Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW)

[Dominion301]

Tuesday's departure count according to the FIDS: 12 - including the last two UA departures for who knows how long to ORD at 18:31 and IAD at 19:29 respectively.

[YOWhopeful]

A family member was supposed to fly to YOW from FRA on the LH flight on July 23. He has advised me that his flight is cancelled.

[VaskoYOW]

Originally Posted by YOWhopeful

A family member was supposed to fly to YOW from FRA on the LH flight on July 23. He has advised me that his flight is cancelled.

My mother in-law has a ticket with LH to DUB July 26-Aug 3. The flight to DUB is with AC and her return flight is with LH through FRA and thus far she hasn’t received any news in regards to cancellation/re-routing.

[Radster]

Originally Posted by YOWhopeful

A family member was supposed to fly to YOW from FRA on the LH flight on July 23. He has advised me that his flight is cancelled.

They are cancelling July flights already? That's over 3 months from now. I find it hard to believe that we will be in lockdown for that long. Its just not economically sustainable, and the virus situation is already improving in certain parts of the world, in BC as well.

[rocketphish]

Competition watchdog warns against Air Canada's proposed deal to buy Transat

By: The Canadian Press
Published: Mar 30, 2020 7:15am EDT

Air Canada's proposed acquisition of Transat AT Inc., which owns Air Transat, likely will hinder competition and result in less choice for Canadian travellers, the Competition Bureau says.

In a report delivered to Transport Minister Marc Garneau, the watchdog said Friday that eliminating the rivalry between the two Montreal-based carriers would result in higher prices, fewer services and ultimately less travel by Canadians on a range of competing routes.

The bureau's analysis found that the deal would impact 83 overlapping routes, including 49 between Canada and Europe and 34 between Canada and sun destinations in Florida, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The agency noted that its report released after markets closed draws on information collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has cratered airline revenues as borders close and travel demand plummets.

Shareholders at Transat approved a $720-million acquisition offer from Air Canada in August, but the deal also faces scrutiny by European regulators eyeing the impact of a takeover that would see the country's biggest airline control more than 60 per cent of transatlantic air travel from Canada.

Transport Canada has until May 2 to complete a public-interest assessment and provide it to the minister.

Transat said the report "does not affect the company's confidence" in the deal.

"The commissioner's role is limited to studying the impacts on competition in the marketplace ... without taking the public interest more broadly into account," CEO Jean-Marc Eustache said in a statement.

"Transport Canada's assessment will provide a more comprehensive overview of the nuts and bolts of the transaction and of all the benefits for the Canadian public and economy."

The COVID-19 crisis, which prompted Transat to halt all flights until April 30, is "calling into question the relevance of any analysis conducted prior to its outbreak," Eustache added.

He characterized the merger in near-opposite terms from the Competition Bureau, saying it will "improve customers' choices and opportunities" with more flight connections and frequencies.

Earlier this month, Canaccord Genuity analyst Doug Taylor said the deal "now carries a question mark" due to the then-34 per cent plunge in Transat's share price over the previous two months – 41 per cent at end of day Friday. Taylor noted the widening spread between Air Canada's $18-per-share bid and Transat's current stock, which is now 47 per cent cheaper.

Air Canada said its priority for the moment is to cut costs, conserve liquidity and safeguard employees and passengers.

"Given the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the airline industry and the state of emergency worldwide, we will consider the findings of the Competition Bureau in due course," the airline said.

https://www.obj.ca/article/competiti...al-buy-transat

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by Radster

They are cancelling July flights already? That's over 3 months from now. I find it hard to believe that we will be in lockdown for that long. Its just not economically sustainable, and the virus situation is already improving in certain parts of the world, in BC as well.

The entire route has been removed from booking on the LH website.

On a separate note, there is a B789 due in around 3pm on AC454 today. Right now all the YOW-YYZ Rapidair flights are listed as E90 so perhaps AC is parking it here?

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by RomanR27

The entire route has been removed from booking on the LH website.

