Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW)

[MountainView]

Also, in 2019 YOW had 48 non-stop destinations (according to the 2019 annual report). Currently we have about 10 (not including Flair's YXX, YLW which have stopped seasonally), and not all operate daily (YEG, YWG for example are 2-5x weekly)

[Dominion301]

Also, in 2019 YOW had 48 non-stop destinations (according to the 2019 annual report). Currently we have about 10 (not including Flair's YXX, YLW which have stopped seasonally), and not all operate daily (YEG, YWG for example are 2-5x weekly)

Yeah we're right at 11 or 12 depending on if you count both Toronto airports as one destination (technically 90% of YYZ's land mass is in Mississauga, lol):

YHZ
YFC
YQM
YFB
YUL
YYZ/YTZ (2 destinations?)
YWG
YEG
YYC
YVR
YYJ

There's also same-plane service to YDF (PAL 1-stop) & YYT (PD 1-stop & PAL 2-stop).

In October (most starting at the very end of the month) we're slated to get the following destinations added:
YSJ
MCO/SFB (2 destinations? with the latter being new)
FLL
LAS (been absent from YOW's destination list for a long time - 3rd time's the charm hopefully permanently this time)
RSW
IAD

Then in November/December all the usual international sun destinations start returning, along with new MZT, plus TPA and possibly ORD.

[Dominion301]

If there are no cancellations, today's departure count of 47 is the highest since the start of the pandemic.

[adam-machiavelli]

Walked by the Aspire Lounge to see it is both open AND closed at the same time (both signs at the front). So is it open or closed?

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 47

[Dominion301]

YOW breaks the 200k pax mark in August for the first time since March 2020:

Sector / Aug-20 / Aug-21 / % Change
Dom: 57,210 / 207,745 +263.1%
TB: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
Int'l: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
TTL: 57,210 / 207,745 / +263.1%

Sector / YTD 2020 / YTD 2021 / % Change
Dom: 873,012 / 486,179 / -44.3%
TB: 163,093 / 0 / -100.0%
Int'l: 168,382 / 0 / -100.0%
TTL: 1,204,487 / 486,179 / -59.6%

12 Months Rolling / % Change vs Year End 2019
Dom: 645,204 / -83.8%
TB: 0 / -100.0%
Int'l: 0 / -100.0%
TTL: 645,204 / -87.4%


Month-Over-Month Change
Sector / Jul-21 / Aug-21 / % Change
Dom: 116,171 / 207,745 / +78.8%
TB: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
Int'l: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
TTL: 116,171 / 207,745 / +78.8%
Avg/Day: 3,747 / 6,701 / +78.8%

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 43

[Admiral Nelson]

Pretty good growth from July to August!

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 41

[Harley613]

When I flew in on Monday at 1:30 am almost every gate had a jet waiting at it for Tuesday morning, it was a nice thing to see again.

[Stacmon]

When I flew in on Monday at 1:30 am almost every gate had a jet waiting at it for Tuesday morning, it was a nice thing to see again.

That's a very nice picture you've painted for us. I love milestones like this on the way back towards how things used to be! It provides hope to the pandemic weary and those worried about how our airport will rebound as traffic is prioritized to and from larger hubs like Toronto and Montreal.

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 43

[AuxTown]

Question for the group since you all seem to know what's going on. If I book a Porter flight to Toronto in October and NEED to get back on the earliest flight the next day what are the odds that flight gets cancelled/consolidated/delayed? Are Porter flights pretty much happening as scheduled these days?

[MountainView]

Question for the group since you all seem to know what's going on. If I book a Porter flight to Toronto in October and NEED to get back on the earliest flight the next day what are the odds that flight gets cancelled/consolidated/delayed? Are Porter flights pretty much happening as scheduled these days?

I would say odds are good that it will fly as scheduled. Especially if its the first flight in the morning YTZ-YOW. That means the aircraft has been there overnight and won't be subject to operational delays.

What I noticed earlier on in the pandemic, was that some midday flights on WestJet Encore would be cancelled to YYZ from YOW and consolidated on the evening departure. This also meant the inbound YYZ-YOW was cancelled too.

Seems like most flights are sticking to schedules though. You have to remember, that if Porter cancels their earliest departure from YTZ to YOW, that means they likely have to cancel the YOW-YHZ, YHZ-YOW, and YOW-YTZ flights that airframe might have flown after.


WestJet and Air Canada are basically updating their schedules on a monthly basis (so until end of October/November right now), anything else after that is likely a dummy schedule. I assume something similar for Porter... but if you are flying in October, I would assume the schedule is confirmed and I would not be afraid to fly Porter thinking they may cancel the earliest morning departure.

[AuxTown]

I would say odds are good that it will fly as scheduled. Especially if its the first flight in the morning YTZ-YOW. That means the aircraft has been there overnight and won't be subject to operational delays.

What I noticed earlier on in the pandemic, was that some midday flights on WestJet Encore would be cancelled to YYZ from YOW and consolidated on the evening departure. This also meant the inbound YYZ-YOW was cancelled too.

Seems like most flights are sticking to schedules though. You have to remember, that if Porter cancels their earliest departure from YTZ to YOW, that means they likely have to cancel the YOW-YHZ, YHZ-YOW, and YOW-YTZ flights that airframe might have flown after.


WestJet and Air Canada are basically updating their schedules on a monthly basis (so until end of October/November right now), anything else after that is likely a dummy schedule. I assume something similar for Porter... but if you are flying in October, I would assume the schedule is confirmed and I would not be afraid to fly Porter thinking they may cancel the earliest morning departure.

