Advocates reach out to Air Canada

With confirmation JetBlue will not come to MacArthur Airport before 2014, local advocates are intensifying efforts to land Air Canada at the Islip Town facility.

The Long Island Association and the Jericho-based U.S. division of Purolator Inc., Canada's largest parcel and freight company, sent a joint letter last week to Calin Rovinescu, president and chief executive of Air Canada, urging him to set up a Long Island-Toronto route.

The letter, signed by Purolator president John Costanzo and LIA chief Kevin Law, pledges the "full support" of the Long Island business community. Purolator would benefit from reduced costs and added convenience if it could fly out of MacArthur rather than New York City, they wrote.

Air Canada executives could not be reached for comment.

Canada is the U.S. and Long Island's largest trading partner, Law said. New York State's two-way trade with Canada was worth $34.8 billion in 2011, U.S. Census data show.

MacArthur-Toronto air service also makes business sense for Air Canada, the letter says. The carrier would realize greater efficiencies in takeoff and departure timing flying from MacArthur's less congested airspace, cutting delay times and fuel costs.

"The arrival of Air Canada at MacArthur Airport would spur economic development, create jobs and offer convenience and new destinations for Long Island's families and businesses," Law said. Toronto is one of the largest international airports in Canada, with service to many European and Asian countries. It is also a pre-cleared U.S. Customs post.

MacArthur's own research shows 58 percent of international travelers in the airport's immediate catchment area of 1.8 million people already fly to Canada. (There are 2.5 million people within 40 miles of the airport.)

In October, two senior Air Canada executives toured MacArthur with town officials.

Afterward, officials were upbeat, saying Vijay Bathija, the airline's Montreal-based senior director of network planning, made it clear the carrier wants to establish its 60th U.S.-Canada route. In the Northeast, Air Canada flies to Boston, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Allentown, Pa., and LaGuardia.

MacArthur's bid to lure the Canadian carrier, however, could be complicated by Air Canada's reaction to its chief rival WestJet, aviation analysts say.

WestJet recently won eight takeoff-landing slot pairs at LaGuardia, and as a result, Air Canada may look to beef up its service from the NYC airport to compete, possibly delaying its decision on MacArthur.

Andrew Vasey, an Indianapolis-based aviation consultant, said, "As solid as MacArthur's business case is, sometimes airlines have to react quickly to their competition's moves, resulting in changes, even to their immediate plans."

Costanzo said 468,000 jobs in the United States are supported by the two countries' trading partnership, and his Long Island-based division's largest customers included Olympus, Motorola, Henry Schein and Canon, all large Long Island employers.

"Our saying is 'Purolator delivers Canada,' and so we support any company willing to join us to strengthen service on this hugely significant trade link between New York and Canada," he said.