Atlantic Canada airport thread

[dhottawa729]

Originally Posted by bridgeoftea

The Montreal flight is a bit of a shame. It absolutely makes sense from an SJ perspective to fly instead of drive. It would still be cheaper even with the Uber to the city from YUH. The Halifax one for me, still needs to be cheaper for it to make sense.

For my needs the SJ->Halifax needs to come out cheaper than gas and parking for the flight and uber to downtown.
Maybe if gas was at the 2.00/L it would make more sense than where it's at right now. The other thing right now they don't have any "Leave Friday and return Sunday night" where you can make a weekend trip out of it.

What I will be looking at is the potential of using it as a hopper flight to Halifax for farther destinations.

My concern is that if they can not fill aircraft at that price point it will suggest to them that the demand is not there. The demand IS there, but people have just gotten into new habits and don’t even consider YSJ and option anymore. I think the fail is that they don’t seem to be doing ANY substantial advertising when they should be promoting Pascan and Flair heavily. You can literally fly Saint John to Toronto RETURN for $133 taxes in (albeit with the clothes on your back only), but that is INSANELY GOOD!!

I feel weird about advertising these low prices on my social media because I don’t work for them or even live there, but I would not feel weird at all about sharing online posts with my family and friends if they existed. If any of you don’t feel weird about it though, please share this amazing news before it’s too late. It will benefit the NB air service as a whole if we can convert those 10-15 hour drives from Ontario/Quebec into more air travel demand!

I truly hope Saint Johners would embrace Pascan especially so they eventually increase service to 5x weekly, 2x Daily to leverage Porter’s hubs in Halifax and upcoming YHU….. then (selfishly) hopefully I’ll be able to come home from Ottawa much more frequently via Porter.

[Taeolas]

I wonder if people are a bit 🞵🞵🞵 shy about lesser known airlines too. After hearing horror stories of the discount airlines folding in mid trip for people, leaving them stranded and such. So newcomers are in a bind of needing to build up enough trust and legacy to get support before their own bills come due.

I don't fly often, but by default I tend to ignore any airline that I haven't really heard of. So Air Canada and Westjet were my main gotos. Porter has somewhat recently risen to that level as well (and I'm now a Porter devotee, for what its worth). Pascan/Flair, I'd still be worried about planning trips around for fear they won't be there when I actually take the trip. (Unless it was a last minute trip I suppose)

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

It definitely seems like most people from Fredericton and Moncton won’t even consider flying out of YSJ, while Saint Johners routinely consider travelling to Fredericton and Moncton to save on a flight.

I still think a more robust intraprovincial bus system is needed, and would help people consider flying out of a different city’s airport.

[sailor734]

Does anybody understand the Pascan schedule in and out of YSJ? I can't find an actual timetable on their website. It seems like while they fly some days and not others even the days they do fly the times aren't always the same. hardly conducive for travel planning.

For Halifax they don't appear to allow for a getaway weekend (over on Friday back Sunday late afternoon ) but yet the times during the week don't seen to be set to attract business travel either with no ability to fly over early AM and back it the evening. Seems like they are setting themselves up for failure.

[sailor734]

Sorry to read that YSJ CEO Sandy Ross passed away unexpectedly on Monday.

[dhottawa729]

Originally Posted by sailor734

Does anybody understand the Pascan schedule in and out of YSJ? I can't find an actual timetable on their website. It seems like while they fly some days and not others even the days they do fly the times aren't always the same. hardly conducive for travel planning.

For Halifax they don't appear to allow for a getaway weekend (over on Friday back Sunday late afternoon ) but yet the times during the week don't seen to be set to attract business travel either with no ability to fly over early AM and back it the evening. Seems like they are setting themselves up for failure.

Yeah the schedule keeps moving around. I think they’re trying to find the optimal time to run the routes. Lately, the Pascan flight to YHU departs within 5 minutes of Air Canada’s flight to YUL, providing no real schedule benefit to the public. I suspect it is a “look at us” move to poach customers from Air Canada. A better tactic would be to just get the word out that their flight is currently only $250 return including carry-on and offer a flight at a completely different time of day.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by dhottawa729

Yeah the schedule keeps moving around. I think they’re trying to find the optimal time to run the routes. Lately, the Pascan flight to YHU departs within 5 minutes of Air Canada’s flight to YUL, providing no real schedule benefit to the public. I suspect it is a “look at us” move to poach customers from Air Canada. A better tactic would be to just get the word out that their flight is currently only $250 return including carry-on and offer a flight at a completely different time of day.