:cheers:

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 41

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 40

[ars]

Flew out of YOW yesterday morning, the airport was crazy busy at 4:30AM. It was a massive difference from when I flew out of there in summer of 2020.

Not sure I like the new security setup though, felt a lot slower than the old setup.

[roger1818]

Not sure I like the new security setup though, felt a lot slower than the old setup.

I completely disagree. I think the new setup is much faster.

Having multiple bays at which people can put stuff in a bin and for people to take it out again means someone who is slow doesn’t clog up the line. If you are fast at emptying your pockets, you can jump ahead of the person in front of you if they aren’t finished. Similarly at the other end, by having people carry their bin to an emptying station, you don’t get the situation where you can’t get to your bin because someone is being slow and blocking access.

[ars]

I completely disagree. I think the new setup is much faster.

Having multiple bays at which people can put stuff in a bin and for people to take it out again means someone who is slow doesn’t clog up the line. If you are fast at emptying your pockets, you can jump ahead of the person in front of you if they aren’t finished. Similarly at the other end, by having people carry their bin to an emptying station, you don’t get the situation where you can’t get to your bin because someone is being slow and blocking access.

I agree about the actual process of going through security once you're at the part where you put your things in the bin, but I meant more in terms of how slow the line was moving.

Especially since my wife and I both have Nexus, so we were able to get through security in less than 2 mins in the old setup, but they no longer have a dedicated Nexus security setup(though they still do have a separate Nexus line).

[roger1818]

I agree about the actual process of going through security once you're at the part where you put your things in the bin, but I meant more in terms of how slow the line was moving.

Especially since my wife and I both have Nexus, so we were able to get through security in less than 2 mins in the old setup, but they no longer have a dedicated Nexus security setup(though they still do have a separate Nexus line).

Interesting. I thought the probity queue (which those with NEXUS use) worked well when I used it about a month ago, then again there were probably only a dozen or so people in the regular line. It seemed to me that they would put those in the priority queue into the shortest security setup as soon as there was space and it only took a few minutes. In the old system, if there wasn’t anyone in the priority queue, they would divert people from the regular queue to the priority setup. Any delays we did see seemed to be more COVID related than due to the new setup.

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 45

[MountainView]

YOW offering $1/day parking to help stimulate air travel since they cannot control airfare prices.

Good initiative in my opinion!! Driving is cheaper than the bus for a weekend trip.

OBJ - GoGlobal: Dollar-a-day parking unveiled at the Ottawa Airport (https://obj.ca/article/airport-sponsored-goglobal-dollar-day-parking-unveiled-ottawa-airport)

Link to YOW's parking site: here with more info (https://yow.ca/en/parking-transportation/parking-options-and-rates#ad)

[ars]

YOW offering $1/day parking to help stimulate air travel since they cannot control airfare prices.

Good initiative in my opinion!! Driving is cheaper than the bus for a weekend trip.

OBJ - GoGlobal: Dollar-a-day parking unveiled at the Ottawa Airport (https://obj.ca/article/airport-sponsored-goglobal-dollar-day-parking-unveiled-ottawa-airport)

Link to YOW's parking site: here with more info (https://yow.ca/en/parking-transportation/parking-options-and-rates#ad)

Just booked a spot for our trip at the end of October!

What would normally have been a ~$140 parking fee came out to just $10 :)

[OTSkyline]

Same, worked on me! Leaving for NYC tomorrow and a $80+ parking fee for 5 days came to just $5 (much cheaper than an Uber there and back). :notacrook:

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 44

[CSYOWYEG]

Flew out of YOW over the weekend on a short trip, and the airport station is coming together well! Also the new shops have opened in the airport where security used to be. Looking good!

https://i.imgur.com/b4BQHKj.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AmD0WFf.jpg

[J.OT13]

Thanks for the pics. Looks great. The airport station itself will be pretty decent, being able to wait in what I assume will be a climate controlled lounge like area. Just too bad for the terrible service it will provide.

[DEWLine]

Maison de la Presse is still in business?

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 39

[Catenary]

YOW offering $1/day parking to help stimulate air travel since they cannot control airfare prices.

Good initiative in my opinion!! Driving is cheaper than the bus for a weekend trip.

OBJ - GoGlobal: Dollar-a-day parking unveiled at the Ottawa Airport (https://obj.ca/article/airport-sponsored-goglobal-dollar-day-parking-unveiled-ottawa-airport)

Link to YOW's parking site: here with more info (https://yow.ca/en/parking-transportation/parking-options-and-rates#ad)

My parent's car is currently parked at my place - it would have been cheaper for them to park at the airport than pay for the taxi to get there. Oh well.

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 43

[Dominion301]

If there are no cancellations, today's departure count of 48 is the highest since the start of the pandemic.

[MountainView]

If there are no cancellations, today's departure count of 48 is the highest since the start of the pandemic.

That's good to hear!

Unfortunately soon AC will be cutting back YYC/YVR to daily, eliminating YEG seasonally, and WS will be dropping YVR seasonally soon.

It will be interesting to see what the late October and November numbers are like.

Surprisingly, 2x weekly YWG made the schedule cuts and is in WestJet's currently timetable until Dec 15 (the furthest they have published yet)

[Dominion301]

That's good to hear!

Unfortunately soon AC will be cutting back YYC/YVR to daily, eliminating YEG seasonally, and WS will be dropping YVR seasonally soon.

It will be interesting to see what the late October and November numbers are like.

