Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW)

[RomanR27]

AC889 yesterday was 14/31 J and 22/24 PY. AC888 was 29/31 in J and full in PY.

Tomorrow's AC889 is full in PY and 25/31 J. AC888 is full in both premium cabins.

On a separate note, TS has a teaser countdown on their Instagram for tomorrow morning that includes a raccoon and handshake emoji. I'm guessing it will be to formally announce booking vacation packages through TS with PD operated flights. I noticed TS is launching service to AUA and SJD from YUL, so that is good news for the YOW service that presumably you can book packages on those routes through TS. I believe that leaves only NAS and GCM as destinations PD serves that TS does not - though perhaps they will launch hotel integration even if they don't fly there themselves as part of this partnership.

I also think it's too early to draw any conclusions on PD's winter schedule year-over-year. Pretty much every sun route that they announced last year ended up getting a frequency increase post-announcement, the one exception was NAS which had a second frequency added but was eventually removed.

[Truenorth00]

Given oil prices, is there a plan for cuts and possibly smaller carriers going under?

[RomanR27]

Indeed, Transat will launch vacation packages to NAS/GCM for PD operated flights (TS doesn't fly to either of these destinations), as well as CUN and PVR: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/tr...ackages-on-porter-flights-855850252.html

The news release doesn't mention AUA, SJD, LIR or MBJ, though TS will operate all these destinations next winter so I'd imagine they will be offering packages on these flights as well.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by RomanR27

Indeed, Transat will launch vacation packages to NAS/GCM for PD operated flights (TS doesn't fly to either of these destinations), as well as CUN and PVR: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/tr...ackages-on-porter-flights-855850252.html

The news release doesn't mention AUA, SJD, LIR or MBJ, though TS will operate all these destinations next winter so I'd imagine they will be offering packages on these flights as well.

That'll certainly strengthen PD's sun flights. Today could have tied the post-March 2020 record.

Today’s departure count: 92

Today's cancellation count (so far): 1

AF 327 on 15, AC 345 (789 today) on 28 and AC 888 on 17. All 3 heavies depart within a 1h35 window on Mondays for the next few months.

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

That'll certainly strengthen PD's sun flights. Today could have tied the post-March 2020 record.

Today’s departure count: 92

Today's cancellation count (so far): 1

AF 327 on 15, AC 345 (789 today) on 28 and AC 888 on 17. All 3 heavies depart within a 1h35 window on Mondays for the next few months.

Transat is a bit slow on the draw unfortunately, as I only get options for the Cancun area, the DR and London, UK when I input YOW as an origin. Their FAQs mention LIR is "coming soon" for packages. I also see TS doesn't have AUA or SJD packages setup yet for their own flights they just announced.

Final TS sun flight of the year went out this morning to CUN, arrives back in the wee hours of the morning. Presumably the frame will ferry to YUL at some point tomorrow. A ten-day break and then TS is back for the inaugural LGW flights next Friday.

AC has reduced YVR to 17x weekly in the peak summer (early 0500 departure operates days 167) - at one point this was loaded at 4x daily.

AF is also a 77W today. Early in the day still but winds currently favouring runway 25, could be a great evening for spotting.

[MountainView]

Some of you may know that the Ottawa Senators are playing 2 games in Dusseldorf, Germany in December.

The team came out with official packages today and both are via chartered bus to YUL, and KLM flights YUL-AMS-DUS.

There is an optional war memorial tour in Holland... but when the Sens went to Stockholm, the charter company booked people via AF and CDG from YOW.

[YOWflier]

LOL lame. I’m actually going to DUS shortly and AF is taking me there in a non-🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 fashion such as this one.

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by MountainView

Some of you may know that the Ottawa Senators are playing 2 games in Dusseldorf, Germany in December.

The team came out with official packages today and both are via chartered bus to YUL, and KLM flights YUL-AMS-DUS.

There is an optional war memorial tour in Holland... but when the Sens went to Stockholm, the charter company booked people via AF and CDG from YOW.

I was reading into that, there is a boat tour of Amsterdam before the bus to Dusseldorf on the way in (flight goes YUL-AMS, then DUS-AMS-YUL on the way home), but disappointing for sure they didn't do YOW-CDG-AMS and DUS-CDG-YOW for the packages. There is an option to book your own flights which knocks $1500 off the tour price.

On YOW-LHR, from 03JUN-04JUL the Wednesday/Saturday flights will be operated by 789s - except for 10JUN, 17JUN and 20JUN which are on the 788. The Monday/Thursday turns are still the 333, except 08JUN which is also a 789.

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by YOWflier

LOL lame. I’m actually going to DUS shortly and AF is taking me there in a non-🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 fashion such as this one.

Right!

I actually woke up at 5 am when tickets were released, and purchased tickets to the first game. I'll be going with my wife an young daughter, and we will be flying via CDG as we have done in the past to BCN and LIN.

Also - anyone thinking of going to Milan, Italy... AF flies to LIN (Milan Linate) which is infinitely easier to getting anywhere within Milan than flying into MXP. Some people don't look at this when booking.

[Dominion301]

For anyone wanting to attend, tomorrow at 15:00 is the Airport Authority's annual general meeting open to the public.

Today’s departure count: 84

Today's cancellation count (so far): 1

[RomanR27]

Sunwing has added a few frequencies to YOW since I last checked, including CCC reappearing now as a 1x weekly flight. The other additions are CUN up to 6x weekly (+1 from last winter) and PUJ back to up 5x (same as last winter). They are now at 15x, still down from the 18x they peaked at last winter before Cuba shut down. HOG, SNU and PVR are all still removed. It seems like there are two flights per day, except Sunday which sees three. Perhaps they will just base one frame here for the winter, and remove a YYC or YYZ flight on Sunday to operate the third flight.

