Atlantic Canada airport thread - Page 23

SignalHillHiker · #**441** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 10:58 AM**

It's $710 just to fly to Halifax and back from St. John's right now.

I've paid up to $1,500 for a flight for a flight from Winnipeg to St. John's.

Everywhere we allow near-monopolies in Canada is expensive, from air travel to telecommunications.

q12 · #**442** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 5:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

It's $710 just to fly to Halifax and back from St. John's right now.

I just checked a return trip in late November is $250 taxes in on Air Canada. Ticket prices will usually go up closer to the the departure date.

Marty_Mcfly · #**443** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 11:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

It's $710 just to fly to Halifax and back from St. John's right now.

I've paid up to $1,500 for a flight for a flight from Winnipeg to St. John's.

Everywhere we allow near-monopolies in Canada is expensive, from air travel to telecommunications.

WHAT? Wouldn't it be cheaper for us to swim from North Sydney and hitch a ride on a moose across the island?

SignalHillHiker · #**444** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 11:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by q12

I just checked a return trip in late November is $250 taxes in on Air Canada. Ticket prices will usually go up closer to the the departure date.

Must be just one-way, though, I assume?

q12 · #**445** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 11:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Must be just one-way, though, I assume?

No these are RETURN airfare taxes in.

AC Dep YYT Nov. 19 Dep YHZ Nov. 21

$82 each way plus $88.77 in taxes/fees = $252.77

SignalHillHiker · #**446** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 11:35 PM**

Oh wow, awesome!

MonctonRad · #**447** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 11:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Must be just one-way, though, I assume?

Perhaps not. There is competition on that route from both Air Canada and Porter, and they are using equipment that is large enough to allow for economies of scale.

q12 is quite right, if you book far enough in advance on the major airlines, often the fair is a lot more reasonable than for last minute travel.

PASCAN will have to learn this the hard way on their Moncton/St. John's route. When they actually held their press conference announcing the service, they did make a passing reference to special fares for leisure travellers, but I have seen no evidence of this yet. We'll see what they come up with for next summer (provided of course that the service is still operational then).

jeddy1989 · #**448** Posted **Sep 30, 2013, 11:43 PM**

Halifax isn't expensive, and Air Canada, West Jet and Porter fly there daily. Porter alone has 5 flights a day to and from Halifax

This is for remembrance day weekend:

Sunnybrae · #**449** Posted **Oct 1, 2013, 8:01 PM**

A Navcan jet was performing circuits today at Moncton airport. I wonder if this means the runway extention will be in operation soon or was this just regular checks of the ILS and Nav points? Anyone in the know?

mylesmalley · #**450** Posted **Oct 1, 2013, 9:12 PM**

Was wondering about that. They were at it for quite a while.

ghYHZ · #**451** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:10 AM**

Airport Hopping Along the Labrador Coast

Work once again had me travelling to the Innu Community of Natuashish NL and it gave me the opportunity to experience flying into some of the airports located along the Labrador coast.

Our trip began Sunday afternoon on an Air Canada Express CRJ200 from Halifax to Goose Bay. I snagged a window seat for the quick 70 minute flight up to YYR. Arrival into Goose Bay was a few minutes early then it was onto the Hotel North for an overnight stay.

High winds and heavy rain woke me during the night and I thought this doesn’t look good......but the taxi was waiting to get us to the airport for 6:30 am. Check-in at Air Labrador was quick and I received a boarding pass that included an itinerary showing the schedule for our Airport Hopping along the coast.

Instead of proceeding through security to wait, everyone just gathered on the benches in the arrivals area next to the Gate to await the boarding call.......no security or ID check on these flights! It continued to rain and just before our 7:25 departure.......the dreaded “we’re in a Weather-Hold” announcement with an update to be provided at 8:30. And again, the ceiling was still too low at the coastal airports. Same at 9:30 but at 10:15......”we’ll be boarding in 10 minutes” as the Twin Otter rolled up!

We boarded Air Labrador flight WJ200, a DeHavilland DHC6 Twin Otter in the pouring rain. I grabbed a single seat on the left just opposite the prop and we headed into clouds and rain. Just off the end of 08-26 I noted the “Northern Ranger” coastal boat ready to leave on its weekly run, also heading for Natuashish. But it would take it 2 days.....we’ll do it in a little over 2 hours.

Our first stop along the coast should have been Rigolet, but the low ceiling there kept us out. We flew direct to Postville YSO then had a 10 minute hop over to Makkovik YMN (a reverse of the usual route). The Government of Newfoundland & Labrador maintains airports along the Labrador coast at several communities that would otherwise be inaccessible except by coastal boat. Each has a 2500’ x 100’ lighted, gravel runway, apron and terminal building……basically a 2-story steel services building with a small waiting area. Makkovik was a 15minute stop where everyone got off and just casually walked around while the aircraft was refueled.

ghYHZ · #**452** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:12 AM**

Hopedale YHO was next but only long enough to exchange a couple of passenger before continuing to Natuashish YNP.

ghYHZ · #**453** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:13 AM**

As we proceeded north the weather improved revealing some scenic approaches into the small airports with broken cloud now for our 3 hour late arrival at Natuashish. And the weather just kept getting better the rest of the week.....sunny and mild.