Surprisingly, 2x weekly YWG made the schedule cuts and is in WestJet's currently timetable until Dec 15 (the furthest they have published yet)

Will WS be keeping YEG beyond the end of October? F8 will continue to serve YEG a couple of times per week. YYJ I believe finishes for the season at the end of October. Hopefully it’s back next summer.

The domestic losses will be offset by the return of transborder and international sun flights, plus PD relaunch YFC & YSJ shortly (next week?).

Today’s departure count: 40

[MountainView]

Will WS be keeping YEG beyond the end of October? F8 will continue to serve YEG a couple of times per week. YYJ I believe finishes for the season at the end of October. Hopefully it’s back next summer.

The domestic losses will be offset by the return of transborder and international sun flights, plus PD relaunch YFC & YSJ shortly (next week?).

Today’s departure count: 40

WS service to YEG will end October 12, YVR 5x weekly until the end of October, and YYJ will end next weekend.

YYC will turn to 1x daily Nov 1 through Dec 15 (2x on Sunday). YYZ remaining 6x daily (4x Saturday), and surprisingly YWG 2x weekly (Mon & Fri) through till Dec 15.

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 39

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 46

[MountainView]

A NATO A-330 landed at YOW this afternoon. Not sure how long it will be here for.

ADS-B Exchange info (https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=480c41&lat=45.420&lon=-75.784&zoom=11.0&showTrace=2021-10-04)

[MountainView]

Also, 07/25 is closed this month for catch basin and other repairs so all arrivals and departures will be using 14/32.

[VaskoYOW]

Tomorrow marks the return/resumption of YFC and YSJ by Porter and with that all their routes from YOW have officially returned!

[Dominion301]

Tomorrow marks the return/resumption of YFC and YSJ by Porter and with that all their routes from YOW have officially returned!

...and with that today's departure count is 44.

PD have also reintroduced the one-stop, same-plane service to YQG and YQT today.

[JakeLRS]

Flair has done some modifications to their international scheduling...

Vegas flights are axed during the winter, but they are still taking books from March 29 onwards.

Orlando flights now start Friday, December 17th

Fort Lauderdale still starts Sunday, October 31st


YKF had completely pushed the start of their international flights because of government regulations.

[Dominion301]

Flair has done some modifications to their international scheduling...

Vegas flights are axed during the winter, but they are still taking books from March 29 onwards.

Orlando flights now start Friday, December 17th

Fort Lauderdale still starts Sunday, October 31st


YKF had completely pushed the start of their international flights because of government regulations.

Well delays are better than cancellations. I wonder if they're experiencing any aircraft delivery delays as you'd think they'd want to launch LAS by the start of March to capture all the spring break traffic during the month? I imagine the routes they're delaying are also the lowest booking routes too...although in the case of LAS, if it's aircraft shortages, cutting the longest stage lengths is pretty obvious too.

[Dominion301]

Thursday’s departure count: 46

[Calfan12]

Traveling in Canada by plane ✈️ or train, proof of vaccination required starting Oct.30 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2021/10/06/canada-require-covid-vaccine-travel-starting-oct-30/6022048001/

[Calfan12]

Well delays are better than cancellations. I wonder if they're experiencing any aircraft delivery delays as you'd think they'd want to launch LAS by the start of March to capture all the spring break traffic during the month? I imagine the routes they're delaying are also the lowest booking routes too...although in the case of LAS, if it's aircraft shortages, cutting the longest stage lengths is pretty obvious too.

Yes there could be delays, but this upcoming Winter will be similar to last winter where most passengers demand & flights✈️/frequencies will be out of Canada's 4 busiest in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver & Calgary.

[MountainView]

Well delays are better than cancellations. I wonder if they're experiencing any aircraft delivery delays as you'd think they'd want to launch LAS by the start of March to capture all the spring break traffic during the month? I imagine the routes they're delaying are also the lowest booking routes too...although in the case of LAS, if it's aircraft shortages, cutting the longest stage lengths is pretty obvious too.

They did/are planning to fly the LAS flight with an evening deptature out of YOW and a red-eye return. Which is a good use of an airframe. I noticed at least for the SFB route, that it does leave YOW early in the morning but isn't a morning return back to YOW. The airframe comes from YHZ-SFB-YOW and is an evening departure back to YOW.

Flair likely doesn't have buckets of cash... but has anyone seen or heard ads for them? It's like no one knows about them except for word of mouth. I honestly wonder how folks even know they are planning to fly US routes from YOW if they don't directly check Flair's website. They do luckily appear on popular flight search engines like Kayak and Expedia... but I wonder how many people use those versus going directly to the airline's website?

[YOWflier]

Importantly, they also show up on Google flights.

[BenYOW]

Air Canada is commencing daily service between Ottawa and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport as of October 31, 2021. Four flights a day are scheduled initially, increasing to up to eight flights per day in the summer 2022. All flights operated using the Dash 8-400.

This is an interesting addition and a step into Porter's territory!

Release (https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2021-10-07-Air-Canada-to-Launch-Daily-Service-between-Toronto-Island-and-Ottawa-beginning-October-31)
MONTREAL, Oct. 7, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today announced that it will launch a new service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Ottawa beginning October 31, 2021. The route will commence with four return trips daily, increasing to up to eight return trips daily starting in summer 2022.

