(YEG) Edmonton International Airport Part 4 (October 2023)

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by ace.yyc

The new YEG routes were pretty much set in stone since July/August, I told y'all to have some patience instead of attacking your airport authority cause good things were coming.

More is coming.

YEG-KEF lawl. I can definitely see that happening.

Personally, I'm just waiting for WS to pick up YEG-YHM.

[YegFan]

What you are saying is confusing. If WS relies on zero connections at sfo, then AC is missing out on so many O&D traffic which make more money as you know.

Either way, all aim saying, let's hope that both flights stick around.

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by YegFan

What you are saying is confusing. If WS relies on zero connections at sfo, then AC is missing out on so many O&D traffic which make more money as you know.

Either way, all aim saying, let's hope that both flights stick around.

I keep forgetting Flair ran YEG-SFO this past spring. They had decent loads once service normalized. WS shouldn't have a problem filling their seats.

Flair's SFO Loads for 2023

November 2022: 56.9%
March: 59.2%
April: 77.9%
May: 76.1%
June: 68.2%

Flair axed YEG-SFO.

[Coldrsx]

ATL is a game changer indeed for east coast...and beyond connections.

Nice.

[LO 044]

Originally Posted by YegFan

Hopefully not a zero sum game.....AC isn't fully committed to the SFO route because it runs a tiny aircraft while Flair's schedule to BNA is strange.

Time will tell if AC and Flair keep those routes now that they have competition.

Fully committed? Haven't they been running this route for a couple of years? I thought this route was started based on lobbying from the local business community. Air Canada stepped up. WestJet didn't. Something to do with IT and the many businesses in California if I remember. Of course the CRJ has 12 business class seats vs WestJet's 0 business class seats on the 737. While it is great that WS is adding service, they are doing it purely to get AC out in similar fashion on the BNA route. With Star Alliance connections at SFO and some business connections I hope AC sticks around. Business flights improve our economy not one-way YEG-SFO leisure traffic. For the MSP and ATL routes, I do commend WS. Let's hope the ATL route sticks to year round.

[YegFan]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

I keep forgetting Flair ran YEG-SFO this past spring. They had decent loads once service normalized. WS shouldn't have a problem filling their seats.

Flair's SFO Loads for 2023

November 2022: 56.9%
March: 59.2%
April: 77.9%
May: 76.1%
June: 68.2%

Flair axed YEG-SFO.

which really begs the question....why does AC run the RJ on the route if others can fill the plane. They should have already started using the A220 IMO

[s211]

Originally Posted by Rocket252

^ The CRJ-900s AC uses appear to be new so I assume they will keep that model of aircraft if year round.

Shudder. What, did they run short of piper cubs?

[LO 044]

Originally Posted by ace.yyc

Not sure if you maybe haven't flown WestJet in a while but all WestJet 737 have been upgraded to 12 actual domestic business class seats, pretty much identical seat to the Air Canada MAX seat. It's a nice seat, no one would take the CRJ seat over WestJet's new seat with all other things being equal. You may be thinking of WestJet's previous "Plus" seat that was still six abreast with the middle seats blocked.

With the WestJet flight running only seasonally, I'd be surprised if AC can't maintain the Jazz flight but we'll have to see.

Yes I definitely missed the memo. I read that WestJet doesn't offer a warm meal for business class flights below 2.5 hours? Is that similar for AC? I just find the WestJet overall business product so poor relative to most not just AC's. Poor alliance connection options, poor lounges or lack there of and so on. It's been mentioned on multiple forums by people that fly business class more than me. Like you said, even the fact that WestJet's flight isn't year round means it's a leisure route add. Still better than nothing. I think Gate 88 has cobwebs all over it so any transborder add is a plus.

And to chime in on the survey, I would take the CRJ over any connection.

[Rocket252]

We took CRJ to SFO when they restarted the service a few years ago. It was fine for the short hops under 3 hours. If your a big person it may be tight but they do have business class.

[Base]

It's interesting to see Westjet going after Flair on BNA as if it is almost defending it's turf. That connection advantage Westjet enjoys here because Flair & Air Canada aren't able to supplement local demand.

If Westjet indeed flips a few seasonals to year round and increases a few frequencies when the next sched comes out I would be on the verge of saying YEG has moved from "focus city" to "reliever hub" status in their eyes.

I don't expect much reaction from Air Canada but interesting to see what, if anything, Flair answers with.

[urbanroo]

Any chance Westjet will have some sort of sale to kick off the new routes? I'd like to go to New York in June. The cheapest is through YYC at $328 oneway, followed by many YYZ options in the high $300s. Through Atlanta costs $995 one-way, which is just crazy. Going through Minneapolis is $487--still more than I want to pay when traveling on my own dime with family.

