ber of passengers, and the provincial capital status of the city.

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