"Air Canada's new service from Toronto Island to Ottawa will conveniently link Canada's capital directly with the centre of the country's leading business centre. This new route is designed to meet customer demand in this heavily travelled market, with a large business travel component, and complement our recently resumed Montreal-Toronto Island airport service. It is a further example of how Air Canada is rebuilding its network, including by adding new routes and destinations in our determination to emerge from the pandemic an even stronger airline," said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada.

Air Canada presently operates five return flights daily between Toronto Island and Montreal. The schedule for the new Toronto Island-Ottawa service beginning October 31, 2021 is:

[Table Removed]

The service will be operated by Air Canada Express Jazz with a De Havilland Dash 8-400 featuring a complimentary snack and drink. All customers can collect and redeem Aeroplan Points through Canada's leading loyalty program when travelling with Air Canada, and eligible customers have access to priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounges where available at Canadian airports, priority boarding and other benefits. Air Canada's commercial schedule may be adjusted as required based on the COVID-19 trajectory and government restrictions.

Air Canada offers its customers complimentary shuttle bus service between downtown and the Toronto City Airport. The shuttle brings travellers to and from the west entrance of The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, located at the corner of Front and York streets, directly across from Union Station.

[YOWflier]

More impetus for Porter to diversify and build up elsewhere (here).

I’ve heard they should start receiving E2s next summer at a rate of about 1/month.

[HighwayStar]

More impetus for Porter to diversify and build up elsewhere (here).

I’ve heard they should start receiving E2s next summer at a rate of about 1/month.

Anybody know what happened to Porter and the C-Series (A-220)?

Guessing it came down to price or something, but A-220 certainly seems to be a hot commodity these days

[thewave46]

Anybody know what happened to Porter and the C-Series (A-220)?

Guessing it came down to price or something, but A-220 certainly seems to be a hot commodity these days

I don't know for certain, but I speculate you are right.

The CSeries/A220 is selling well, whereas the E190/5-E2 is selling relatively poorly. Embrarer is likely offering very big discounts to attract customers.

There could be a couple of reasons for this, but I suspect the the A220's large backing by Airbus now allows operators to confidently purchase it without the risks inherent in smaller manufacturers. The distribution network for parts, the service support, and the fiscal solvency of the manufacturer all influence purchasing decisions. In addition, Airbus can sell 'packages' if airlines want large numbers: get a discount on A220s if you buy so many A320s or whatnot.

Any new aircraft is also sort of a test-bed for discovering issues. AFAIK the E-Jets don't have any big ones yet, but the A220's larger customer base means that those issues are discovered and rectified quicker. As an example, the PW1500G engine had some teething issues on the A220. Bigger operators (Delta and Air Canada use the A220) can cope with those issues better because they've the in-house tech departments and aircraft options to swap out during initial operations as these things are discovered.

[Dominion301]

Air Canada is commencing daily service between Ottawa and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport as of October 31, 2021. Four flights a day are scheduled initially, increasing to up to eight flights per day in the summer 2022. All flights operated using the Dash 8-400.

This is an interesting addition and a step into Porter's territory!

Release (https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2021-10-07-Air-Canada-to-Launch-Daily-Service-between-Toronto-Island-and-Ottawa-beginning-October-31)

I wonder if Porter returned some YTZ slots or if AC are now going to split their 15 slots between YOW and YTZ? So after a 15-16 year hiatus AC returns to YOW-YTZ. While this is nice, I'd much rather be hearing about the return of YOW-LHR.

More impetus for Porter to diversify and build up elsewhere (here).

I’ve heard they should start receiving E2s next summer at a rate of about 1/month.

Definitely!

I guess the only benefit to having AC compete with PD is YTZ pax will be able to connect onward at YOW. At this point, that only means YHZ, unless a few downtown Toronto pax don't mind backtracking to YOW to connect out west.

I do see AC have YOW-YYT loaded again for next summer on the CR9 daily, ditto YFC and YQM 1x daily (oh look all 3 are PD routes - YYT 1-stop) CRJ each. However, the four additional YTZ flights talked about aren't yet loaded for summer 2022, nor is there any sign yet of YYG or YXU returning (not PD routes!).

AC currently have YOW-YWG 2x daily on a CR9 and YOW-YQB 1x daily on a CRJ loaded to return on December 1st. Although I wonder if these are still dummy schedules as YOW-YEG returns on December 1st too 1x daily on a 320 while not operating in November as someone previously noted. On top of that they have Rapidair back up to hourly and 17x daily come December 1st, while the day before sees only 8.

One other thing I noticed is on AC's fleet page, they're now keeping 18 mainline 320s. At COVID's lowest points AC's plan was to only retain 4 mainline 320s.

[thewave46]

One other thing I noticed is on AC's fleet page, they're now keeping 18 mainline 320s. At COVID's lowest points AC's plan was to only retain 4 mainline 320s.

Now the real question if this is a hint that the 737 MAX may not be as long in AC's fleet as originally planned. They've consistently backtracked from their 737 commitment with the cancellation of the MAX 9 and decrease in orders for MAX 8.

I get they've had financial problems from COVID, but the definite sense is one of transitioning away from the 737. I don't see why an airline of its size would continue to run 3 different narrowbody fleets (A220/A320/737 MAX) over the long-term.

[MountainView]

I wonder if Porter returned some YTZ slots or if AC are now going to split their 15 slots between YOW and YTZ? So after a 15-16 year hiatus AC returns to YOW-YTZ. While this is nice, I'd much rather be hearing about the return of YOW-LHR.



Definitely!

I guess the only benefit to having AC compete with PD is YTZ pax will be able to connect onward at YOW. At this point, that only means YHZ, unless a few downtown Toronto pax don't mind backtracking to YOW to connect out west.