[thenoflyzone]

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231109-wsns24us

No US pre-clearance on the flight to ATL it seems.

Edmonton – Atlanta eff 29APR24 1 daily 737-700
WS1902 YEG0045 – 0706ATL 73W D
WS1029 ATL0905 – 1150YEG 73W D

Edmonton – Nashville eff 02MAY24 2 weekly 737-700/-800 (Swoop previously planned to offer this service in 2022)
WS1420 YEG0935 – 1424BNA 737 47
WS1421 BNA1515 – 1829YEG 737 47

[YegFan]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231109-wsns24us

No US pre-clearance on the flight to ATL it seems.

UA ran for many years a red-eye IAH run which left from the domestic/intl section of the airport.

you land in IAH at 5 so it was pretty quick to make a connection.

I don't know what ATL's international arrivals looks like, but I imagine it would just as easy during that time.

[msmariner]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231109-wsns24us

No US pre-clearance on the flight to ATL it seems.

We did this red eye flight out of Calgary recently. No pre clearance their either. Really quick customs in Atlanta the next morning. The only issue was at YYC they had private security firm checking your passport and asking questions. They asked us multiple times at Checkin and waiting at the gate. Was a pain in the 🞵🞵🞵🞵. Even though we had a sticker on our passport. Hope they are more refined at YEG if it’s the same practice.

[Zmonkey]

Originally Posted by msmariner

We did this red eye flight out of Calgary recently. No pre clearance their either. Really quick customs in Atlanta the next morning. The only issue was at YYC they had private security firm checking your passport and asking questions. They asked us multiple times at Checkin and waiting at the gate. Was a pain in the 🞵🞵🞵🞵. Even though we had a sticker on our passport. Hope they are more refined at YEG if it’s the same practice.

This was similar to Vancouver as well, but they have now expanded pre clearance hours to I think Midnight.

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by YegFan

I don't know what ATL's international arrivals looks like, but I imagine it would just as easy during that time.

Only a handful of flights inbound from South America and Africa. Should be quick and easy.

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by msmariner

We did this red eye flight out of Calgary recently. No pre clearance their either. Really quick customs in Atlanta the next morning. The only issue was at YYC they had private security firm checking your passport and asking questions. They asked us multiple times at Checkin and waiting at the gate. Was a pain in the 🞵🞵🞵🞵. Even though we had a sticker on our passport. Hope they are more refined at YEG if it’s the same practice.

That was a process required by US Homeland Security, but it sounds like the process may be ending or is being altered.

[EdmontonTraveller]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

Only a handful of flights inbound from South America and Africa. Should be quick and easy.

The problem isn't getting through CBP in Atlanta. The problem is the minimum connection time between WS and DL flights w/o preclearance. And with the rather late arrival time, it looks like the flight misses the entire 8 AM departure bank. If so, that'd make YYZ a much better US connection point. Imagine that - YYZ, early morning, US CBP, being better than...anything. But an MCT of 2 hours in ATL makes that a reality.

For comparison, I can't book a YYC-ATL-FLL 86 min red-eye connection next May. No issue with pre-cleared daytime flights out of Calgary (IIRC it's a 45 min MCT) but no luck with the red-eye even though DL's I-I is 85 min. WS-to-DL is obviously more - I presume 120 min.

Retime it to 23:30 departure and this would be a much more useful flight outbound...but would be less useful on the return if it departed 08:00 instead of 09:05. Perhaps YEG-MSP-East outbound (if you have a day to kill), East-ATL-YEG inbound?

[thenoflyzone]

^ thanks for that info, btw.

And since I'm here, just a quick update on the KL situation vis a vis the AMS slot cap. The plan to lower the number of movements there for S24 isn't going ahead. So that means YUL and YEG, two routes KL mentioned as possibly on the chopping block should the cuts happen, are safe for now.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business...n-to-cap-flights-at-amsterdams-schiphol/

[EdmTrekker]

Planning on a trip to Japan or Thailand? Zipair starts new service from YVR to NRT Tokyo in March with tickets on sale in a few weeks. NRT is a major connecting airport and Zipair fly's to these cities in Asia: Seoul ICN Incheon (South Korea), Manila MNL Ninoy Aquino (Philippines), Bangkok BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thailand), Singapore SIN Singapore Changi (Singapore). Zipair is owned by One World member Japan Airlines. You could fly Flair, WS or AC to YVR to catch the flight - and for a family this could be quite a savings and with onward connections a time saver.

This news article: "The route's airfare will be around half of that offered by major carriers. Tickets will go on sale in December." https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20231109/p2a/00m/0bu/025000c

https://www.zipair.net/en