6x CUN (days x7)
5x PUJ (days x45)
2x VRA (days 47)
1x CCC (day 5)
1x MBJ (day 7)

I also still don't see PD having loaded the additional 3x CUN flights to get to 10x weekly, so I'm guessing now with TS vacations integration they are including the 3x weekly TS flights with their own daily service to get that number.

Also interesting that all three airlines (AC, WS and PD) operating YOW-MBJ this winter will be doing so on Sunday - the only other day is the second weekly PD flight on Wednesday.

[bartlebooth]

Originally Posted by MountainView

Right!

I actually woke up at 5 am when tickets were released, and purchased tickets to the first game. I'll be going with my wife an young daughter, and we will be flying via CDG as we have done in the past to BCN and LIN.

Also - anyone thinking of going to Milan, Italy... AF flies to LIN (Milan Linate) which is infinitely easier to getting anywhere within Milan than flying into MXP. Some people don't look at this when booking.

Did this with AF a few years ago and it was great! YOW > CDG > LIN

[Tesladom]

Anybody hoping to daily YOW-LHR service on A321XLRs will be disappointed, Air Canada is pulling out all XLRs from LHR due to high slot fees, choosing instead larger aircraft for these flights

[MountainView]

AF328 on the B77W today is F-GSPA, which when looking at FlightRadar24 for this plane has it's #1 photo from a shot from YOW in Feb 2026

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

Anybody hoping to daily YOW-LHR service on A321XLRs will be disappointed, Air Canada is pulling out all XLRs from LHR due to high slot fees, choosing instead larger aircraft for these flights

Do you have a source for the reason? I've seen them remove the XLR from YYZ-LHR later this summer, but they've also removed it from other non-LHR routes and already pushed back the planned EIS (it was supposed to enter into revenue service on 01MAY). I had assumed the reason was delivery delays. I still see the 7M8 loaded on YHZ-LHR indefinitely too.

And F-GSPA is a 772 I believe. Giordano Fata's pictures show up a ton on FR24, there are a few other Ottawa-based photogs who I frequently see as well.

[fanofYOW]

A little report coming out of YQR:

https://www.cjme.com/2026/05/03/regina-a...-despite-rising-fuel-costs-higher-fares/

Hopefully we see YOW-YQR announce for next summer.

[Tesladom]

Originally Posted by RomanR27

Do you have a source for the reason? I've seen them remove the XLR from YYZ-LHR later this summer, but they've also removed it from other non-LHR routes and already pushed back the planned EIS (it was supposed to enter into revenue service on 01MAY). I had assumed the reason was delivery delays. I still see the 7M8 loaded on YHZ-LHR indefinitely too.

https://simpleflying.com/air-canada-abruptly-ends-9-hour-airbus-a321xlr-flights-on-this-route/

[Dominion301]

Restoring this specific operation would be far less risky on the XLR than a widebody. Of course, a major impediment is slots. It is unclear what happened to Air Canada's slots.

Thanks for the source. Unfortunately Simpleflying aren’t exactly renowned for in depth aviation journalism and this quote from the article says it all. It’s publicly available info that the daytime slot is currently being used for YHZ yet the author coins it like it’s some sort of big mystery.

The XLR was only going to be scheduled on a nighttime YYZ-LHR pairing for a short time for YYZ crew familiarization. It doesn’t mean all XLR plans for LHR are suddenly dropped because a temporary pairing was removed. The not wanting to use narrowbodies to LHR as Simpleflying alleges doesn’t hold weight when AC are already doing so.

Today’s departure count: 86

Today's cancellation count (so far): 1

[RomanR27]

Annual report is out: https://yow-website.files.svdcdn.com/pro..._Annual_Report_2025_EN.pdf?dm=1777990713

I haven't read it thoroughly yet, but the forecast for 2026 is 5.1 million pax (a 4.8% increase overall, anticipating 7.4% domestic growth, 2.6% international growth and a 6.8% decrease in transborder traffic). The amount of O/D traffic was relatively stable, falling slightly to 87.6% from 88.2%. In other words, 1 in 8 passengers are connecting at YOW.

I may have missed this being announced previously, but there is talk of a Connection Centre being developed to improve the experience for connecting pax:

Anticipated passenger growth, and the increase in connecting traffic due to the continuation Air France’s year-round non-stop Paris flight, the addition of Air Canada’s London-Heathrow flight, and Porter Airlines’ expanding network, reinforced the need to develop a dedicated Connection Centre to support more efficient and reliable passenger processing. In 2025, a project was initiated with reduced transit times and improved passenger experience at its core. Significant progress was made, positioning the project to move into the design phase in January 2026.

[solo748]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

The not wanting to use narrowbodies to LHR as Simpleflying alleges doesn’t hold weight when AC are already doing so.

Most of his readers are well aware slots/fees into LHR at 9pm are a fraction of the cost of AM slots. His premise of spreading a fixed (onerous) AM slot $$ over fewer seats is real
AC will decide if the added yield from increased freq plus the right-sizing of a plane for a market like Ottawa offsets the opportunity cost of bigger jet into a highly coveted airport

Perhaps YOW gets XLR on a later departure from YOW. Didnt 888 used to depart at 10pm? Overwhelmingly O/D so that might work. Or, perhaps YOW's first real XLR service will be to Germany