Iqaluit to meet with competition bureau over First Air/Canadian North codeshare

Iqaluit City Council will meet with Canada's Competition Bureau in October to voice concerns over the codeshare agreement between the two major airlines that fly to Nunavut communities, Canadian North and First Air.

Codeshare problems meant Iqaluit resident Riita Strickland and her two boys had trouble getting home after visiting family in Pangnirtung last week.

She had bought Pivut fare tickets from Canadian North but because of the codeshare agreement, she was given seats on First Air. When Strickland's family got to the airport to come home, First Air didn't have their reservations.

"They weren't receiving any Canadian North-purchased tickets with the codeshare program," she said. "Because of that, all of their flights were overbooked by at least two days." 

Deputy mayor Romeyn Stevenson said even the city has problems, most recently with getting caribou meat flown in for the elders' feast.

"We waited a long time for stuff that had been ordered well in advance to get here," he said.

"We knew it was at cargo in Rankin Inlet but wasn't making the flight because it was getting bumped and getting bumped and getting bumped." 

The meeting with the Competition Bureau is scheduled for Oct. 5.