The WS/Government of Alberta announcement seems good for YYC, but it's kind of odd too. Governments don't usually formallly endorse an airline lol, seems a bit hokey, and very Jason Kenney Alberta chearleading session more than anything. Some of these things have nothing to do with the goverment, or at least shouldn't , they are like subsidy which is a no-no especially for uber-free market Alberta... Here's the highlights from the presser:

Affordability
Provide Travel Alberta with additional funding in support of travel and tourism efforts
Work to address the challenges associated with high aviation fuel prices for air passengers and industry
Advance Alberta's status as a global aviation hub by enabling more to and from flights and more connecting passengers

People
Improve access to pilot training with investment and expansion of the Mount Royal University pilot training program
Collaboration to ensure pilots are trained in Alberta with the appropriate technology and partnerships
Potential development of advanced commercial aviation training programs for aviation-related specialties, including a potential degree program
Funding of an annual hiring training grant to ensure support for training and other associated costs

Sustainability
Commitment to the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) capacity at scale in Alberta as central to economic diversification and reducing carbon emissions from aviation
Commitment to assist WestJet in improving its own technology and software in support of a low-carbon future

Infrastructure
Government of Alberta and the WestJet Group to seek opportunities to enable growth through strategic public and private investments that support aerospace and aviation sector needs

Sure whatever. Good luck lol. Europe and Asia with 7 787's? They must be joking. Based on my limited experience connecting through YYC, I would choose YVR any day. And if they mean another leisure route like YYC-BCN as to new routes than sure it's a new route but will this really increase connectivity from Western Canada and the Western US? My guess is not enough so but we shall see. This seems like another photo-op more than anything. WS strategy seems to be "just be in the news" for whatever. lately

How many people from YVR will really choose to connect through YYC with the service YVR gets? YEG connections will be steady but will they increase that much? People on the YEG forum love to berate AC but AC YEG-YYZ flights are always full every time I fly and those aren't just O&D passengers. I don't see people choosing a 2 stop connection via YYC versus a 1 stop connection via YYZ or YUL. WS must really be banking on California connections but even then their route network isn't exactly extensive.

Me & my family don’t mind connecting in Calgary YYC to our travel destinations (if) need be & we have done it previously. But we usually connect in Vancouver (YVR)

Actually there’s a lot of Asia/ Europe tourists that fly out YYC, as majority of the tour groups for bus trips originate out of Vancouver YVR- through Rocky Mountains to Banff/Lake Louise - onwards Calgary YYC.

Connecting wise last couple years in Western Canada Vancouver YVR/ Calgary YYC are pretty much about the same. But with YVR having more choices of US & International flight connections to Asia/Europe/Australia.

And YYC airport has good connections within Canada, the US & to Europe.

You need to step back from the PR part of the press release and look at what is concreate in it. The province is dumping money into local post secondary to create train programs for new pilots. That sounds good especially if you have a large employer willing to hire them.

Maybe the province puts some money into the YYC airport or signs a deal to preferentially use WestJet for government travel.

As for connections it all depends. Living in YYJ, one stop connections through Vancouver or Calgary are roughly the same. I do agree YVR as an airport has a better layout. However I would be quite open to connecting through Calgary especially it is a one stop connection. Going to Europe almost always end up with a two stop unless I go through Toronto. The number of destinations severed from YVR or YYC is quite limited. Same thing for places like Edmonton or Saskatoon or even many of the cities in the western US.

I really think Asia means Dubai. Alberta has a large Indian, Pakistani, Bengali population, and West Jet looked at Dubai a while ago.
They need someone to connect onwards, but to me that is what they mean by Asia.

Its Alberta, say no more. :haha:

Didn't they actually own a chunk of PWA at one point?

7 787's would work considering they're all going to be based and only flying out of YYC. Based on pricing in the past quite a few people connected YVR-YYC-XXX and Western US-YYC-XXX in the summers to Europe. I don't see why WS would do this if they weren't seeing success out of YYC already.

Westjet has a codeshare with Emirates.

Maybe Dubai winter seasonal from YYC? The 787 fleet has slack in it then, because they often use them for sun destinations. Sun/domestic in winter seems an underuse of such a long-legged and high capacity airplane.

Dubai would be amazing, deep down I was hoping it would be Emirates if it ever happened but Westjet would do.