I do see AC have YOW-YYT loaded again for next summer on the CR9 daily, ditto YFC and YQM 1x daily (oh look all 3 are PD routes - YYT 1-stop) CRJ each. However, the four additional YTZ flights talked about aren't yet loaded for summer 2022, nor is there any sign yet of YYG or YXU returning (not PD routes!).

AC currently have YOW-YWG 2x daily on a CR9 and YOW-YQB 1x daily on a CRJ loaded to return on December 1st. Although I wonder if these are still dummy schedules as YOW-YEG returns on December 1st too 1x daily on a 320 while not operating in November as someone previously noted. On top of that they have Rapidair back up to hourly and 17x daily come December 1st, while the day before sees only 8.

One other thing I noticed is on AC's fleet page, they're now keeping 18 mainline 320s. At COVID's lowest points AC's plan was to only retain 4 mainline 320s.

I don't believe AC has released its firm December schedule yet. It should be official in the next week or so though.

It's very odd that AC is starting YTZ with almost zero pre-booking time (less than a month). This to me shows that it is 100% geared towards O&D traffic and it's also definitely a shot at Porter starting back up.

I still have no idea what to think about next summer... and I think neither do the airlines. If the pandemic situation is more under control, and there aren't 5th waves over the winter holiday season.... I can see domestic summer travel picking back up and of course international traffic to an extent (depending on other countries situations). Hopefully YOW will see daily flights next year to YEG, YWG and the Maritime provinces on top of what we saw this summer.

[hehehe]

I don't believe AC has released its firm December schedule yet. It should be official in the next week or so though.

It's very odd that AC is starting YTZ with almost zero pre-booking time (less than a month). This to me shows that it is 100% geared towards O&D traffic and it's also definitely a shot at Porter starting back up.

I still have no idea what to think about next summer... and I think neither do the airlines. If the pandemic situation is more under control, and there aren't 5th waves over the winter holiday season.... I can see domestic summer travel picking back up and of course international traffic to an extent (depending on other countries situations). Hopefully YOW will see daily flights next year to YEG, YWG and the Maritime provinces on top of what we saw this summer.

Yeah December hasn't been updated besides some international changes. Still pre pandemic.

[Dominion301]

Friday's departure count was 43

Saturday's departure count: 42

[Dominion301]

Now the real question if this is a hint that the 737 MAX may not be as long in AC's fleet as originally planned. They've consistently backtracked from their 737 commitment with the cancellation of the MAX 9 and decrease in orders for MAX 8.

I get they've had financial problems from COVID, but the definite sense is one of transitioning away from the 737. I don't see why an airline of its size would continue to run 3 different narrowbody fleets (A220/A320/737 MAX) over the long-term.

It might also mean their recovery is going better than planned. The 7M8 fleet is now supposed to “MAX” out at 50. An 321XLR order seems likely at some point for AC.

Today’s departure count: 39

[RomanR27]

Last night's YVR arrival was the last one to be on a 788, the plane returned to YYZ this morning. Back to all narrow bodies.

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 45

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 42

Thursday’s departure count is 44

[Tesladom]

Looks like Sunwing is scaling back Ottawa departures, noticed that flights to Holguin are suspended until Jan 25. I was supposed to leave on Dec 28

[roger1818]

Looks like Sunwing is scaling back Ottawa departures, noticed that flights to Holguin are suspended until Jan 25. I was supposed to leave on Dec 28

eD4TLmNyGYA

I called it:

Sorry for the late reply, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this one. Sunwing are notorious for over-promising and under-delivering. They will sell tickets for direct non-stop flights and then closer to the time consolidate their routes, adding stops in one or both directions.

[AuxTown]

Did my trip on Porter to Toronto for the soccer game on Wednesday. It was nice to see some bodies back in the airport again but man is it QUIET! Both flights were seamless and right on time. Love the Beau's sponsorship of Porter as they give you a full king can on Lugtread on the flight :cheers:

[Dominion301]

Did my trip on Porter to Toronto for the soccer game on Wednesday. It was nice to see some bodies back in the airport again but man is it QUIET! Both flights were seamless and right on time. Love the Beau's sponsorship of Porter as they give you a full king can on Lugtread on the flight :cheers:

How were the loads on your Porter flights?

Today's departure count: 44

[MountainView]

Did my trip on Porter to Toronto for the soccer game on Wednesday. It was nice to see some bodies back in the airport again but man is it QUIET! Both flights were seamless and right on time. Love the Beau's sponsorship of Porter as they give you a full king can on Lugtread on the flight :cheers:

Glad to hear it! If you fly outside of the morning peak the airport is very quiet!! Even the morning "peak" is 1/5th of what it once was back in 2019. At least we are seeing increases... even as subtle as they are.

[Dominion301]

Sector / Sep-20 / Sep-21 / % Change
Dom: 44,068 / 172,778 / +292.1%
TB: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
Int'l: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
TTL: 44,068 / 172,778 / +292.1%

Sector / YTD 2020 / YTD 2021 / % Change
Dom: 917,080 / 658,957 / -28.1%
TB: 163,093 / 0 / -100.0%
Int'l: 168,382 / 0 / -100.0%
TTL: 1,248,555 / 658,957 / -47.2% - Will need to average 113,681 pax/month in Q4 to hit 1 million in 2021 - will almost certainly happen. Will need to average 234,852 pax/month in Q4 to surpass 2020's total - not likely even with the vaccine passport.