Carry on and one piece of checked luggage.

It’s not like they aren’t advertising this on social media… they are. But you’re right, they really need to change how they’re trying to get the word out about Pascan’s flights… and by they, I mean Pascan, YSJ employees, the city, the province’s tourism and transportation departments, and especially our regional development and tourism agency.

The mayor took a trip to Halifax on the inaugural flight… maybe she should consider taking another trip to Montreal with other leaders and mayors from the Saint John region and make a bigger deal of the route on social media?

Still think it speaks volumes that people from the Saint John Region don’t think twice about taking a cheaper flight out of Fredericton or Moncton, while the reverse is rarely even considered. This is a marketing problem for YSJ that they need to start dealing with differently. Whether it’s the airport’s foggy reputation, lack of routes and funding compared to YFC/YQM, or even the Saint John/St. John’s confusion… YSJ has distinct marketing challenges that require a new approach and more robust funding.

I’m worried we will lose this route entirely if they don’t get the numbers up this summer.

[Taeolas]

For what it's worth, I'm hearing ads on Bounce Radio here in Fredericton for Pascan flights from SJ to Montreal for cheap. So it does seem like they are reaching out to the Freddy market now. They may just still be ramping up and figuring out their campaigns or something.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by dhottawa729

Yeah the schedule keeps moving around. I think they’re trying to find the optimal time to run the routes. Lately, the Pascan flight to YHU departs within 5 minutes of Air Canada’s flight to YUL, providing no real schedule benefit to the public. I suspect it is a “look at us” move to poach customers from Air Canada. A better tactic would be to just get the word out that their flight is currently only $250 return including carry-on and offer a flight at a completely different time of day.

Once St Hubert's new terminal is open and Porter is operating there Pascan may see a surge in demand. Assuming they have an interline agreement that allows flying Pascan/Porter to a destination at a competitive price to AC. Only potential drawbacks will be whether or nor the schedule is convenient and it assumes passengers are not trying to connect to a US destination.

[nwalbert]

Originally Posted by sailor734

Once St Hubert's new terminal is open and Porter is operating there Pascan may see a surge in demand. Assuming they have an interline agreement that allows flying Pascan/Porter to a destination at a competitive price to AC. Only potential drawbacks will be whether or nor the schedule is convenient and it assumes passengers are not trying to connect to a US destination.

They already have interline with Porter and you can book YSJ on Porter website.

Let's hope you are correct about the surge when the new terminal is open. This should work.

[MonctonRad]

They are replacing the two passenger loading bridges at the Moncton airport (YQM)

We’re upgrading your boarding experience! ✈️

YQM is in the process of installing two new passenger bridges—designed to improve reliability, comfort, and accessibility.
While upgrades are underway, your travel experience won’t be affected—just a few signs of progress as we improve the terminal at YQM.

[nwalbert]

I flew the YSJ-Halifax route again this week and was surprised by an almost full plane in both directions.

In speaking to the gate agents at YSJ, this flight has really caught on and these are now typical loads. In addition the Montreal route has been regularly selling out and is sold out for almost all remaining June dates. I wanted to use it and both dates/directions I wanted were sold out.

Looks like the Pascan business has finally tipped the scales. I think this is great for the strategic future of YSJ. AC will have to start adding flights to support the passenger demand eventually.

[Taeolas]

Yeah soon after your first post about the flight, I really started hearing promotions for it on the radio up here in Freddy. So it probably is pulling PAX from up and down the river valley at least, and probably further.

[dhottawa729]

Originally Posted by nwalbert

I flew the YSJ-Halifax route again this week and was surprised by an almost full plane in both directions...

So happy to hear they are having some success - thanks for sharing!

[bingun]

I had forgotten to post this, but this was about a week ago.

https://ysjsaintjohn.ca/exciting-new-travel-options-at-ysj/

Since launching regular service from the Saint John Airport in September, Pascan Aviation has been busy forging new airline partnerships – opening up a world of travel opportunities for our region.

Thanks to a growing relationship with Air Canada, Pascan travellers can now book flights to destinations across Canada and around the world from Saint John through Halifax – just by logging into Expedia or contacting their preferred travel agent. This makes it easier than ever to reach national and international destinations through Canada’s largest carrier. (Stay tuned for more developments on this front.)

