Class Action Lawsuit

As retirees, we all recently received a communication from Air Canada regarding a Class Action lawsuit (Davies v. Air Canada). Air Canada was required by the Quebec Court to send this to all retirees. The communication was approved by the Quebec Court and is a normal part of any Class Action to ensure all parties are fully aware of the details.


You may have received this as an email, or, if Air Canada did not have your valid email on file, by Registered Letter. 


This is a lawsuit that a group of former employees, represented by Carole Davies, has filed against Air Canada, regarding B1 and C1 passes that were given to certain active employee groups. Pionairs are not involved in this lawsuit.


The decision to 'opt out' is an individual one. Pionairs anticipates that most retirees will probably do nothing, as it is at no cost to them and they may benefit if any damages are awarded.

FAQ's for change-over from Claim-Secure to Manulife

As of April 1, 2024, Manulife will be replacing ClaimSecure as the provider for the retiree Basic Health Plan and Voluntary Supplementary Health Plan (VSHP). Manulife will also be the provider for all life insurances (Basic Group Life, Supplementary Life Insurance,

Dependent Life Insurance, and Voluntary Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance).

There will be no restriction on your choice of pharmacy.

You are encouraged to set up your Manulife ID prior to April 1, 2024 in order to access your account in order to be able to access your file.

Logged in members can view a series of FAQ's

Employees asked to be vigilant over rise in phishing and vishing attacks

We are aware of very convincing phishing and vishing attacks where bad actors attempt to gain unlawful access to the company network.


During the phishing (email or SMS) or vishing (over the phone) bad actors contacted employees and misrepresented themselves as being from the company help desk demanding an immediate password reset. Employees were then directed to enter their credentials on a website which was, in fact, a cloned company login page.


Air Canada does not, under any circumstances, contact employees via SMS, email, or text to request a password reset.

 

For more information on how to protect yourself online, please visit the Discover IT cybersecurity awareness site on Aeronet. Please report any suspicious activity to: csoc@aircanaca.ca

(The Daily, Dec. 28, 2023)

Online tax slips coming soon for Canada-based employees

This February, log in to HR Connex to view your tax slips online and download/print them at your convenience.


The system automatically lists employees as having “consented” to accessing their tax slips exclusively online. Those who would still like to receive a paper slip must withdraw your consent from the system by Jan. 17 (by 11:59 p.m. EST).


Log in to HR Connex and follow these steps to do so:

• Look under Pay & Compensation

• Click on Consent for Online Year-End Tax Slips

• Tick Check here to withdraw your consent to receive Online Year-End tax slips

(Air Canada, The Daily, Jan 3, 2023)


Multi-Factor Authentication

New Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and password changes:

The option to use a land line (home phone) to authenticate your identity is now in place and available to logged in members through the Self-Help MFA guide link below.










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Member must log in to Register for these courses.


Explorations courses

An email listing the available courses will be sent during the first week

of each month. You will be able to see the courses descriptions and register

for the courses you would like.

Explorations courses are FREE to Pionairs members

Click on "Join Pionairs" above to enjoy this and many other member benefits.

 

A warm welcome to the 538 new Pionairs members who joined us in 2023.

We hope you'll take a few moments to check out:

STANDBY TRAVEL PLAYBOOK

Unravelling the mysteries of employee travel

With our employee travel privileges, we have the opportunity to share the world with friends and family.

Navigating standby travel can be daunting, especially those that do not travel often or those that have not done so for some time. This is why the Employee Travel team has come up with a standby travel playbook, which acts as a guide to making the most out of your employee privileges. The playbook goes over every aspect of travelling on your employee passes, from how to shop for flights, to what to do on the day of departure, to how to adjust when things don’t go according to plan.

To access the Playbook, click the red ETS button near the top of this page then look under Travel Tips – Standby travel playbook – Travel 101. If you have any questions not covered in the playbook, feel free to reach out to the Travel team: 1 (833) 847-3675 or actravel.voyageac@aircanada.ca

WELCOME!


