Saskatoon and Regina Air Service
 

Regina Mayor Waits For Answers
By Nigel Maxwell
Updated May 29, 2008 - 5:18pm

The Mayor of Regina is waiting for a phone call from Westjet.

Pat Fiacco says he cannot understand why Westjet is offering direct flights from Saskatoon to Las Vegas; and not Regina. Westjet initially announced that both cities would offer the flights, but Customs Canada said they could not schedule their staff to accommodate the flights.
Fiacco is not happy arrangements could not be made for Regina. The Mayor is offering his services to the airport authority as a lobbying tool.
He says this is not a question of which city is the better choice, but rather why people in southern Saskatchewan are not being provided with a service.

Source


Recently Saskatoon International Airport has added direct flights to Denver and Las Vegas. Does this move signal that Saskatoon's airport will become the main international transportation hub for the province, or will Regina Airport get the same flights somewhere down the road?

I don't think anyone really knows what's going on yet. Regina is (was?) supposed to get the same direct flights, but there has been a problem with the customs staff

How many passengers does the Regina airport have go through it in a year?

"REGINA -- Regina International Airport set a new record for passenger traffic in 2007 with 962,692 passengers using the airport's facilities last year, smashing the previous record of 871,416 set in 2006."

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...c1c4cc&k=91676

In comparison, Saskatoon's airport put through a hair over a million in 2007.

That's great to see both airports breaking records, Saskatoon last year had 1035660 passengers!

Congrats to Saskatoon for beefing up their air services. Is there an airport expansion in the works?

Winnipeg won't be seeing any enhancements to it's flight services until the new terminal is complete in about 1.5 years. There is talk of adding more direct flights to the US, Europe and even Manila. Like Saskatoon, Winnipeg is one of the fastest growing airports in the country.

Funny, neither YXE flight has been officially announced, and Regina's mayor is already irritable. I don't think that looks too good, but I guess civic rivalries are what they are... FWIW, I think YXE getting those flights puts YQR in a better position to attract them next. Since there's no official announcement it's hard to say what's in it - but I wouldn't even have been surprised if WJ started LAS service to both cities.


The LAS flight would likely be low frequency and seasonal, and as much as I don't care for Vegas myself, I think the route will do reasonably well.

I'm kind of surprised by the DEN-YXE route. Airlines are starting to batten down the hatches for a rough ride in the next while, and the schedule shows 2x daily - a fair bit of capacity to put into an unproven market in one lump. It will probably take a lot of passengers away from the YYC connections, but even so 100 seats per day works out to an annual capacity of 36,500 seats each way, or 73,000 seats total - about 7% of YXE's traffic. I also wonder why they're starting the route after Labour Day - ie- after the peak summer travel season.



Not drastic changes, but Winnipeg just got a 4th daily Denver flight added to the schedule, and one of the Chicago flights was upgauged to a slightly larger aircraft.

I guess I meant new flight routes rather than enhancements. That small terminal is cramped as it is. But with the half billion new terminal there will be room for more substantial non-stop additions that are need. So hopefully fewer flights will be less dependant on connecting in Calgary.

Damn, I wish the thing was built already!

Food for thought, I just checked the Westjet website and I see no mention of flights from Saskatoon to Las Vegas. Is this still just a rumor?

Also, how about this for a solution:

Why don't they have a flight originating in Saskatoon with a stop over in Regina to accommodate both cities for flights to Las Vegas? Then this way no one gets left out.

If I were Fiacco, I'd be more concerned about a route that is more economically beneficial such as Denver-Regina rather than getting all worked up over flights to Las Vegas.

Just rechecked Westjet's route map, and indeed there is direct service from Saskatoon to LV.

No schedule yet, though. Kelowna has 2x weekly in the winter to LAS, probably won't start YXE with more than that.


Northwest usually has 2x daily flights from MSP to both YQR and YXE. They adjust the capacity seasonally, mostly by changing aircraft size, but also in the past they have made the schedule such that there would be separate YQR-MSP and YXE-MSP flights for one flight, and the second flight to both cities would be a MSP-YQR-YXE-MSP loop. Not as convenient, mind you, but keeps the frequency up without dumping too much capacity at once. Don't think they've done that since they've had more RJ's to work with.



Don't understate the importance of growing frequencies as opposed to new destinations. Although new routes are more exciting, growth is evidenced by the ability to absorb capacity on existing routes. It will be the growth in traffic with people flying YWG-DEN to connect onwards that will develop into nonstops to California, for instance. And YWG actually has a pretty decent core route network, just need frequency to London Gatwick increased and a couple of routes like Halifax or Victoria added, hopefully when the terminal is done.

Fiacco just wants to see a elvis presley imitator to dance through the airport like saskatoon got :P

Saskatoon is the larger, more important economic hub in Saskatchewan over Regina is it not?

It would make sense to place new routes in this city where it would probably have a better passenger count as well as a wealthier population due to the local economic conditions

Not quite.

Saskatoon serves Northern Sask and Regina serves Southern Sask. Both airports have similar numbers and actually Regina has a higher average income than does Saskatoon. Secondly, if Regina is poised to become a major transportation node in Canada, makes sense to beef up the airport.

It's dissapointing because these were flights Regina had locked up, including to Salt Lake City too, but Customs nixed that idea.

