The cheque has yet to be written...also, it sounds like some of those funds are for Moose Jaw?

Source

I suggest a read through the interim report to get a broader idea as to how this inland port will function and foster investment in our province, as the impact of these projects are far reaching.

Are you suggesting the feds are going to pull that money? And are you familiar with the location of the inland port?

That said, people need to relax a bit, Regina will be getting the same routes as Stoon once the customs issues are worked out, which will be much sooner than later

People from Regina have to LEARN to relax a bit. For once Saskatoon has come out ahead, so be it. If the airlines thought Regina could make them more money the services would have went there first instead of Saskatoon. Obviously Saskatoon has more international passengers and more potential for these services, hence THEY got the flights.

Not starting a pissing match because it is already over. Saskatoon won this round, so deal with it.

Does either airport have US preclearance?

LOLI guess you fail to understand the reason why Regina hasn't got the flights yet. Its not because Saskatoon 'won' anything, its because the feds wouldn't supply customs workers for the flight times that were given to Regina. Once that all works out, both cities will have the similar international flights as I hear Regina is very close to securing Salt Lake City as well as the aforementioned Vegas. But hey if you want to proclaim this as some kind of 'victory' then have at er (I know you guys don't have very many :D ), I'm going to head down to the stadium to watch some CFL football and look forward to the multi-million dollar intermodal transportation hub that's being built in Regina. ;)

No. The sum total of US service to Saskatchewan right now is Northwest's twice daily flights to Minneapolis to each of YQR and YXE.

Of course there's also seasonal sunspot charters that use Canadian customs facilities, but it'll be a while before the traffic is high enough to justify US preclearance. Shoot, Halifax only just got preclearance in 2006, and they're at around 3.5 million passengers per year.


Perhaps. On the flip side, the question also becomes one of working with scare resources - what could the airline and airport do to adjust the schedule to operate within the window that the Customs inspectors are available? This isn't always an option, of course, but it is tough to believe that something couldn't be figured out that would roughly correspond to the times that another international flight arrives so inspectors would be there. If something couldn't be worked out, it could also indicate that WestJet was trying to operate a flight on a completely lousy schedule (ie- 4am arrivals or something silly like that - I've been there, done that, won't repeat it).



FWIW, I think it's a bit silly to say either YQR or YXE will become the main international gateway for Sask. Realistically people from Regina won't travel up the road to fly from YXE, so I fully expect YQR to get its own improved air service. The traffic levels from both airports are almost a dead heat.

Saskatoon had the same issue, the orignal plan for flights to Vegas had the return flight arriving at a time outside of Canada Customs hours. But Westjet has adjusted their proposed schedule for Saskatoon. They obviously feel that Saskatoon is a more viable market at this time.

Neither city is going to become a "hub" in the sense that Calgary became the hub over Edmonton in Alberta. That would suggest that folks from Regina will have to use the Saskatoon airport to gain access to points south (or vice versa). Each market will continue to operate as an end of the line market for commercial flights, and as demand warrants, flights will be added.

If the Northwest/Delta merger goes through, each city is a good candidate for flights to Salt Lake, as the airline will already have ground operations in place. Can't come soon enough for me, right now flying home is a bi-atch. During the summer, it's almost as fast to fly to Calgary and drive to Stoon than to try connecting.

we all know that the "international gateway" to Saskatchewan will be Calgary for quite some time

I don't think any speculation can be made just yet as to which city will become the international or transport hub for Saskatchewan. Like it's been specified, each city is very close when comparing numbers and until a significant change occurs in either city they will both continue to be relativley equal. Since I'm from Saskatoon I'd love to see Saskatoon become the transportation hub but right now I'm not going to get my hopes up about anything since it is WAY to premature to make a decision or even speculate about either city.

You would really do that? You're weird... :koko:

A petty correction of CCF's statement is all. Sleep easy, the federal government won't withdraw their contribution.

I understand the location is directly west of the municipal airport; currently agriculture land.

Migs, do you have an estimate of when construction will start, as well as what and when operations will shift from the current downtown rail yards?

Migs, I think that you are confusing the overnight flights that they talked about for Saskatoon and Regina, and the current flights that Westjet is running in the fall. Westjet has decided to run service to Vegas to three different cities, Victoria, Abbotsford and Saskatoon.

I don't know if this is how it would work, but based on the days it almost seems like they will have a plane as a 'Vegas Express', as the three cities have flights on different days of the week, between them covering every day of the week. These flights run during the day,and as such don't require any special Canada Customs coverage.

What was offered to both Saskatoon and Regina last year was an overnight service that caused the Canada Customs problem. It was mentioned in the article in the LP that Regina might be offered this type of overnight service for the winter months.