The meaningful indicator these days
Month-Over-Month Change
Sector Aug-21 / Sep-21 / % Change
Dom: 207,745 / 172,778 / -16.8%
TB: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
Int'l: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
TTL: 207,745 / 172,778 / -16.8%
Avg/Day: 6,701 / 5,759 / -14.1%

12 Months Rolling / % Change vs Year End 2019
Dom: 773,914 / -80.6%
TB: 0 / -100.0%
Int'l: 0 / -100.0%
TTL: 773,914 / -84.8%

[caveat.doctor]

How were the loads on your Porter flights?

On Porter to/from Moncton, about 90% full over Thanksgiving weekend.

Love the Beau's sponsorship of Porter as they give you a full king can on Lugtread on the flight :cheers:

Indeed!

https://i.imgur.com/674LWmZl.jpg

Alas, no wine glasses yet. Hope those come back soon!

https://i.imgur.com/mg9bZwfl.jpg

The group might be interested in the Ottawa feature in the inflight magazine (https://en.calameo.com/read/005660300f7f2ded56308): A Perfect Ottawa Day:

https://i.imgur.com/htUEsnfl.png

https://i.imgur.com/N8qFu8ol.png

https://i.imgur.com/dQT00jbl.png

https://i.imgur.com/zwKg3BNl.png

They also highlight that Ottawa will indeed be part of the network expansion with the E195-E2:

https://i.imgur.com/nCsVg8fl.png

https://i.imgur.com/92CWWWwl.png

View homebound:

https://i.imgur.com/yPf0RYKl.jpg

[AuxTown]

My flights were both full as far as I could tell. Maybe a couple of premium seats open but I couldn't tell from my seat near the bathroom :shrug:

Great aerial!

[RomanR27]

My girlfriend flew home from YYZ on Tuesday and she said her A220 was about 80% full

[Dominion301]

@caveat.doctor good to hear about the loads and nice pics of the first Porter inflight magazine in 18 months.

Saturday's departure count of 37 reflects the summer seasonal flights coming to an end after the Thanksgiving weekend.

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 40

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 44

[gjhall]

Flew to DCA via YUL over the weekend and back, and all 4 flights were 95+% full - YOW still really quiet, YUL felt more "normal" in terms of volume but definitely not 100% back.

Queues for customs are crazy long but connecting passengers get to bypass the whole queue; feels awkward and got heckled while walking past hundreds of people getting frustrated but just keep keeping' on until you get to the front.

[Dominion301]

AC have released their December/January non-sun domestic/transborder schedule and here's what's loaded for YOW:
YHZ: 3x CR9
YUL: 6x: 4x DH4 (3x day 6), 1x CR9, 1x CRJ (2x day 6)
YTZ: 4x DH4
YYZ: 9x ops X6, 8x day 6: 1x 223 (ops X1), 1x CR9, 7x 320 (ops 8x day 1 & 6x day 6)
YYC: 1x 320
YVR: 2x 321 (1x day 7)

YOW-BOS/DCA/EWR are all now removed until May 2022.

YOW-IAD on UA is still showing as resuming Nov 1st. on a daily CRJ. ORD though is now delayed until late March 2022.

[MountainView]

AC have released their December/January non-sun domestic/transborder schedule and here's what's loaded for YOW:
YHZ: 3x CR9
YUL: 6x: 4x DH4 (3x day 6), 1x CR9, 1x CRJ (2x day 6)
YTZ: 4x DH4
YYZ: 9x ops X6, 8x day 6: 1x 223 (ops X1), 1x CR9, 7x 320 (ops 8x day 1 & 6x day 6)
YYC: 1x 320
YVR: 2x 321 (1x day 7)

YOW-BOS/DCA/EWR are all now removed until May 2022.

YOW-IAD on UA is still showing as resuming Nov 1st. on a daily CRJ. ORD though is now delayed until late March 2022.

I believe the 737 MAX 8 is flying one of the daily YVRs but I could be wrong.

Also... I still wonder if that IAD route will take off in November... the fares are incredibly high right now whether you are O&D to Washington or looking for a connection. It's at least 50% cheaper to connect on AC via YYZ/YUL

[roger1818]

Also... I still wonder if that IAD route will take off in November... the fares are incredibly high right now whether you are O&D to Washington or looking for a connection. It's at least 50% cheaper to connect on AC via YYZ/YUL

They may be counting on the fact that connecting to/from a US flight in Canada is a nightmare with all the COVID screening (especially entering Canada), and unless you have a long layover, you will probably miss your connecting flight. WS is treating their customers well in this situation (offering meal vouchers etc.). AC, not so much, as they refuse to give their passenger anything as they say it isn't their fault.

[JakeLRS]

Looks like non-stop flights to Kitchener-Waterloo (YKF) will be announced this week through Pivot Airlines.

[Dominion301]

Looks like non-stop flights to Kitchener-Waterloo (YKF) will be announced this week through Pivot Airlines.

Hope the reincarnation of Air Georgian succeeds as a stand-alone carrier. In normal times, there’s definitely the tech traffic there to support a 2x daily weekdays, 1x weekends service.

[Dominion301]

Today’s departure count: 43

[RomanR27]

Hope the reincarnation of Air Georgian succeeds as a stand-alone carrier. In normal times, there’s definitely the tech traffic there to support a 2x daily weekdays, 1x weekends service.

Depending how reasonably priced, might attract some Waterloo students as well that live in the Ottawa area.