Well, clearly this idea of a transport hub will not happen if the airport won't even expand it's services. Judging by both Edmonton and Winnipeg who are projected for becoming major transportation hubs, I would venture that Saskatoon, falling between these two cities, is likely to be the transport hub of Saskatchewan. Plus, this city is willing to accommodate an increase in air travel where Regina is not.

Good evening all... I have been following this forum for quite some time but have been too busy/lazy to post. This is my first post. I am from Regina but live in Brooks Alberta for work. I am a pilot and know many of the "high-ups" in Sask aviation. I worked at the Regina Flying Club for several years and just last month had a chat with the head of Regina Airport Authority. Like I have read before, the it has been an issue with customs that has stopped Westjet from providing Regina a direct flight to Las Vegas. It seems the flight was outside the hours that the Canada Customs staff was scheduled to work. The idea was to have two direct flights weekly. It was mentioned that the RAA and Westjet was even willing to pay to transport staff to Regina. It seems all would be a go once this customs situation is sorted out.....

Regina will receive more flights in due time.

Which city will become the international hub of the province (whatever that means)?

Here are some realities to reflect upon...

Source

Source

Smart money is on Saskatoon (If I were a betting man using the above references).

I'll admit, my knowledge of airport service and the airline industry is fairly weak. However, based on earlier expansions of John G. Diefenbaker and comparing with Regina's future expansion I concluded Saskatoon is ahead of Regina both in terms of passenger capacity/demand, both of which lead to increases in frequencies and direct flights (e.g. international destinations).

Or both cities will become international hubs :shrug:

Regina Region Inter-Modal Project
 

Re: Saskatchewan inland port
 

Saskatchewan inland port

The benefits of an inland port(s) will reach beyond Regina and would almost certainly benefit Moose Jaw and Saskatoon, according to recent analysis of Saskatchewan's transportation and distribution network.

Somewhat related: An unverified source, but I was told the Saskatoon Western Grocers/Loblaws distribution center may be relocating to Moose Jaw...might play into this whole inland port deal.

Here is a link to the Interim Progress Report.

Source - Page 7/8

Except the government of Canada wrote a cheque for $30 million for the inland port in Regina.....that has to mean something, I'm sure.

Also, how is it the airport's fault that services weren't expanded when it was clearly stated it was Customs which stood in the way?

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?

has the mayor of Regina started lobbying for airport yet. It is important that both cities get good flights. Business people really appreciate the convenience of direct flights or at the very least one transfer.

Once the customs issues are sorted out I am sure Regina will start seeing more direct flights to the States.

Regina should go for Chicago and Salt Lake City ... 2 of the largest air hubs in the central/western US.

I believe (1st choice) Denver and (2nd choice) Salt Lake City make for the best options for Regina...
MSP is a great hub for the East and Denver for the west..

Regina encirclement area (if thats what its called) will continue to shrink to the favor of Saskatoon unless YQR can keep pace with YXE.

there are still custom issues??

It depends on the day, but yields have been pretty good through the winter. For example, the flights to Denver for the long weekend are pretty much full.

Usually referred to as catchment area. If the higher competition at YXE gives lower fares, it might generate a small shift. But at this point I don't think there's enough difference in schedules or fares to enlarge YXE's catchment more than marginally at YQR's expense.

Loads and yield are very different things. Load refers to the number of people on the plane. Yield refers to how much money they are paying (usually in cents per seat-mile). While the good loads are a good thing, it's the day-in-day-out filling seats that counts, not just long weekends. And it has to be at reasonable yields, not just cut-rate fares.



Without customs preclearance facilities, I highly doubt either Saskatoon or Regina would get flights to Chicago. Operationally I just can't see United Express operating a lone flights from T5 to clear customs when every other flight runs from T2. The slot constraints at O'Hare wouldn't help, either. DEN and SLC are much better bets.

That's good to hear.

Do you also have access to other data, like, values for destinations/origins between Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Calgary?

If not, can you suggest some way of estimating flows?

I know very little with regards to the airline industry.

sidenote, I notice YXE is considered a "focus city" for Air Canada Jazz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Canada_Jazz

yxe has about 10% more passenger movement the yqr.

there is some information on the statistics canada website on air transportation but its not very detailed, mostly lump sum type of information like total aircraft movements for all major airports

Thank you The Bess. I did find some values for domestic flights between the Prairie cities, although, 1998 is the survey year (passenger values have increased since, to varying degrees for each city).

Direct PDF download here

Source page here

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2162/...ntrapropq5.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5714/...inationkt7.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/600...flightsae9.jpg

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/8198/allcityibobnw0.jpg

I am primarily interested in these figures to understand the relationship between cities as expressed through passenger flows, and when we could expect implementation of a high speed rail network as an alternative to air travel.

After a quick review of the fight patterns between the Prairie cities, I have come to the conclusion that we will not pursue high speed rail service for the foreseeable future.

seems to be good news for the airport and city

In Saskatoon's John Diefenbaker airport alone, January was a record-breaking month, with a total of 107,650 passengers coming through the gates. That's a 10.5 per cent increase over last January and the highest number of monthly passengers ever, says Saskatoon Airport Authority spokesperson Maxine Montgomery.he volume of passengers isn't going to slow down any time soon, as the airport expects to serve more than 200,000 passengers during the spring travel season in February and March.
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