National Post

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Sarah Lazarovic charts the highs and lows of the month of March!

Air Canada flight grounded after Ripples the cat escapes and hides in cockpit
There are plenty of things that can delay a flight – bad weather, ground delays, mechanical issues – but a cat getting loose and hiding somewhere in the cockpit normally isn’t one of them.

However, that’s what happened to Air Canada flight 603 from Halifax to Toronto on Wednesday morning.

The flight, which was scheduled to take off at 5:40 a.m., was delayed for four hours after Ripples the cat — brought on board by one of the plane’s passengers — got loose from its carrier and hid inside the plane’s cockpit.

“They were of course first looking [for Ripples] in the cabin, as I understand it. Then it became apparent that it had gone into the cockpit,” says Peter Spurway, vice-president of corporate communications for the Halifax Airport Authority.

“Then it squirmed down into a little space and the game was on.” (Photo: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images)

Flights continue despite Air Canada strike
Air Canada is faced with its first major strike in nearly 13 years after the country’s largest carrier failed to reach a new labour pact with 3,800 of its sales and service agents by their strike deadline midnight Monday.

However, there were few lineups, delays, or cancellations at Pearson International in Toronto Tuesday morning as managers filled in for the striking workers.

Online and self-serve check-in also spiked Tuesday as customers heeded warnings that there may be long lineups at airports.

But overall lineups remained fluid through the busy morning rush despite a large and vocal group of picketers, said Peter Fitzpatrick, Air Canada spokesman.

Photo: Air Canada customer service agents protest outside of Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport on June 14, 2011. (Matthew Sherwood for National Post)