Air Canada mulls Islip-Toronto route

Islip International? Town officials are upbeat about the prospect of an Islip-Toronto route after Air Canada executives toured Long Island MacArthur Airport Friday.

Vijay Bathija, the airline's Montreal-based senior director of network planning, joined Lisa Pierce, its LaGuardia-based senior director of regional airlines, for a nearly 90-minute tour and presentation of the Ronkonkoma facility.

The pair lunched at nearby Mama Mia's Ristorante with airport commissioner Teresa Rizzuto, her deputy, Eric Hofmeister, and aviation consultant to MacArthur Sarah Stock, before being welcomed for the tour at the terminal by Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan. The town owns and operates the airport.

Afterward, Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick described the meeting as "informative" and said the carrier "will study the market."

Nolan called the meeting "very analytical, businesslike" and said Bathija made clear the airline wants to establish its 60th U.S.-Canada route. In the Northeast, the airline already flies to Boston, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse and Allentown, Pa.

"It was a substantive meeting; in-depth," Nolan said. "Mr. Bathija sought further information from us about the potential business market in the immediate area here, and we'll be following up."

Nolan added: "The potential number of Long Islanders already flying there is a bigger, more attractive market for Air Canada than some of the other places they fly out of in the U.S. He [Bathija] didn't dispute that, which leaves us with a positive feeling Air Canada is coming here . . . "

Rizzuto said analysis conducted by MacArthur showed 85,745 Long Island residents from Montauk to Levittown traveled to Toronto last year, representing the biggest market of Long Islanders that MacArthur "leaks" to LaGuardia or Kennedy airports, she said.

"We have been working with Air Canada for three years, and today was a key moment for us," Rizzuto said. "They saw how modern, spacious and well-designed our airport is. I'm very happy with what went on today. The relationship has definitely progressed to the next level, and I'm extremely optimistic going forward."

Bathija, who has 15 years executive experience in Canadian airlines and holds an MBA in finance, made his first trip back to New York in 15 years Friday as part of the airline's weighing of a possible Islip-Toronto route.

Moke McGowan, president of the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission, said landing Air Canada opens up "tremendous potential" for marketing Long Island as a destination within Canada. Research shows the Island to be beyond the reach of the Canadian "drive" market, but with a 90-minute direct flight and the currency exchange rate, Long Island retail, food and beverage sectors stand to gain enormously, he said."Canadian consumers in no way have felt the same recessionary impact as we have and this would be very welcome news at a time when we're still trying to recover from a recession."