On a separate note, there is a B789 due in around 3pm on AC454 today. Right now all the YOW-YYZ Rapidair flights are listed as E90 so perhaps AC is parking it here?

Interestingly the new LH flight to YYC has not yet been pulled, but I imagine they’re doing one route at a time.

[VaskoYOW]

Originally Posted by RomanR27

The entire route has been removed from booking on the LH website.

On a separate note, there is a B789 due in around 3pm on AC454 today. Right now all the YOW-YYZ Rapidair flights are listed as E90 so perhaps AC is parking it here?

It will be doing YOW-YVR as AC7153! 6pm

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by VaskoYOW

It will be doing YOW-YVR as AC7153! 6pm

Huh, that's a re-positioning flight number. Wonder why they needed a Dreamliner to do a YYZ-YOW run.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by RomanR27

Huh, that's a re-positioning flight number. Wonder why they needed a Dreamliner to do a YYZ-YOW run.

The only logical explanation is that's a cargo-only run.

[Dominion301]

Well tomorrow is the first day of the April schedule and 17 flights are loaded on the board, but it appears only 15 will operate broken down as follows:
5T - 1x YFB
DL - 1x DTW
AA - 1x PHL
WS - 1x YYC - only WS mainline flight on a 73G (apparently all WS 738s are grounded)
WS - 3x YYZ - they vary between 3x and 5x/day all month - all DH4s
AC - 4x YYZ - 1 flight 'upgagued' to a 319 / increases to 6x E90 on Thursday
AC - 3x YUL - 2x DH4 & 1x DH3

So even though AC had YUL 1x/day and YYZ 2x/day higher, the loads must have been so low that they are now going to operate YYZ 6x and YUL 3x. I saw another Rapidair upgauged to a 319, which must mean that those flights have a load > 97 pax.

I did a quick calculation and for the month of April the total number of available arriving + departing seats at YOW = approx. 63,000. As such, the airport will probably only handle about 31,500 pax...assuming a very optimistic 50% load factor. The airport probably last had a monthly total that low about 60 years ago!

[rocketphish]

Ottawa airport undergoing ‘aggressive’ cost cutting, will receive federal rent relief

By: The Canadian Press
Published: Mar 31, 2020 4:59pm EDT

The federal government is waiving the monthly rent paid by airport authorities to Transport Canada for the rest of the year as revenues plummet amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the measure will provide support worth up to $331.4 million in ground lease rents collectively to airports across the country from March through December.

The move applies to 21 airport authorities including Ottawa as well as PortsToronto, which operates Billy Bishop airport and pays a charge to the federal government.

Morneau says the air transportation sector has “suffered tremendously” as airlines cancel the vast majority of their flights and lay off thousands of staff, leaving airports bereft of traffic and fees.

The Ottawa International Airport Authority said in a statement that the organization is “very pleased” with the support and will take advantage of any other programs coming from the federal government.

“This move acknowledges the dire impact that COVID-19 is having on airports, and will help mitigate the challenges we are facing as we keep critical infrastructure operational while aggressively cutting costs,” a spokesperson said in an email to OBJ.

The Ottawa airport has seen a dramatic loss of service in recent weeks with international flights to the capital grounded and U.S. airlines such as United and Delta suspending some or all flights to the airport. YOW has also closed its duty free shopping and shut down or reduced hours at many of its concessions outlets.

Mark Laroche, president of the local airport authority, wrote in a letter earlier this month that YOW was also looking at ways to reduce costs on its ongoing capital construction projects.

The Canadian Airports Council thanked the government for the relief, and called for further aid in the form of regulatory flexibility and new funds to compensate for lost income.

Trade group president Daniel-Robert Gooch says the relief “does nothing for airports that pay no rent at all” such as Hamilton and Fort McMurray, Alta., but called it “encouraging” that Transport Canada has acknowledged the issue.

– With files from OBJ staff

https://www.obj.ca/article/ottawa-ai...al-rent-relief

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Radster

They are cancelling July flights already? That's over 3 months from now. I find it hard to believe that we will be in lockdown for that long. Its just not economically sustainable, and the virus situation is already improving in certain parts of the world, in BC as well.

