Canadian Airport Thread II

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

WS has filed its winter 787 schedule. Should hit the booking system later today. Doesn’t appear like any long hauls replaced GRU in November or March? (But shall see).

Also appears like OGG and SJD also planned on the 787 too.

Never mind, only part of it got loaded. I guess the rest will be out in a week or so. Anyways YYC-OGG shows 2x weekly 787 from December - March.

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

WS has filed its winter 787 schedule. Should hit the booking system later today. Doesn’t appear like any long hauls replaced GRU in November or March? (But shall see).

Also appears like OGG and SJD also planned on the 787 too.

Noticed YOW-YEG, which only ran 2x weekly last winter is now removed entirely for this upcoming winter, so it goes to a seasonal route alongside YEG. Porter will have a monopoly on that route this winter.

[hollywoodcory]

WS also cut several more Transborder routes for the upcoming winter season:

YYC-ORD
YVR-ATL
YVR-FLL
YVR-LAX
YVR-LIH
YVR-MCO
YQR-LAS
YXE-LAS
YYZ-LAS

YVR taking the biggest hit.

[Chocolite]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

WS also cut several more Transborder routes for the upcoming winter season:

YYC-ORD
YVR-ATL
YVR-FLL
YVR-LAX
YVR-LIH
YVR-MCO
YQR-LAS
YXE-LAS
YYZ-LAS

YVR taking the biggest hit.

The biggest question is what took WS so long to remove LAS? I mean, who in their right mind still goes to Vegas?

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Chocolite

The biggest question is what took WS so long to remove LAS? I mean, who in their right mind still goes to Vegas?

The last estimate I saw for 2025 was 1.1 million Canadians did. Making it the second largest market after the USA. Declining for sure but not inconsequential.

Dropping YVR-LAX also seems extreme. I’ve been on those flights and they used to be quite full. I guess theyre putting all their eggs in the YYC basket. All fun and games until the next oil downturn.

[Zmonkey]

Originally Posted by whatnext

The last estimate I saw for 2025 was 1.1 million Canadians did. Making it the second largest market after the USA. Declining for sure but not inconsequential.

Dropping YVR-LAX also seems extreme. I’ve been on those flights and they used to be quite full. I guess theyre putting all their eggs in the YYC basket. All fun and games until the next oil downturn.

its beyond oil now. Its a low cost connection hub (low cost to Westjet).

It will make more sense for them to add frequency and for people to connect vs doing directs in a weak USA market especially in slower months.

I am surprised Chicago is going away over winter, the fact that there is still no Dallas and now Chicago, 2 of the biggest cities in the USA going to be an issue for business travel.

[nname]

Originally Posted by Zmonkey

its beyond oil now. Its a low cost connection hub (low cost to Westjet).

It will make more sense for them to add frequency and for people to connect vs doing directs in a weak USA market especially in slower months.

But for market like YVR-LAX when there are plenty of other cheap non-stop options available, are there anyone who are willing to go out of the way to connect at YYC?

It seems like they're just giving up the market or let DL fly the route (even though they haven't codeshare with the new DL flights yet)

But then they didn't even bother to run daily YVR-LAX during peak summer season even when a lot of flights already sold out or closed to selling out, that already telling something...

[harls]

Domestic prices are quite reasonable for this summer, compared to a few years ago.

I have no idea why..

[WayneShuster]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

WS also cut several more Transborder routes for the upcoming winter season:

YYC-ORD
YVR-ATL
YVR-FLL
YVR-LAX
YVR-LIH
YVR-MCO
YQR-LAS
YXE-LAS
YYZ-LAS

YVR taking the biggest hit.

YHZ-DTW also appears to have been canned.

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by WayneShuster

YHZ-DTW also appears to have been canned.

Not a winter route. It was never in the initial S27 schedule.

[WayneShuster]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

Not a winter route. It was never in the initial S27 schedule.

Okay, well still I have doubts it will reappear again.

[jc_yyc_ca]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Dropping YVR-LAX also seems extreme. I’ve been on those flights and they used to be quite full. I guess theyre putting all their eggs in the YYC basket. All fun and games until the next oil downturn.

Originally Posted by nname

But for market like YVR-LAX when there are plenty of other cheap non-stop options available, are there anyone who are willing to go out of the way to connect at YYC?

Oil might have had some part in the reason WS chose YYC as their hub, but not much really. whether oil goes up or down won't have much effect on its use as a hub. If you're WS, and you want to make a hub, you're not going to pick YVR which already had a strong AC presence and not likely going to pick YEG or YWG. YYC being next to a large tourist destination always made sense as a west central hub.


As for people taking connecting flights through YYC to go to LAX, it's one of those things that plays out how it plays out. There will be better options for direct from YVR to LAX, but for the other cities in Western Canada, WS has a better feeder network and has flexibility on pricing and scheduling.

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by jc_yyc_ca

As for people taking connecting flights through YYC to go to LAX, it's one of those things that plays out how it plays out. There will be better options for direct from YVR to LAX, but for the other cities in Western Canada, WS has a better feeder network and has flexibility on pricing and scheduling.

People are already connecting from the Maritimes through YYZ/YUL to Europe.
Of course some price sensitive shoppers will choose YVR-YYC-LAX to save $50 if that's on offer, even if they spend 4 more hours on their journey, or if there are WestJet status chasing fliers (their mastercard offers the free back on ultrabasic fare, which is valuable to many)

[jc_yyc_ca]

Originally Posted by MountainView

People are already connecting from the Maritimes through YYZ/YUL to Europe.
Of course some price sensitive shoppers will choose YVR-YYC-LAX to save $50 if that's on offer, even if they spend 4 more hours on their journey, or if there are WestJet status chasing fliers (their mastercard offers the free back on ultrabasic fare, which is valuable to many)

Flights and connections is a whole culture of its own. Often people take the cheapest regardless of convenience. I've known people have flown from Halifax and Ottawa through YYC to Las Vegas because it was the cheapest option, even though not a convenient option and probably not a huge saving.