As for the whole Regina airport vs Saskatoon airport service debate? I think that perhaps Saskatoon is seen by the airlines as more dynamic and it seems like S'toon has done a better lobbying job than Regina has to get the flights. I don't see many people flying or driving to Saskatoon to get on either the Denver or Westjet flights, those people will fly to what another poster described as Sask's true international gateway...Calgary.

Haha, touchee swilley, I didn't mean at the same time. :cheers:

Not 100% sure but I do know the city currenlty annexed ALOT more land in that area and road improvements are about to take place on roads leading to that area (including the interchange at Lewvan Drive and the TransCanada Highway that is beginning construction next year). And as far as the CP railyards moving, I have yet to hear an exact timeline.....the sooner the better IMO.

Oddly enough, there was an article in USA Today yesterday about US airlines doing the EXACT opposite - reducing flights, especially to cities like Vegas, and hub cities (like Denver) to small centers...being USA Today of course, there was no mention of how it affects Canadian cities - or how AC or Westjet will address the increases in fuel costs (which was the main concern of course).

But given there's really only one large airport in Canada (on a global scale), it'll be interesting to see how this pans out over the next few years.

Agreement gives WestJet wider access to U.S.
Joanne Paulson, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, July 09, 2008
An agreement WestJet has struck with Southwest Airlines will offer local flying customers more -- and better streamlined -- options for travel into the United States, says the Calgary-based airline.

"For somebody in Saskatoon, it opens up the entire Southwest market to fly to relatively conveniently," Richard Bartrem, WestJet's vice-president of communications, said in an interview.

"If you look at it just from a scale perspective, we have across our entire network roughly 380 flights a day. Southwest Airlines has 380 flights to Las Vegas.

"They run 3,400 flights a day across their network. . . . It gives us access into that massive market."

WestJet announced Tuesday a codeshare agreement with Southwest Airlines Co., which will mark the American carrier's first move into the Canadian market and expand WestJet's service into the U.S.

The two airlines will essentially sell seats on each others' flights. WestJet will gain access into major U.S. centres, a market traditionally dominated by Air Canada.

Bartrem gives the example of a Saskatoon resident wanting to visit El Paso, Texas.

"Today, you would have to do that on a variety of airlines connecting here, there and everywhere to get there. Codeshare means that you would be able to go onto the westjet.com website and what you would see is two flights, essentially. You would fly from Saskatoon to a point in the U.S. on a WestJet flight. (Hypothetically) that WestJet flight would actually have two flight numbers -- WestJet Flight 123 and Southwest Flight 456."

Ticketing, boarding passes and baggage handling would all be streamlined through the new system, said Bartrem.

There may be a connection in Calgary for Saskatoon passengers, but the agreement "opens up a world that wasn't there prior (to this)," said Bartrem.

WestJet hopes to have the codeshare agreement in place by late 2009. Before that, a distribution agreement will allow passengers to go to Southwest.com and book across the WestJet network.

Bill Restall, president and CEO of the Saskatoon Airport Authority, said the agreement will give WestJet "tremendous market penetration" considering it had no booking ability from the U.S. into Canada.

"I don't think it will have as big an impact on our marketplace as a place like Calgary, because we would have to flow through a WestJet gateway to get across the border," said Restall.

"But it adds another opportunity for the consumer to do some price checks and alternative planning."

From the airport authority's perspective, anything that increases customers' options to fly out of -- or into -- the community is welcome, he said.

The Saskatoon airport will also welcome United Airlines starting in September, with twice-a-day flights into Denver, Colo. The 50-seat Denver flights will allow customers a new hub connection with the United States. Northwest already flies out of Saskatoon into Minneapolis, another airline hub.

"Air Canada and WestJet keep expanding their connectivity through here so we're real pleased," said Restall.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008
____________________________________________
How exciting! I can't wait to see what other flights will be offered from westjet, northwest, united and southwest. I feel like this helps secure an increased passenger number at YXE:banana:

Well thats great news!! Good to hear saskatoon getting so many new options :)

I'm surprised no one from Regina has posted this yet considering that their Mayor made such a big hissy fit over it.

There, now all is right with the world ;)

http://cnrp.ccnmatthews.com/client/w...8&releaseSeq=2

when did Fiacco make a hissy fit about it? I'm pretty sure the news article was exaggerating. It was pretty much known that we'd get the flight eventually, I think I made a point of it earlier in the thread.

Regina still hasnt got Denver....yet Saskatoon has 2 direct flights to Denver per day? I assume demand for seats have been good from yxe to Denver?