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Originally Posted by realcity
Whatever happened with the 403 link road highway that was built a few years ago? Wasn't that the thing that would make the airport take off? Instead it loses money.
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Remember how WestJet complained that they needed better road access at YHM? And yet when Hwy 6 went back under construction, with a firm completion date, WestJet announces that they're moving to Pearson, citing the lack of transportation facilities, among other things. They knew the road was coming. And after years of complementing Hamilton on it's turnaround times, and ease of gettting planes off the ground as opposed to YYZ, suddenly weather delays were an issue. And what about the huge cost advantage to operating at YHM? Never mentioned on the way out. That suggests that WestJet got a sweetheart deal from the GTAA to shift their hub to Pearson. And then the "shocked and hurt" attitude when local politicians and media called them on it? Too much.
Now I can see why they might want to go to Pearson. There's a certain status to being in Toronto (even if it really is Mississauga). While they might not make much money from Toronto, they'll make money by being there. One of my profs in TO once told us that many stores in the Eaton Centre make little, if any, money because the high rents. But the chain has added value by being able to say that they're in the Eaton Centre.
I think YHM's biggest problem was putting too much faith in a single carrier. They're still a private corporation, and can do as they please. Now if the GTAA actually did run Munro, maybe they'd try to help Pearson's efficiency by encouraging airlines to shift some operations to Munro.