Was gone for a few weeks on vacation, and missed a couple new routes start up at YVR.

First China Eastern launched 3x per week Vancouver Nanjing, resulting in some great double tail shots between their Nanjing and Shanghai service:
http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51...NzUwMA%3D%3D.2
https://www.instagram.com/planelovers15/?hl=en

Then on Dec 30th Capital Airlines launched their inaugural North American service with flights between Vancouver and Qingdao & Hangzhou.
http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51...NTU2NA%3D%3D.2
https://www.instagram.com/jwolfe.aviation/?hl=en

Great way to close out a big year for YVR.

Speaking of Vancouver.....

http://www.thenextmiami.com/hainan-a...s-china-miami/

"At the same time, MIA is also quietly working with other Asian carriers, including Hainan rival Cathay Pacific. The company wants a Hong Kong-Canada air bilateral amended so that the airline can add a Hong Kong-Vancouver-Miami route."

Apparently YVR-MIA is the single largest U.S.-Canada market without a non-stop.

I don't see the Canadian government renegotiating the bilateral anytime soon though.

Well with Air Canada and Cathay's recent partnership perhaps they won't get the pushback one would normally expect.

Cathay already operates a daily YVR-JFK, perhaps they could transfer 3 or 4 of the frequencies from that until a larger agreement can be made.

Looks like Westjet won this round too! New Leaf abandoning Mesa route 2 weeks before it was due to start. I wonder when they will just give up...

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/...h-in-jan-2017/

Air Canada rouge in the last few weeks made additional service adjustment for long-haul routes for summer 2017 season. A number of planned service increase has been shelved, due to operational day changes that was not completely reflected in schedule and inventory listing.

As of 04JAN17, planned changes as follow.

Toronto – Budapest Service increase from 3 to 4 weekly (Previously displaying 5)
Toronto – Manchester Service reduces from 6 to 5 weekly (Previously displaying increase to 7 weekly)
Toronto – Warsaw Service maintains at 4 weekly level. The airline previously displayed 5 weekly from YYZ, 4 from WAW
Vancouver – Dublin Service continues to operate 3 times a week, instead of planned 4

Previously reported changes:
Montreal – Algiers eff 26JUN17 New 4 weekly service
Montreal – Casablanca eff 24JUN17 Increase from 3 to 7 weekly (5 weekly from 23SEP17)
Montreal – Marseille eff 09JUN17 New 3 weekly service
Toronto – Berlin Tegel eff 01JUN17 4 weekly service. Berlin is a service resumption for Air Canada since Feb 1996 (Berlin Schoenefeld)

Toronto – Lisbon eff 15JUN17 Increase from 6 to 7 weekly
Toronto – London Gatwick Service reduces from 7 to 4 weekly
Vancouver – London Gatwick eff 08JUN17 NEW seasonal 3 weekly service
Vancouver – Nagoya Chubu eff 01JUN17 3 weekly, 4 weekly in Aug/Sep 2017. Nagoya is a service resumption for AC Mainline since Dec 2001

Air Algérie confirms 2 weekly ORAN- MONTREAL beginning June till September.

YUL International summer 2016 to 2017 changes so far ...new routes and increased flights.

Air China / Beijing from 3 to 6 weekly beginning July 2017
Air Canada / shanghai new route going daily
Air Canada / Lyon 5 weekly to daily
Air Canada Rouge / Barcelona 5 weekly to daily
Air Canada Rouge / Athens 5 weekly to 6
Air Canada Rouge / Algiers new route 4 weekly
Air Canada Rouge / Casablanca from 4 weekly to daily
Air Canada Rouge / Marseille new route 3 weekly
Tunisair / Tunis 2 weekly to 3 weekly
Air Algierie / Algiers 8 weekly to 10 weekly
Air Algérie / Oran new route 2 weekly
Wow Air / Reykjavik going daily

Aeromexico / Mexico City 2 daily !

So yeah these are the changes so far....

You forgot...
Air Canada YUL-LYS, 5 weekly to 7 weekly.

Looks like a good year ahead for YUL!

Yeah !!

Does anyone typically know when Air Canada releases its finalized summer schedule (valid through to end September)? The current online timetable is valid until April.

Thanks in advance!

Another day, another routecancellation. This one for Melbourne FL, so New Leaf is out of the transborder market before it even began!

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/...h-in-jan-2017/

Air Transat to start YUL-TLV in Juin:

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/...rom-june-2017/

Totally out of left field from Transat on this one. Preemptive strike against AC perhaps? Will be interesting to see how this route performs (will be Transat's longest route), and if AC retaliates this year or next.

YUL-TLV was identified by AC as a possibility by 2018.

Transat flying to Tel Aviv? That's weird...

And ya, that's a long flight. I've done YYZ-TLV direct before, it's 11 hours. Not sure how fun that would be on a Transat plane :(

Capital Airlines

• Video Link

So what ...Transat has done YUL-IST before ...not much of a difference. Smart move in my opinion ....wouldn't be surprised if air Canada does the same.

When TS flew FCO-YVR last summer season, the flight time was over 12 hours, as the route is slightly longer. That flight will not return next summer. Hopefully this route doesn't share the same faith.

TLV-YUL is also over 12 hours long. TS has it at 12h40 gate to gate. Personally I find that a bit too much. It shouldn't take that long. I think they are playing it safe with the schedule, what with all the connections they can offer nowadays.

Interesting... the AC flight from TLV to YYZ is a longer distance yet it is at 12 hours exact, gate to gate. Different aircraft?

(In the other direction it's 10h15m. Gotta love those prevailing winds..)

Has AC ever done YUL-TLV? I know El Al has done YUL-TLV in the past before cutting the route around ten years ago.

When I started working at the airport in 1999, EL AL was a regular in both YUL and YMX. They had the regular flight 3 weekly in YUL with B767 (once in a while with the B747) and they had the charter flight in YMX with the B747 (because at that time, YMX was still a passenger airport for charters). The charter flight was twice a week and did TLV-YMX-JFK and back. There was also a North American B757 feeder to and from BWI to fill up the B747. So El AL B747 would land in YMX, 1/3 of PAX would offload in YMX, 1/3 would stay on for JFK and 1/3 would transfer on North American to BWI. Later, the same day, EL AL would come back to YMX from JFK with 1/3 of the PAX, load 1/3 from here and the feeder was also back from BWI to transfer some PAX as well. If I remember correctly, the regular service in YUL stopped before the charter service in YMX. And that was around 2000 or 2001.

As for Air Canada, they did have non stop to TLV from YUL up to 2000 or 2001 as well. I think it was 3 or 4 weekly with the B763.