# AIR

# CANADA~

Dockets- Dockets OST 98-3304 

### U.S. DepartmentofTransportation 400 

### Seventh Street, S.W., Room PL 401 

### Washington, DC 20590 

### February 13, 2013 

### Dear Sir: Please be advised thatAir Canada has consolidatedthe carriersthatfly flights onits behalfunderthebannernameAir Canada Express. These carriers are Jazz Aviation Limited Partnership,Air Georgian Limited and Sky Regional Airline Inc. Where these carriers operate onAir Canada's behalf, Air Canadawill providethe support and assistance to survivors and families ofpassengers involved in an aircraft accidentinvolving an aircraft operatedbyone ofthese entities. In orderto reflectthese changes, Isubmitthe attached to the Secretaryof Transportationandthe Chairman ofthe National Transportation Safety Board in accordancewith 49 

### USCA §41313 

### andtheWendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and ReformAct ofthe 21st 

### Century. The attached outlines the procedures ofAir Canada to addresstheneeds of survivors and families ofpassengers involved in an aircraftaccidentinthe United States involving anAir Canada orAir Canada Express carrier. Ihope thatthis will be toyour satisfaction.

# ~tt~l HenryBommer Air Canada EmergencyManagement '**.~**..**~·1**

A STAR ALLIANCE MEMBER ..,A)' ® MEMBRE DU RESEAU STAR ALLIANCE**y..A.~**

# Family Support in the Event ofan Aircraft Accident in the United States ofAmerica

Air Canada Air Georgian Limited Jazz Aviation Limited Partnership Sky Regional Airline

February 13, 2013

## Summary The following is submitted to the Secretary ofTransportation and the Chairman ofthe National Transportation Safety Board in accordance with 49USCA §41313. The submission summaries the procedures ofthe Airline 1to address the needs of survivors and families of passengers involved in an aircraft accident in the United States. 

## 1 Pre-Response Planning Each Airline covered by this submission has a comprehensive Emergency Response Plan (the Plan) that outlines the actions that are to be taken by the Airline in the event ofan aircraft accident. The Emergency Response Plan calls forthe airport nearest the accident site to provide the initial response to the accident while the Corporate Emergency Response Team is assembled and dispatched to the site. The Corporate Emergency Response Team assumes responsibility forthe response activities upon arrival atthe site. All response efforts will be co-ordinated bythe Airline's Emergency Response Centre. 

## 2 Training The Airlines covered bythis submission have trained active and retired personnel to meet the needs ofsurvivors and family members following an accident. Where an agent ofthe airline is expected to provide assistance to passengers and families of passengers following an accident, the Airline will ensure thatthe agent has been provided with adequate training. 

## 3 Working with Designated Organisations The Airline will work with the organisation designated pursuant to section 1136(a}(2} to provide assistance to families at the site ofthe aircraft accident. 

## 4 Handling Enquiriesfrom the Family The Airline's Plan provides for the publication ofatoll free telephone number, capable of receiving inquiries from the family members in Canada and the United States in the event ofan aircraft accident. The toll free number will be answered by Air Canada's Call Centres, which are capable of re-routing incoming calls and can, if required, be dedicated solely to answering calls from family members.

1 The term Airline as used in this document refers to Air Canada, Air Georgian Limited, Jazz Aviation Limited Partnership (d.b.a. Air Canada Express) and Sky Regional Airlines (d.b.a. Air Canada Express).


