Calgary

Apr 25-27
AC157 YYZ-YYC, AC138 YYC-YYZ

As I was trying to get a maximum number of Air Canada points for the year, and there were low fares, I planned a short trip to Calgary. Having the flexibility to work from any of my employer’s offices in Canada, I had one day in our downtown office, and had another day to do some shopping with Tom joining in.

Apr 25

My previous flight to Berlin pushed me Air Canada lifetime miles past 2 million, receiving a new tier of lifetime status. As my first flight since achieving the milestone, the Toronto concierge team gave me a small gift, and the flight crew gave me another flight card and wings.

Small gift from the Toronto Concierge team

The full 2 Million Mile collection with the card and pin from the crew

Apr 27

With all our travels, we’ve not been lucky enough to run into The Amazing Race contestants. Last year we were very near to them on the Sunshine Coast, but this time were pleasantly surprised to run into all the active contestants of Amazing Race Canada at the Calgary Airport, midrace, making their way to Vancouver.

As the teams arrived at the airport, they were checking in with each other

The last team had just arrived, and everyone was quite excited. Each team of two had their own camera and sound person.

When all the teams are together it is tough to find space for all the crew

Before our flight, I left the lounge and walked around the gates to see what each team was up to. Beyond the mundane purchasing of food for the race, the teams weren’t allowed to interact with anyone not in play, and the crew wouldn’t share any information on the race. However, it was fascinating to watch all the behind-the-scenes action, including numerous interviews with the segment producer, gathering and orchestrating the teams. When the episode finally aired in the summer, Tom and myself were visible in a few background shots if you looked very closely.

Sadly we had to leave before the Amazing Race players, but had a nice flight home to Toronto.