[Dominion301]

After first delaying, Flair have now quietly removed YOW-LAS and YOW-YYZ won't be coming back. All other F8 ex-YOW routes are still there, including Florida. Hopefully they'll give LAS another go at some point. Might have been too early in the recovery to attempt this.

All of Flair's summer 2022 expansion with the 4 new MAXes excludes YOW. However, YOW-Florida is still showing as for sale year-round. In total F8 will serve 9 destinations out of YOW in 2022.

[Dominion301]

Today's departure count: 41

[BenYOW]

Skies Mag (https://skiesmag.com/news/pivot-airlines-gauges-demand-business-travel-plans-scheduled-service-2022/) put out an article today with a few updates on Pivot Airlines. It sounds like service to YOW will commence in January - March 2022, with tickets to go on sale within the next 1-2 weeks.

The new operator expects to launch in the first quarter of 2022 with service from the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) to Montreal and Ottawa. It hopes to add three U.S. destinations once regulatory approval is obtained, said Pivot Airlines CEO Eric Edmondson.
Tickets are expected to be available for purchase through www.flypivot.com sometime between Oct. 28 and Nov. 5. Although Edmondson said fares are still being fine tuned, he expects a one-way ticket to cost between $179 and $229.

[Har13]

This flight can also serve for uni students at guelph, waterloo,Laurier, western, fanawashae.

[MountainView]

Seems like 07/25 is back open now.

Also, I am surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but with the NHL season back up and running we can finally see some hockey charters besides AC Jetz. I noticed the Stars and Sharks both came in on a 734 and 735 respectively. And the Rangers will be coming in tonight on a Delta 757. With the American teams visiting us again, it will be neat to see some other interesting planes visit YOW.

[rocketphish]

Airport's outlook 'a lot brighter' after recent passenger gains, official says

By: David Sali, OBJ
Published: Oct 21, 2021 2:07pm EDT

After passenger volumes plummeted in 2020 and much of 2021, Ottawa airport is seeing a steady ascent in traffic that suggests the aviation industry is starting to climb out of its pandemic-fuelled funk, officials say.

“Things are starting to look a lot brighter,” Krista Kealey, the vice-president of communications at the Ottawa International Airport Authority, said in a recent interview on OBJ’s Behind the Headlines podcast. “There’s a lot of pent-up travel demand.”

Kealey said that while this year’s projected total passenger volume of one million is well below the 5.1 million travellers who used the facility in 2019, the number of people flying in and out of YOW is growing by the month.

About 170,000 passengers passed through the Ottawa airport last month. That’s still only about half of the volume of traffic the facility saw in a typical September before the pandemic, but it’s a big step up from earlier this spring and summer, when passenger volumes in April, May and June were less than 10 per cent of their pre-COVID levels.

Kealey said it appears passengers are getting more comfortable with air travel as vaccination rates continue to rise and more restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 are lifted. She said there’s “a lot of support” for a federal government policy that will require all air travellers to be fully vaccinated as of Oct. 30.

“It’s going to take us some time to get back (to pre-pandemic passenger levels), but at least we’re on the right trajectory towards that,” Kealey said.

In a sign that the industry is gradually recovering, a growing number of airlines have begun resuming service or launching new routes at the Ottawa airport in the past few months.

More than 60 flights are now serving the capital each day, down from about 110 before the pandemic but up substantially from fewer than 20 daily arrivals and departures this spring.

Most recently, Air Canada said it plans to start flying between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Ottawa at the end of the month. Kealey called the announcement a “nice surprise” given that the country’s largest air carrier hasn’t operated a route between Toronto Island and the nation’s capital for 15 years.

“I know business travel isn’t back to where it was, but I know that’s a very important route for Ottawa’s business travellers,” she said.

The boost in traffic is a welcome bit of news for a facility that’s taken a massive financial hit over the past 18 months.

The airport – which relies on improvement fees charged to passengers as well as terminal and landing fees, concession revenues and parking fees for most of its revenues – racked up a net loss of $51.2 million in 2020 and expects to incur an even bigger deficit this year.

In an effort to rein in spending, the airport paused virtually all non-essential capital projects, laid off 18 employees and didn’t fill nearly a dozen other vacancies.

CEO Mark Laroche said this spring the airport authority might need to borrow as much as $100 million to cover this year’s losses, adding it would likely take “several years” for the non-profit facility to restore its full complement of pre-COVID routes and get delayed infrastructure projects back on track

https://www.obj.ca/article/local/tourism/airports-outlook-lot-brighter-after-recent-passenger-gains-official-says

[thewave46]

Did Lufthansa end up starting Ottawa? Are the supposed to still?

[YOWflier]

Nope and nobody knows.

[SidetrackedSue]

The blanket travel advisory to not travel has been lifted.

Not sure if that will make any difference. It might if it was affected the ability to get travel insurance. As well, there are a certain number of 'rule followers' (me included) who may be more open to travel now or authorizing staff to travel.

I still won't be traveling, but now I can't complain about my husband heading back on the road for contrived reasons. The three road trips we took in the past 19 months weren't enough to scratch the travel itch. He used to travel 3 - 6 months of the year and by August 2020 had slept in his own bed for the longest stretch of nights in 4 decades.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-travel-international-covid-advisory-1.6220428

[YOWflier]

I don’t think it’ll move the needle much for leisure travel. The PCR requirement is still a huge disincentive. $800-$1000 in additional travel costs to take my family of 4 somewhere? No thanks.

It might help biz travel where those extra costs are expensed.

[roger1818]

I don’t think it’ll move the needle much for leisure travel. The PCR requirement is still a huge disincentive. $800-$1000 in additional travel costs to take my family of 4 somewhere? No thanks.