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## 5 list ofPassengers The Airline's CustomerJourney Management department is responsible for locking out the passenger name list and passenger name record of passengers on the effected flight. Further, CustomerJourney Management is responsible for reconciling this name list and producing the passenger manifest. Until the passenger name list has been verified, the passenger name list will be considered unconfirmed and will not be used to confirm the presence of a passenger on the flight. The passenger name list is a confidential document and as such is notto be distributed or copied without permission from the Director Emergency Response or his deputy. CustomerJourney Managementwill distributethe passenger name list(s) to the following: • The Airline's Director Emergency Response • Air Canada's Call Centres • Air Canada's Special Assistance Centre • Codeshare and/orAlliance carriers (if required) Further, the passenger name list, containing the best information available at the time ofthe request, will be made available to the following agencies upon request: • National Transportation Safety Board ofthe United States • The organisation designated pursuant to section 1136(a)(2) • United States Department ofState 

## 6 Notification of Families The Airline's Plan provides for notifyingthe families of passengers involved in an aircraft accident as soon as possible afterthe passenger has been verified as having boarded the aircraft. Notification will be performed based on contact information available in the Passenger Name record for the passengers on board the aircraft and, where required, Passenger Manifest Cards supplied bythe passengers on boarding the aircraft. In the event that the passenger has not supplied contact information, staff in the Special Assistance Centre will attemptto determine a contact forthe family ofthe passenger and contact the family. The time required to complete the process of notification of all ofthe families of passengers on board the aircraft involved in the accident is limited by the accuracy ofthe contact information that has been supplied by the passenger.



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## 7 Travel and Care Expenses The Airline will transport to the site ofthe accident, at its expense, those family members that wish to be present at the site. Family members that have decided to travel totthe site ofthe accident will be provided with accommodations and will have all reasonable meal and travel expenses paid while at the site. 

## 8 Disposition of Remains and Personal Effects The Airline will ensure thatthe family ofeach deceased passenger is consulted about the disposition ofthe remains ofthe passenger. It is the Airline's intentto use athird partyto handle the personal effects of passengers involved in the aircraft accident. The Airline will instructthat partyto inform the family ofthe condition ofthe personal effects and to obtain from the family instructions forthe return ofthe items. The Airline will respect the instructions provide by the family. Where there are personal effects that have not been claimed bythe families of passengers, the effects will be photographed and a catalogue containingthe photographs will be circulated to families. All unclaimed personal effects will be retained for a minimum of eighteen months. 

## 9 Monuments Should the Airline decide to 

### erect, in the United 

### States, a monumentto the memory of passengers involved in an aircraft accident, the Airline will consult the families ofthe passengers as to the construction of, and inscription on, the monument. 

## 10 Equal Treatment of Passengers All passengers, including an employee ofan air carrier orforeign air carrier aboard an aircraft and any person aboard the aircraft without regard to whetherthe person paid forthe transportation, occupied a seat or held a reservation forthe flight will be treated equally. 

## 11 Service and Assistance to Families and Passengers The Airline has ateam ofspecially trained volunteers who will be responsible for ensuring thatthe physical needs of passengers and families of passengers are take care



### 4of. This group ofvolunteers will work with organisations designated pursuant to section 1136(a}(2). Where the passenger, orthe family ofa passenger, requires professional health services, the Airline will lookto the agencies designated by the National Transportation Safety Board to ensure that these services are provided. 

## 12 Consultation Concerning Assistance to United States Citizens The Airline will, where itvolunteers assistance to United States citizens within the United states with respect to an aircraft accident outside the United States involving major loss of life, consult with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Department ofState on provision of assistance. 

## 13 Compensation to Service Organisations The Airline will provide reasonable compensation to the organisation designated pursuant to section 1136(a}(2) for services and assistance provided by that organisation. 

## 14 Notification to Owner of Property Where there is significant ground damage to non-government property, the Airline will notifythe owner of property about liabilityfor any property damage and the means for obtaining compensation. This notification shall advise the property ownerto contact the property's insurer as the authoritative source about coverage and compensation, not to rely on unofficial information form the air carrier's representative about compensation by the air carrier forthe accident-site property damage and to advise the property ownerto obtain photographic or other evidence of property damage as soon as practicable afterthe accident, under reserve of restrictions on accessing the accident site. 

## 15 Simultaneous Transmission of NTSB Hearings The Airline will, where the NTSB conducts a public accident hearing at a location more than 80 miles forthe accident site, ensure thatthe hearing will be available electronically live atthe origin city and destination city, ifthat city is in the United States.



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