[Airboy]

AC is going main line A220 From YEG to Yellowknife this fall. Up from a CRJ

Also Air North is adding a YEG to Yellowknfe flight as well. This flight may do the loop with Whitehorse.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by Airboy

AC is going main line A220 From YEG to Yellowknife this fall. Up from a CRJ

Also Air North is adding a YEG to Yellowknfe flight as well. This flight may do the loop with Whitehorse.

That should be a low risk way to bring YZF-YXY back closer to year-round like it was years ago.

AC are also upgauging YZF-YVR to the 220, while YZF-YYZ gets cut for the winter. Still a net seat gain for YZF.

[Surrealplaces]

Originally Posted by nname

But for market like YVR-LAX when there are plenty of other cheap non-stop options available, are there anyone who are willing to go out of the way to connect at YYC?

Nobody goes out of their way to go to connect at YYC. They go out of their way to find the best flights whatever that may be. If it's through YYC, it's because it works best for them.
Vancouverites will no doubt go direct from YVR to LAX, but for many others across western Canada YYC will be the better connection option. If the flight from Vancouver to LA happens to be cheaper through YYC, some people will take it.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

That should be a low risk way to bring YZF-YXY back closer to year-round like it was years ago.

AC are also upgauging YZF-YVR to the 220, while YZF-YYZ gets cut for the winter. Still a net seat gain for YZF.

I still remember my first trip to YXY, CP air from YEG through Ft St John.

[Dominion301]

@Thenoflyzone, YXY is now publishing monthly passenger statistics, BUT they only publish statistics for deplaned passengers: https://open-data-static-files.service.yukon.ca/tourism-indicators/air-arrivals.html

If we exactly double the deplanements total for enplanements, YXY handled roughly the following number of pax annually since 2016:

- 2025: 488,600
- 2024: 451,542
- 2023: 368,980
- 2022: 295,682
- 2021: 136,520
- 2020: 89,734
- 2019: 412,354
- 2018: 388,246
- 2017: 364,932
- 2016: 338,896

Do you want to add them to the wiki page given airports like YYZ and YTZ also never provide exact figures? Their 2025 estimated total would put them in 20th position.

EDIT: According to this recent TC new release for an ACAP project at YXY, it says 'over 475,000' pax, so we know it's at least that much: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/go...rse-international-airport-842226795.html

[Dominion301]

YWG's 2026 Q1 passenger stats. Transborder got slaughtered.

January

Sector / Jan-25 / Jan-26 / % Change
Dom: 257,765 / 252,394 / -2.1%
TB: 41,913 / 29,796 / -28.9%
Int'l: 46,265 / 55,943 / +20.9%
TTL: 345,943 / 338,143 / -2.3%

January % of traffic recovered vs 2019
Sector / % recovered Jan 2024 vs Jan 2019
Dom: 90.4%
TB: 66.7%
Int'l: 118.8%
TTL: 91.2%

12 Months Rolling / % Change vs Year End 2024
Dom: 3,769,050 / +3.7%
TB: 409,889 / -10.8%
Int'l: 225,264 / +10.3%
TTL: 4,404,203 / +2.5%

February

Sector / Feb-25 / Feb-26 / % Change
Dom: 252,732 / 252,781 / +0.0%
TB: 42,887 / 28,608 / -33.3%
Int'l: 45,480 / 44,932 / -1.2%
TTL: 341,099 / 326,321 / -4.3%

Sector / YTD 2025 / YTD 2026 / % Change
Dom: 510,497 / 505,175 / -1.0%
TB: 84,800 / 58,404 / -31.1%
Int'l: 91,745 / 100,875 / +10.0%
TTL: 687,042 / 664,454 / -3.3%

February % of traffic recovered vs 2019 / YTD vs 2019
Sector / February / YTD % recovered
Dom: 94.1% / 92.2%
TB: 60.2% / 63.4%
Int'l: 95.1% / 106.9%
TTL: 89.8% / 90.5%

12 Months Rolling / % Change vs Year End 2024
Dom: 3,769,099 / +3.7%
TB: 395,610 / -13.9%
Int'l: 224,716 / +10.0%
TTL: 4,389,425 / +2.1%

March

Sector / Mar-25 / Mar-26 / % Change
Dom: 269,313 / 282,829 / +5.0%
TB: 43,662 / 32,415 / -25.8%
Int'l: 44,874 / 45,136 / +0.6%
TTL: 357,849 / 360,380 / +0.7%

Sector / YTD 2025 / YTD 2026 / % Change
Dom: 779,810 / 788,004 / +1.1%
TB: 128,462 / 90,819 / -29.3%
Int'l: 136,619 / 146,011 / +6.9%
TTL: 1,044,891 / 1,024,834 / -1.9%

March % of traffic recovered vs 2019 / YTD vs 2019
Sector / March / YTD % recovered
Dom: 94.6% / 93.1%
TB: 62.3% / 63.0%
Int'l: 94.0% / 102.6%
TTL: 90.3% / 90.4%

12 Months Rolling / % Change vs Year End 2024
Dom: 3,782,615 / +4.1%
TB: 384,363 / -16.4%
Int'l: 224,978 / +10.1%
TTL: 4,391,956 / +2.2%