Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeLRS
It’s crazy how Flair was the first to go to GDL and people were skeptical of their route choice. Now everyone wants in on it.
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AC did start YYZ-MTY in October 2023, 7 months before Flair began GDL, so seeing AC at GDL isn't surprising. They were bound to launch the route, with or without F8 there. (MTY and GDL are the 2nd and 3th largest metro areas in Mexico, after MEX)
I am surprised a bit with TS and WS entering the market from their respective main hubs, however.
GDL is underserved to Europe. Air Canada can tap into that market from YYZ very well. TS should have done the same from YUL, but the return flight from GDL doesn't connect well with Europe, so the jury is still out on whether YUL-GDL will succeed. There might be just enough local O&D for the route to stick. Can WS say the same about YYC-GDL? Not sure.
YYC-MEX's track record has been pretty bad. WS only recently relaunched that route, so seeing them attempt GDL so soon after restarting MEX is a bit of a surprise. It might be they saw decent bookings to GDL via MEX, and decided to give the route a go.
However, unlike YYZ, YYC isn't well placed to capture GDL-Europe traffic, and WS is limited to NRT service in Asia in winter, so again, not much to go on. The route will rely mostly on O&D and domestic Canadian connections. With YVR and YYZ already having year round service with Flair, it will be interesting to see if TS and WS survive. Not too worried about AC. In fact, I can see them launching YUL/YVR-GDL as well, in order to kick out TS and F8 from the routes.