ComOx

The COVID recovery period is indeed an ideal, perhaps the only time for PD to get serious. I’m just not so sure their E2 delivery window and the COVID recovery window will overlap enough for them to have this advantage. COVID recovery needs to be slow for them to build up a fleet and dig in.

All the more reason for them to focus on YOW with some feed from East. I have the highest of hopes for them to succeed wildly here.

If PD is getting their first E195s by mid year 2022, then we should be getting some announcements of upcoming routes in the next couple of months. Obviously the first couple of weeks, they will moreso operate YYZ-YOW/YUL for crew familiarity.

Thereafter, will be interesting to see where they base these E195s. We know YYZ, YUL, YOW and YHZ were mentioned, but will it be mostly YYZ, with a drizzle of the rest, or will it be more evenly spread out. We shall soon find out.

Launch dates now available. Earliest routes launch 29MAR22 and all routes are 2x or 3x weekly: https://storage.googleapis.com/flyfl...5c278c55a0.pdf

YQQ starts Mar 29 (come from existing plane)

The new YEG and YYZ-based routes will start Apr 14. The new YVR-based routes will start May 16.

Yeah, I found the long press release and edited the last post I made to add that.

I see the planned winter YOW-LAS has been quietly dropped, but the YOW-Florida flying will still kick off as planned.

I get the feeling YOW and YYZ will see the most. Likely to safe to say YHZ will see the least. As far as crew familiarity, beyond empty training flights in the triangle, I wonder if PD will even attempt the triangle to YYZ?

YEG-BNA is certainly interesting.

CATSA has encouraging passenger figures for Canada's 8 and 15 largest airports. These are weekly screened passenger departure numbers only. No arrivals, and doesn't include crew or airport employees. So it's pretty accurate.

https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/scr...passenger-data

Last January, the top 8 and top 15 were at ~10% of 2019 passenger stats. Now, we are at 50%. That's a decent recovery. Yes, still a long way to go, but we are halfway there, and considering this rebound is holding pace in a slow month such as October is encouraging. By mid-2022, we should be around 75% of 2019 numbers.

LH finally moved FRA-YYC/YHZ over to EW (Or 4Y) in the GDS.

YYC Up to 5x weekly 333 from May 23
YHZ 3x weekly 332 from June 13 to early September.

The YYC flights are loaded into October, probably until the end of the summer season.

Quote the interesting destination list Eurowings Discover has. It is truly a leisure airline through and through, it was smart of LH to create this division to complete with Condor. I feel like the LH group could take Condor out, it has been shaky since the Thomas Cook Group went under at the end of 2019. 4Y is definitely positioning itself to take on those routes, if not already. People in YYC might not be thrilled that 3/4 of the European airlines serving YYC are strictly leisue (the 1 non-leisure being KLM), but honestly at this point, having any air service increase is a plus. No time to be an airline snob these days, take what you can get.

AC adding YYC/YVR-YQB in S22

https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2021...ng-Next-Summer

YYC-YQB 4x weekly from May 20
YVR-YQB 3x weekly from May 21

Great additions. Although surprised the frequencies aren't reversed, with YVR getting the bigger share. I guess to better compete against the 4x weekly of WS, who is on YYC-YQB as well.

Crazy to think that 2 carriers will be operating each on YQB-YYC and YQB-YVR next summer, as TS also flies YQB-YVR. Until a few years ago, there were none.

Also, its nice to see AC buildup YQB with something other than AC Express. A couple of years ago, AC mainline/Rouge was non existent in YQB, whereas now, Quebecers will be able to take AC Rouge non stop to YVR, YYC, YYZ, FLL, PUJ, CUN and MCO. Yes, it's not mainline, but it's a nice change of pace at YQB. Next step, making sure these west coast runs stick year round.

I think a longer-term strategy might involve a real competing airline alliance in Canada. In short, if Westjet joins SkyTeam.

Until that point, Canada's going to be a Star Alliance fortress at more secondary destinations for business travel. The big hubs (YYZ, YVR, and YUL) have enough traffic for European carriers, but KLM's the outlier in the sense of a big Euro airline serving smaller destinations. Which is why I agitate for people from Edmonton thread to keep flying them - it's the best option for real global travel competition.

Leisure travel is more variable, so the operators tend to be more varied.

WS is certainly pointing in all directions to joining Skyteam, they are almost there in so many senses. Just got to make it official soon. They still have some non-SKyteam codeshares but it is getting rare (QF is one of the remaining), b ut more and more it is becoming a SKyteam alliance. And good for them, the amount of codesharing they have now is amazing, compared to years ago. Being the 2nd biggest airline in a country like Canada is a big enticement for WS, hence why they were teetering between One World and SKyteam for years before choosing a side. Back in the day, their flights weree overwhelmin gly codeshared with One World carrriers

It looks like United Airlines (UA) has now pushed back Edmonton- Denver & Houston US,flights✈️ to end of March 2022. *More changes could still be possible*. Will see.

Not certain they will ever join though it would be good. That said if the have the code shares in place with the key players it is close enough.

Next up will be poorer building out their partnerships with Oneworld.

Aviacionline (AL) interviewed WestJet Frank Satusky who is currently their new Director for Network and Schedule Planning & he used to work for Air Canada.

Key points he said WestJet plans to continue to build its 3 busiest hubs in Calgary,Toronto & Vancouver 1st✅! "FS: We have three hubs, and we will continue to focus on building our three hubs. But part of WestJet’s mandate is to be across the country; we have bases across the country, from Vancouver to Halifax and everything in between, and we want to continue to grow, and our focus also needs to be on building that up. Calgary will remain our main base of operations and Vancouver and Toronto our other major hubs – we want to continue to grow our hubs, while remaining present across the country".

Also he mentioned WestJet plans to continue to focus on Europe & along with Arizona, Las Vegas, California, Florida leisure destinations in the United States,etc.

He also mentioned WestJet plans to use their 787 planes✈️ out of their hubs to build and carry flows from across North America, across the Atlantic, into Europe and beyond.

https://www.aviacionline.com/2021/10...ng-at-westjet/

YOW-ORD has been pushed to the same timeframe, but YOW-IAD is still slated to resume on Nov. 1st with a 1x daily CRJ. This will mark the return of transborder network connectivity ops at YOW, along with the re-startup of YOW-Florida the day before when Flair launches YOW-FLL.

Transport Canada is lifting the ban on flights from Morocco as of Oct 29. Stricter testing requirements will be enforced, similar to flights from India.

AT will be resuming daily service to YUL on Oct 29.

https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-c...r-29-2021.html

It's a case of YQB catching up and being more open to travelling to the RoC and vice versa. Eventually you'd think YQB has the population to have WS fly YYC-YQB year-round.