Pionairs Executive Board

President

Larry Johns

Vice President

Cathy Olson

Director Communication

Laurie Lincoln

Director, Membership

Dave Conley

Governance and Privacy

Barry Hoeppner

Please note the following name and/or Title and/or email changes effective Sept. 1, 202

Past President

Deedee Lannon

Treasurer

Marilyn McMullen

Director, Digital Media

Laura Logan


Director, Member Support

Doug Olson

Extension for 85th anniversary codes

As part of last year’s 85th anniversary celebrations, eligible employees/retirees received a discount code for personal travel. Eligible employees included those who were active employees of Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada Vacations, Trans-Canada Capital and Jazz at the time of the discount

code’s issuance in October 2022.

We have heard from a number of employees/retirees who have not yet been able to use the code, and we are granting a one-time extension to the booking and travel dates. The code is now valid for booking until June 30, 2024. Travel is also permitted until June 30, 2024. (Air Canada, The Daily, December 13/23)

Johnson Insurance is



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PASSWORD MANAGEMENT

LastPass Phishing Scam

Please read this article. It's particularly important if you use LastPass for password management, but is still a warning on what to watch out for when it comes to phishing scams.

And if you're not using a password manager, it is strongly recommended you do. There are many to choose from but any are better than no password protection!!

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Is all your Pionairs Profile information correct?

Be sure you get all the news from Pionairs! Incorrect profile information may limit what you can see or receive. 

To check your Profile, click this link 

Need help? Click here for information.

Your Aeronet profile must be updated separately as well. You can check that by logging into the Aeronet and looking under Personal Information.

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Is all your Pionairs Profile information correct?


Slide Presentations from the Pionairs 45th Annual Conference held in Ottawa on May 4, 2022, are available to members

ROSE ANNE’S STORY

Rose Ann reflects on how supportive her Air Canada family has been throughout her career and how they have continued to be an integral part of her life as she writes her next chapter.

NICOLE’S STORY

Nicole has followed her passion for art and enjoys sharing this passion and her time with other Pionairs members. The sense of belonging her fellow Pionairs give her reassure her that the bonds of friendship will last far beyond her retirement.

Membership

DISCOVER YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

During our time at Air Canada, we forge strong bonds that can be described more like family than just friendships. The Air Canada Pionairs allows us to maintain those relationships while exploring the next chapter in our lives. These are bonds that helped define who we are and help prepare us for what comes next...

Join Now!

WHY BECOME

A MEMBER

Pionairs is the official organization recognized by Air Canada to represent retired employees. We are available to answer your questions and provide you with relevant information, updates on travel privileges and industry news, pension and benefits, and more...

GREAT NEWS

Pionair members now have the ability to:Subscribe / unsubscribe from any Newsletter lists on your profile

Change your email address shown in your profile

Change your password.


All you have to do is go to pionairs.ca/ > login > click on Edit Profile


These new features will be displayed:

After Subscribing or Unsubscribing - select “Save changes” 

After changing your email - select “Change Email”

After changing your password - select “Change Password”

Partners



January 14, 2022


New Employee Travel Enhancements!!!



Based on employee and retiree feedback, Air Canada Employee Travel has just introduced some exciting new enhancements to retiree travel privileges:



· As of January 17, 2022, each retiree will be granted an annual “Flex bundle” of four (4) C1/J passes. These passes will be topped up to four (4) C1J passes at the beginning of each calendar year. As you know, C1/J passes are a higher priority than the current C2/J passes, and so these passes can be of great value to a retiree with many years of service standing by for a full flight


· There will be a one-time carryover of remaining passes (“Conversion bundle”) where any C1 passes a retiree may have now which have no expiry dates would stay with the retiree until depleted.


· The new, simplified cost structure (for bundle passes only) is great – all service charges for the bundle passes for retirees, spouses, nominated partners and dependent children are waived. For any additional travel companions and non-dependent children using bundle passes, the service charges will be based on the new zonal concept.


· Your regular unlimited allotment of C2/Y10 passes will remain unchanged.


· For more information, please consult the Employee Travel Website (“What’s New”, “Exciting Enhancements to Employee Travel”). Page 6 addresses retiree travel benefits.




January 2, 2022


Please note: as previously announced, your VSHP deduction is waived for January and February 2022. Regular deductions - at the 2021 level - will occur from March 31, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022.


Explorations Courses - January 2022


Please log in to Register for these courses



Organizing your Photos and Videos on A Windows PC Computer - English

January 18 -


Organiser vos phots et videos sur unordinateur PC Windows - Français

janvier 21 -


Please watch this space for new courses to be added.