Id imagine ICN DEL and maybe NRT and a couple others would be on the table as well?

I'm not sure if DXB would work from YYC due to airspace restrictions. If WS were to launch Asia I'd only expect one route, either YYC-NRT or YYC-ICN, and that would be the full extent of their Asia operations.

Emirates can’t add capacity to Canada. YYC-DXB is a bit tight for WS with the Russian airspace closure, especially westbound, but should be doable.

Which carriers are Westjet’s Asian codeshare partners of onward connections in Asia? Would YYC-MNL be viable for WS?

^ ideally, WS would want to start markets not served from western Canada by either AC or foreign carriers.

DXB, BCN, GLA or EDI fit that bill. MNL doesn’t.

It might work but what a limited schedule. They HAVE to join an alliance. Can you imagine your BCN-YYC flight goes tech. No flight the next day. What are you going to do, take Vueling home? Or Ryanair to Dublin then WS home? Their international schedule will look like Flair and Swoop schedules that people complain about. With AC you will be routed through Germany or YUL, YYZ or YVR to get home. You need AMS and CDG daily at a MINIMUM.

That's fair to bring up, but they've been operating LHR/LGW/CDG/FCO/DUB and AMS in the past and they've seen a lot of success with their YYC operations already. I don't really think this is that much of a gamble. They obviously have access to their own stats and financials and if there were signs that they weren't successful at connecting people at YYC to go to Europe I don't think they'd double down.

They do have partnerships with AF/KL and others already so they don't need to join an alliance.

UNITED TENTATIVELY SCHEDULES 737 MAX 9 DENVER – CALGARY SERVICE IN 1Q23

United in the first quarter of 2023 tentatively schedules Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on Denver – Calgary route, scheduled on 1 of 2 daily flights. The 737 MAX 9 is scheduled to operate from 04JAN23 until 23MAR23, Denver departure.

UA2459 DEN1120 – 1356YYC 738 D
UA720 DEN1905 – 2138YYC 7M9 D

UA2019 YYC0620 – 0850DEN 7M9 D
UA2447 YYC1506 – 1732DEN 738 D

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221006-ua1q23yyc

WestJet and Korean Air enhance codeshare agreement with addition of WestJet codeshare on flights to Seoul, South Korea.

CALGARY, AB, Oct. 7, 2022 /CNW/ - WestJet and Korean Air today have expanded their long-standing codeshare agreement with the placement of WestJet's codeshare on Korean's flights between both Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Vancouver International (YVR) in Canada and Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea.

This is WestJet's first reciprocal codeshare with an Asian partner. With WestJet's "WS" code now active for sale on Korean's flights to Seoul, guests have more opportunities than ever before to combine WestJet and Korean flights to meet their trans-Pacific travel needs.

"It's incredibly exciting for WestJet to codeshare on flights across the Pacific to Asia for the first time. We've had a strong codeshare with Korean since 2012 and we're very pleased to be taking this important step with a world-class partner like Korean," said John Weatherill, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. "We're looking forward to the new opportunities our now reciprocal codeshare will bring to consumers travelling between Canada and Asia."

The WestJet codeshare is now available through WestJet's website and call centre, and through all WestJet's travel agent partners. WestJet Rewards members will be entitled to earn and redeem WestJet Dollars on these WestJet codeshare tickets.

"We are delighted to expand our codeshare partnership with our long-standing partner WestJet, and look forward to delivering unparalleled services across the Pacific to our valued customers," said Tae Joon Kim, Korean Air Senior Vice President and Head of International Affairs & Alliance. "We remain committed to bridging Canada, Korea and Asia through our hub at Incheon Airport."

https://westjet.mediaroom.com/2022-1...l,-South-Korea

^ this should have been done a long time ago, frankly.

WS has had a codeshare agreement with KE since 2012, but it’s been KE placing its code on WS domestic flights. As soon as WS started long haul flights with their 767s back in 2015, they should have done this. Don’t know why they waited so long.

They would do what they do now, rebook on any airline that has space.. Including AC and TS, you don't need to be in an alliance to reaccom passengers.

Yes for sure you can do that but you don't want to make it a habit by sending passenger to your competitor lol. I imagine that the competitors wouldn't give WS bottom of the barrel pricing either relative to KL and AF but I do not know this for sure.