The airport in Natuashish is busy. There are several scheduled flights every day and there’s competition on these route serving the coastal airports between Goose bay and Nain. Besides Air Labrador, there’s also Innu-Mikun Aitlines (PAL-Provincial).

Natuashish is a fairly new community built over the past 10 to 12 years. It’s rather isolated and besides the airport, the one main road about 8km long also links to the coastal boat wharf where the “Northern Ranger” arrives weekly. There is no road access to the outside.

ghYHZ · #**454** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:14 AM**

We were back at the Airport on Friday morning for the continuation of Air Labrador flight WJ200. Heavy fog in Goose Bay earlier that morning was delaying flights and ours was operating about an hour late. First in was Innu-Mikun Airlines....... followed shortly by Air Labrador.

It was a quick 20 minute flight further north to Nain YDP, and again everyone got off and just walked around the ramp while the aircraft was refueled for the non-stop 230 mile flight back to Goose Bay on a clear, sunny day. I grabbed a seat at the back next to a window.....and look at that leg-room........nearly 6’ and probably as close as you’ll get to “First Class” comfort on a Twin Otter!

ghYHZ · #**455** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:15 AM**

Back in Goose Bay we had another overnight as the non-stop to YHZ goes earlier in the day. We could have gone over to YYT with a connection onto YHZ but settled for another night at the Hotel North and a great meal at Jungle Jims.

It was a sunny and warm 20 deg fall afternoon, so we grabbed a rental and did some touring along the Trans Labrador Highway. Goose Bay is the service centre for the surrounding areas ......but it’s a long drive to any other community so make sure your tank is full........

ghYHZ · #**456** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:16 AM**

Goose was once a large US Air Force Base during the cold war and the large expanses of ramp areas and hangers that once dispatched B-52s are now largely empty except for flights in to refuel before or after they cross the pond.

On Saturday morning we were back at YYR for Air Canada Express 8899......a CRJ200 to Halifax on another clear, sunny morning. After a couple of years of construction, Goose now has a very attractive Terminal.......and it was a full security screening prior to boarding unlike the casual atmosphere of Air Labrador.

Under Construction in Nov 2010:

........and Today:

ghYHZ · #**457** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 8:17 AM**

About halfway through the one hour flight, we were over the Gulf of St. Lawrence with an excellent view of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine and Cape Breton off to the east......then it was on into YHZ for an early arrival at 0950.

MonctonRad · #**458** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 1:28 PM**

Nice pictures!

Thanks for the photo tour.

How much would the airfare have been on this route (if you don't mind my asking)?

jeddy1989 · #**459** Posted **Oct 9, 2013, 2:49 PM**

^^ Thank's for that! I really enjoyed that little tour

P.S. What a nice little airport they have in HV-GB

MonctonRad · #**460** Posted **Oct 10, 2013, 12:23 AM**

found this on the web:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/article...nada-for-international-expansion-391377/

Allegiant eyes Canada for international expansion
By: GHIM-LAY YEO LAS VEGAS 11:14 6 Oct 2013

Low-cost leisure carrier Allegiant Air is eyeing scheduled service to Canada as early as the winter of 2014, as the airline prepares to launch its first international service to Mexico in June.

The Las Vegas-based airline will likely begin flights to smaller cities in Atlantic Canada as well as Canada's western regions from Florida, Allegiant's vice president of network and pricing Lukas Johnson tells Flightglobal Pro. Potential Atlantic Canada airports include Moncton, Halifax and St John's, he adds, saying that Allegiant is eyeing routes that airlines do not currently serve. "Obviously, you wouldn't see us flying to Toronto Pearson International," says Johnson.

In line with Allegiant's business model, the flights will bring travellers from these smaller Canadian cities to warm weather holiday destinations in Florida. The earliest the airline could launch these flights would be the winter of 2014, says Johnson. "We are not trying to do the bread and butter WestJet routes," he adds, referring to the Canadian low-cost carrier.

Allegiant currently has authority to operate charter flights to Canada and Mexico, and plans to begin its first international scheduled service to Mexico around June 2014. The airline has applied for approval to launch operations between Las Vegas and Hermosillo and San Jose del Cabo. Johnson says Allegiant has won approval from the US Department of Transportation to begin the flights but is still awaiting the go-ahead from Mexican authorities.

The airline is steadily growing its presence at Florida's secondary airports, specifically Orlando Sanford, St Petersburg Clearwater and Punta Gorda. In August it outlined plans to add 16 new routes from Florida between October and December, bringing the airline's total number of destinations from the state to more than 100.

Allegiant's east coast operations, which includes four airports in Florida and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, accounts for around 40% of its total network now but this will go up to 48% in end-2014, says Johnson. At the same time, the share of its Las Vegas flights is gradually shrinking in its overall network, from 63% in 2007 to 29% in end-2014. This is due to rising airport costs at Las Vegas, he says.