What media arev you reading? It's not improving substantially anywhere yet. Certainty not to the point that governments will be allowing regular international travel. There's likely to be mandatory quarantine policies when travel resumes too. That will be quite the buzzkill on travel.

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 14

Also, WS are not selling the middle seat on 737s and every 2nd seat on Q400s.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

Today's departure count: 14

Also, WS are not selling the middle seat on 737s and every 2nd seat on Q400s.

Still too close together.

[MountainView]

CBC article about YOW today.

I have bolded the interesting / devastating parts (in my opinion)

Ottawa airport facing 'devastating decline' due to COVID-19

Officials say it could be years before service to some destinations returns
Hillary Johnstone · CBC News · Posted: Apr 03, 2020 10:47 AM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago

The check-in area at the Ottawa International Airport is deserted during what would normally by the busy morning peak time. (Supplied by the Ottawa Airport Authority)
Officials at the Ottawa International Airport say the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a "devastating decline" in traffic, and it could be years before the airport serves some destinations once again.

Revenues at the Macdonald–Cartier International Airport have "all but disappeared" in the wake of the pandemic, forcing it to halt spending on some projects, according to the airport authority's president and CEO, Mark Laroche.

"The Government of Canada's travel restrictions and recommendations took their toll on our operation very quickly," Laroche said in a statement Friday morning.

I believe it will take years to build our passenger numbers back to 2019 levels.
- Mark Laroche, Ottawa International Airport Authority
"Early days saw a flurry of repatriation flights for our March Break passengers. However, as they wound down, we saw a devastating decline in aircraft movements to approximately five to 10 per cent of what they were at this time last year," Laroche said.

On a typical day, 7,000 passengers arrive at or depart from the airport, but earlier this week only 430 passengers were registered to depart on 13 flights.

Earlier this week, the federal government announced passengers exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus will no longer be allowed to board planes or trains to travel between provinces or cities anywhere in Canada.

More than a million Canadian citizens and permanent residents returned home
Laroche noted Air Canada and WestJet have cut between 80 and 95 per cent of their flights, Porter has suspended service until June 1, and American carriers have suspended service to Ottawa "with few exceptions."

He said Lufthansa will stop operating its service between Ottawa and Frankfurt, Germany service.

"What does the future look like for our airport? It is hard to say with any precision. I can say with certainty, though, that it will not be business as usual for some time," Laroche said.


The domestic arrivals area of the Ottawa International Airport is also deserted. (Supplied by the Ottawa Airport Authority)
Recovery could take years
"I believe it will take years to build our passenger numbers back to 2019 levels. I cannot realistically promise that all 45 destinations served by YOW before the pandemic will return quickly, including our European air service."

Many restaurants and stores at the airport have closed as passenger traffic drops, and officials are anticipating further closures.

Laroche said the airport has "halted" spending on capital programs and reduced other spending by at least $35 million, which has a "significant impact on employment."

Construction of the Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport will be delayed, and the introduction of new concessions at the terminal will "take significantly longer" than the two years originally set aside.

Officials said the airport is required to remain open since it is considered critical infrastructure in support of passenger and cargo movement, repatriation activities, federal government operations and Ornge air ambulance service.

Link to article

[YOWhopeful]

So Lufthansa will stop operating between Frankfurt and Ottawa?
But they never even started!

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by MountainView

CBC article about YOW today.

I have bolded the interesting / devastating parts (in my opinion)





Link to article

Yeah the average daily pax departure (enplaned) count is 7,000 - in other words 14,000 total pax per day is the norm. 430 x 2 = 860. It’s actually proportional to YYZ’s 5,000 daily pax at the moment: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/mobile/ca...stry-1.4881999

430 pax / 13 flights = 33 pax per departure on average. Not bad on a 50 seater or 5T’s 733 or 734, but on a DH4 that’s a 42% LF, on a E90 that’s a 34% LF and on the 73G to YYC that’s 24.2%. However, I’d imagine the E90s & 737s are pulling in more pax, while the DASH 8s are probably under 20 per flight on average.