It might help biz travel where those extra costs are expensed.

The USA is removing the need for a test for entry, and you can easily get free PCR test in the USA for your return trip.

[YOWflier]

Yeah, good stuff, although the US wasn’t the destination(s) I had in mind when posting.

[RomanR27]

Yeah, good stuff, although the US wasn’t the destination(s) I had in mind when posting.

Even you could get free tests abroad (say in the Caribbean), the risk of testing positive and then being forced to isolate down there for two weeks is enough to keep me away.

[Dominion301]

The 60 departures a day count is way off. 48 is the high mark since the start of the pandemic.

Today's departure count: 44

WS have loaded YOW-YHZ to resume on 01MAY22...just in time to feed the YHZ international flights. :( Schedule will initially be 2x daily with 1 DH4 & 1 7M8, increasing back to the traditional summertime 3x on 20MAY22 with a 2nd daily DH4.

WS have also delayed the resumption of RSW & MCO until mid-December. Flair however will be the first transborder ops in over 16 months when YOW-FLL with them starts in a few days on 31OCT21, followed by UA to IAD the following day.

[Dominion301]

Skies Mag (https://skiesmag.com/news/pivot-airlines-gauges-demand-business-travel-plans-scheduled-service-2022/) put out an article today with a few updates on Pivot Airlines. It sounds like service to YOW will commence in January - March 2022, with tickets to go on sale within the next 1-2 weeks.

According to Pivot's website, route details coming on October 27th and tickets available for purchase starting Nov. 1st.

Once it has established itself with a couple of domestic and transborder routes, Edmondson said Pivot will work to establish interline and codeshare agreements. But those plans, of course, are fully contingent upon the demand for business travel returning. If all goes according to plan, plane spotters will see Pivot Airlines taking off from Waterloo airport in early 2022.

Future Porter interline partner perhaps? Would give Pivot easy access to the Atlantic provinces out of YOW and YHZ out of YUL.

[MountainView]

The 60 departures a day count is way off. 48 is the high mark since the start of the pandemic.

Today's departure count: 44

WS have loaded YOW-YHZ to resume on 01MAY22...just in time to feed the YHZ international flights. :( Schedule will initially be 2x daily with 1 DH4 & 1 7M8, increasing back to the traditional summertime 3x on 20MAY22 with a 2nd daily DH4.

WS have also delayed the resumption of RSW & MCO until mid-December. Flair however will be the first transborder ops in over 16 months when YOW-FLL with them starts in a few days on 31OCT21, followed by UA to IAD the following day.

I know airlines have moved away from this model, but I wonder if WestJet would ever consider advertising the YOW-YHZ-LGW(Europe) as a "direct" flight from YOW and keeping the same flight number all the way through. So for example, having WS24 be the flight number on the YOW-YHZ tag as well, and allowing folks to remain on the plane in YHZ. Perhaps just for the summer of 2022 when YOW won't have a "direct" connection to Europe... it could be something WestJet could market locally. It's fairly obvious that the 737 Max 8 that does YOW-YHZ then continues onto one of their European destinations.

[VaskoYOW]

I know airlines have moved away from this model, but I wonder if WestJet would ever consider advertising the YOW-YHZ-LGW(Europe) as a "direct" flight from YOW and keeping the same flight number all the way through. So for example, having WS24 be the flight number on the YOW-YHZ tag as well, and allowing folks to remain on the plane in YHZ. Perhaps just for the summer of 2022 when YOW won't have a "direct" connection to Europe... it could be something WestJet could market locally. It's fairly obvious that the 737 Max 8 that does YOW-YHZ then continues onto one of their European destinations.

That would make too much sense! Wonder, if YOW authorities have approached WestJet with that idea? Especially with no news on YOW-LHR resumption anytime soon. I also believe that YOW-YHZ-CDG could work for summer seasonal.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see, how the Covid-19 passenger recovery will unfold the next few months, as well as the restrictions.

[thewave46]

I know airlines have moved away from this model, but I wonder if WestJet would ever consider advertising the YOW-YHZ-LGW(Europe) as a "direct" flight from YOW and keeping the same flight number all the way through. So for example, having WS24 be the flight number on the YOW-YHZ tag as well, and allowing folks to remain on the plane in YHZ. Perhaps just for the summer of 2022 when YOW won't have a "direct" connection to Europe... it could be something WestJet could market locally. It's fairly obvious that the 737 Max 8 that does YOW-YHZ then continues onto one of their European destinations.

Would it actually lure passengers though?

I recall Air Canada doing something similar with Toronto-Vancouver-Sydney (AUS) a while ago. They kept the same flight number and aircraft, but advertised it as 'direct' service from Toronto. I'm not sure it actually really mattered to most on the flight. I'm not sure if Air Canada sold tickets for the Toronto-Vancouver segment on it.

Airlines have really moved away from that model for a reason - it's just easier to disembark all passengers at the connection point and reload them when they're headed onto their next destination. No awkward shuffle for people staying on-board versus those getting off. It's probably less confusing for the passenger if the plane only has one destination instead of intermediary stops. Finally, many countries are picky about visitor entrance requirements so intermixing of passengers between domestic and international segments is frowned upon.

It also makes things easier from an operations point-of-view. If the airplane has to be swapped out it is easier to do when it is empty.

The parts I dislike most about airline travel is sitting on an airplane at the gate - if I'm going to be going nowhere, might as well stretch my legs in the terminal.