And Pascan has joined forces with Porter Airlines too – a major milestone. Travellers can book their entire journey on flyporter.com, with convenient connections through Halifax to destinations like Ottawa and St. John’s, all on one simple itinerary and a single ticket. This partnership means fewer booking hassles, easier transfers, and more options – with even more to come when Porter’s brand-new terminal opens at Montréal Metropolitan Airport this winter.

At YSJ, we’re proud to support these kinds of game-changing connections. As demand for smart, streamlined travel continues to grow, we remain focused on expanding choice, improving convenience, and keeping Greater Saint John connected to the world.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by bingun

I had forgotten to post this, but this was about a week ago.

https://ysjsaintjohn.ca/exciting-new-travel-options-at-ysj/

That's great to hear. It would be great if Pascan could also look at adding a Saint John<->St. John's route to the mix, eventually.


Would be quite nice to have the option of flying to Europe via Halifax and St. John's, as between the two of them, they have quite a lot of transatlantic flights, and it's always nice to avoid backtracking through Montreal and Toronto.


Also, really hoping we hold onto the Saint John <-> Montreal route.

[MonctonRad]

Porter Embraer jet service from Moncton to Toronto Pearson has now commenced.

There are now seven daily flights from Moncton to Toronto.

3x Air Canada to Toronto Pearson (0545, 1235, 1645)
1x Porter to Toronto Pearson (1215)
1x Porter to Toronto Billy Bishop direct (1800)
2x Porter to Toronto Billy Bishop one stop via Ottawa (0700, 1655)

[bingun]

Pascan airlines cancels flights between Sydney, N.S., and Halifax

https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/nova-sco...s-flights-between-sydney-and-halifax-ns/

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by bingun

Pascan airlines cancels flights between Sydney, N.S., and Halifax

https://www.ctvnews.ca/atlantic/nova-sco...s-flights-between-sydney-and-halifax-ns/

I wonder if it really was a lack of demand or if it was a question of the flight schedule and issues with the cost of onwards connections?

[q12]

Some news from YHZ:

Edelweiss’ new non-stop Halifax – Zurich route arrived yesterday

The Halifax – Zurich route operates twice weekly (summer seasonal) on its Airbus A340-300.



Some pictures from Halifax Stanfield yesterday:







Source:
https://halifaxstanfield.ca/news-release...s-air-touches-down-at-halifax-stanfield/
https://www.facebook.com/hfxstanfield

Some great photos from Facebook (Credit Facebook User: Bjorn Morehouse via YHZ Halifax Airport Spotters https://www.facebook.com/groups/6802908519737785/)


(Credit Facebook User: Bjorn Morehouse via YHZ Halifax Airport Spotters https://www.facebook.com/groups/6802908519737785/)


(Credit Facebook User: Bjorn Morehouse via YHZ Halifax Airport Spotters https://www.facebook.com/groups/6802908519737785/)


(Credit Facebook User: Bjorn Morehouse via YHZ Halifax Airport Spotters https://www.facebook.com/groups/6802908519737785/)


Also:

The new International Connections Facility (ICF) is now open:

Connecting Made Easy as 1-2-3 New Facility at Halifax Stanfield Simplifies International-to-Domestic Travel



July 2, 2025

Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) has opened its new International Connections Facility (ICF), a key infrastructure project that will streamline passenger experience, expand cargo capacity, facilitate trade, and contribute to regional economic growth.

The new space allows international passengers on select flights who are connecting to domestic flights to move through the airport without exiting the secure area and reclaiming baggage. This will allow for shorter connections and more time to enjoy the airport’s amenities. The facility will also enable further expansions of aircraft belly cargo space, supporting the movement of goods between Nova Scotia and International markets.

Renovations to the ground floor of the existing International Arrivals area will continue through 2025. The area will be refreshed, and once complete, the full facility will support both increased passenger traffic and cargo capacity while enhancing Halifax Stanfield’s position as Atlantic Canada’s key gateway.

The ICF project was made possible due to the generous support of Transport Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia, who contributed $8.3 million and $3 million, respectively.

https://halifaxstanfield.ca/news-release...IcNlsF2E9xyTg_aem_apgy4Dk-X0JMHgpnd--ozA