Saskatoon and Regina Air Service

[Brutopian]

Major improvements underway at Skyxe International Airport

Saskatoon StarPhoenix
February 7, 2019

Watch: Andrew Leeming, vice president of operational excellence at Skyxe International Airport, provides an update on the airport’s departure hall project.

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/loca...tional-airport

[EDM753Fan]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

Airbus coming back to Regina for Air Canada!

https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...craft-changes/

Glad to see this! An employee of AC had mentioned to me recently that he'd heard a rumor that the YQR-YYZ route was moving entirely to a Rouge 319.

Sure hope that stays a rumor. I'd sooner stay with E190's or even CR9's than any kind of Rouge metal.....

[casper]

Originally Posted by EDM753Fan

Glad to see this! An employee of AC had mentioned to me recently that he'd heard a rumor that the YQR-YYZ route was moving entirely to a Rouge 319.

Sure hope that stays a rumor. I'd sooner stay with E190's or even CR9's than any kind of Rouge metal.....

Best option for both YQR and YXE would be the Airbus A320 (or better know in Canada as the C-series). AC starts to take delivery late in 2019.

The E190s are on the way out of the fleet.

[Draftsman]

Originally Posted by casper

Best option for both YQR and YXE would be the Airbus A320 (or better know in Canada as the C-series). AC starts to take delivery late in 2019.

The E190s are on the way out of the fleet.

I think you meant Airbus A220, formerly known as the Bombardier C-Series. And yes, I agree that it would be a perfect fit for YQR and YXE.

[PhotoJim]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

I think you meant Airbus A220, formerly known as the Bombardier C-Series. And yes, I agree that it would be a perfect fit for YQR and YXE.

The A319 isn't a bad fit either, given the lack of US airlines serving Regina right now. I prefer the 2+2 seating of the E190 (the A319 is 3+3), but the extra capacity is probably useful to Air Canada right now.

In the long run, though, we're probably going to get A220 service and dialed-up frequency if the capacity isn't quite enough.

I don't see Rouge on this route. Rouge is, in Air Canada's mind, exclusively for leisure routes. Almost all Toronto traffic from YQR and YXE is either business traffic or connecting traffic (a large percentage anyway). I doubt more than 10-15% of passengers on that route are actually going to the Toronto area.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

I think you meant Airbus A220, formerly known as the Bombardier C-Series. And yes, I agree that it would be a perfect fit for YQR and YXE.

Yes, thanks for catching that. I need to get use to typing A220.

YYZ-YXE was one of the first routes to get the CRJ705 when it first came online. I could see it being an early target for the A220.

[Draftsman]

Originally Posted by casper

Yes, thanks for catching that. I need to get use to typing A220.

YYZ-YXE was one of the first routes to get the CRJ705 when it first came online. I could see it being an early target for the A220.

I hope we do get this aircraft in YQR and YXE as those airlines that currently operate it, and the passengers who have flown on it, all rave about it.

[kattiff]

it looks like AC is dropping YWG YXE and going to one flight a day YWG YQR as a CR9 ... this is looking like around August

[one_brick_at_a_time]

Originally Posted by kattiff

it looks like AC is dropping YWG YXE and going to one flight a day YWG YQR as a CR9 ... this is looking like around August

Doesn’t seem to reflect that on Air Canada’s website...

[kattiff]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

Doesn’t seem to reflect that on Air Canada’s website...

look around the summer time or August like I said, it’s gone

[kalin_10]

Originally Posted by kattiff

look around the summer time or August like I said, it’s gone

Air Canada officially announced ceasing flights to Winnipeg citing low passenger volume. Always an interesting excuse when passenger volumes increase.

http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local...eg-thunder-bay

[roryn1]

Originally Posted by kalin_10

Air Canada officially announced ceasing flights to Winnipeg citing low passenger volume. Always an interesting excuse when passenger volumes increase.

http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local...eg-thunder-bay

Air Canada - builds a lounge at YXE - stops flights on one of the busiest routes we better not bail these guys out.

Great opportunity for Flair or Swoop if Air Canada stops focusing on Saskatoon.

[Crisis]

Merely anecdotal observation on my part but 2 weeks ago when I flew to Winnipeg & back on the direct AC flights, the ancient Dash-8 was full each flight. Unfortunate to lose these routes, as it was pretty convenient. At least Westjet still has some direct flights.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Crisis

Merely anecdotal observation on my part but 2 weeks ago when I flew to Winnipeg & back on the direct AC flights, the ancient Dash-8 was full each flight. Unfortunate to lose these routes, as it was pretty convenient. At least Westjet still has some direct flights.

The interesting question to ask is how many of the people on that flight actually wanted to fly between Saskatoon and Winnipeg vrs. the number connecting on to Toronto (or another destination) and that happened to be the cheapest routing offered.

AC is also phasing out some of the smaller Dash-8 aircraft. They have virtually disappeared from Vancouver. It is nearly all Q-400 or larger.

[prairieguy]

My wife works in the industry and has said the loss of the AC flight is going to create headaches for her trying to accommodate clients. Whether it was a "stop on route" or not, it was an option that was needed in Saskatoon. WJ cannot pick up all the slack. She was quite surprised by the decision.

[PhotoJim]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

My wife works in the industry and has said the loss of the AC flight is going to create headaches for her trying to accommodate clients. Whether it was a "stop on route" or not, it was an option that was needed in Saskatoon. WJ cannot pick up all the slack. She was quite surprised by the decision.

If that's the case in the bookings, WestJet will add another flight. They've been fairly aggressive on this route.

In effect, WestJet has completely stolen YXE-YWG away from Air Canada, and has half-stolen YQR-YWG (more than half, if you look at it by seats instead of flights).

[esquire]

^ Weren't YWG-YQR and YWG-YXE monopoly routes before, like maybe 5 years ago or so? My memory is very vague but I think WS had dropped them and they weren't restored until they got their turboprops better suited to the routes.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Weren't YWG-YQR and YWG-YXE monopoly routes before, like maybe 5 years ago or so? My memory is very vague but I think WS had dropped them and they weren't restored until they got their turboprops better suited to the routes.

Correct.

I gave up on flying to YWG form YQR for the most part. Driving seems more efficient now with the higher speed limits. The flight times are often not ideal. Winter can be sketchy, obviously.

[EDM753Fan]

Originally Posted by Stormer

Correct.

I gave up on flying to YWG form YQR for the most part. Driving seems more efficient now with the higher speed limits. The flight times are often not ideal. Winter can be sketchy, obviously.

Yes although AC used to have a very convenient option, if traveling YQR-YUL, you could fly out of YQR @ 10:55 AM and connect in YWG for 90 minutes and onto YUL. Much more convenient than YQR-YYZ-YUL. I'll be sorry if this is no longer an option.....

[casper]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Weren't YWG-YQR and YWG-YXE monopoly routes before, like maybe 5 years ago or so? My memory is very vague but I think WS had dropped them and they weren't restored until they got their turboprops better suited to the routes.

YWG-YXE and YWG-YQR were first on 737. The aircraft would feed this little mini bank of flights that connected in YWG with Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

When WS started to fly from YXE to YYZ they dropped the YWG flight. A few years after that the Q400 came along and they started up the route again.