Today’s YOW departure count: 13. Today was the first time this week that AA had a flight to PHL and it’s on the FIDS for Saturday. Also on the board for Saturday is WS’ weekly YHZ flight.

[rocketphish]

Here's the Citizen article, in case there's anything different:

With revenues plummeting and future uncertain, Ottawa airport halts capital spending, cuts wages

Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: 3 hours ago • 3 minute read



With revenues “all but disappeared” and the full recovery of air travel uncertain, the Ottawa Airport Authority has frozen its capital spending program, cut the wages of its employees and redrawn its budget.

Authority president and CEO Mark Laroche said Friday it could take years for the airport to build its passengers numbers back up to the levels seen in 2019, when 5.2 million people moved through the terminal.

It means, he warned, that some of the airport’s existing destinations — there are now 45 — may not return when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

“I cannot realistically promise,” he said, “that all 45 destinations served by YOW before the pandemic will return quickly, including our European air service. I can guarantee, however, that we will continue to work closely with each airline to rebuild our service as quickly as economically viable for our airlines.”

Larcoche said he thought service to Frankfurt, Germany might be one of the European routes most at risk after the pandemic.

The airlines make their route decisions, he said, based on projected passenger loads. “My big concern is to lose connections to major hubs in Washington, New York, Detroit, Chicago,” he added.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to what Laroche described as a “devastating decline” in flights in and out of Ottawa International Airport. Air Canada and WestJet have cut 85 to 95 per cent of their flights and Porter has suspended all service until June 1.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the airport recorded 13 departures with 430 passengers, some of whom may not have shown up for their flights. On a typical day, the airport has 7,000 departing passengers. On Wednesday, the airport had just 120 departing passengers.

The Ottawa International Airport is designated as critical infrastructure, which means it has to remain operational to support passenger and cargo planes, along with government, military and Ornge air ambulance flights.

The airport also has to maintain most of its staffing — to ensure safety, security and the ability to respond to an emergency — even though its revenues have “all but disappeared,” he said.

Airport authority employees have been forced to accept an across-the-board 20 per cent wage cut and reduced hours to avoid layoffs, but those measures could be reconsidered, Laroche said, in light of the federal government’s recently announced wage subsidies for businesses hard hit by the pandemic.

“We’re working hard to avoid layoffs, but obviously if traffic does not return to the same level, we’re going to have to right size the airport,” he said. “It all depends on how fast traffic returns.”

The airport authority has also halted $35 million in capital spending programs, which means renovations inside the terminal and construction of the Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport will be delayed. The hotel project will be postponed for at least six months.

“There’s so much uncertainly that it’s going to take time to finalize a plan: What we intended to do in the next two years is going to take longer and it may have a different outlook,” he said. “The plan was based on an airport with 5.2 million passengers in a growth mode. This is not going to be a 5.2 million passenger airport for a while.”

Laroche said even optimistic projections suggest passenger volumes will not return to pre-pandemic levels for at least a year.

The airport authority’s budget for next year is now being redrawn, he said, and will assume passenger volumes of anywhere between 50 and 75 per cent of last year’s numbers: “It’s unchartered territory. We don’t know what the response of the traveller will be. Right now, people are not in the mindset of booking trips for next winter, for example.”

In a conference call Friday, Laroche told reporters that a few flights continue to land from the United States, even though they’re mostly empty. Arriving passengers, he said, are screened by the Canada Border Services Agency, which is responsible for ensuring that visitors and returning Canadians are aware of the government’s mandatory, 14-day self-isolation policy.

No Ottawa airport authority workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19, he said, although two are now under investigation for flu-like symptoms.

The authority, a non-for-profit corporation, operates and develops the airport, which generates an estimated $2.2 billion in annual economic activity in Ottawa and Gatineau. About 5,000 people work at the airport campus.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...-e012b3b17b5b/

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Here's the Citizen article, in case there's anything different:

Thanks for posting as it had additional info. 120 departing passengers on Wednesday - ouf!

Today’s departure count: 11 - AA ended up cancelling.