YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by deasine

I expect an announcement shortly

BTW, there's discussion YYZ will be getting flights from PVG from two different Chinese carriers. While this on the surface might sound like it comes as a cost to YVR given customers have a direct option, it's important to remember China imposes a one carrier for long-haul regulation to its airlines. There have been exceptions made for CA in routes from PVG to Australia. But if this is really the case, this might benefit YVR even more and we could expect additional carriers such as CZ launching service from PEK.

Yes China Eastern will be starting 3 weekly PVG-YYZ commencing in June.

I also understand Hainan will also be launching 2 weekly PVG-YYZ in addition to its current PEK-YYZ route.

So perhaps this one carrier restriction has had another exception.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

Although - perhaps on a Mercator projection - Honolulu would seem the closest link from East Asian cities to Lima, this is not the case.
The "Great Circle" route takes it more northward.
If you care to click on the links, you will observe.

http://www.airmilescalculator.com/distance/gmp-to-lim/

http://www.airmilescalculator.com/distance/pek-to-lim/

http://www.airmilescalculator.com/distance/pvg-to-lim/

Interestingly, PVG-LIM and PVG-LAX-LIM are exactly the same distance. So, the plane has to fly directly over LAX. YVR adds 13 miles

[Johnny Aussie]

Alaska has further revised the summer scheds ex YVR.

2 of the daily LAX flights will now be 739s and the morning flight a 738 replacing the 734.

Last summer the scheds were 2 daily 739s and a mix of 734s and 73Gs for the other 2 daily flights to LAX.

Also as previously mentioned PDX being bumped up to 3 daily from 2.

[Johnny Aussie]

SLC - is going back to all CR9s. The later afternoon flight was scheduled to be a daily 320 but that has been scaled back.

SEA - the first of the 5 daily flights to SEA is now going to be operated with an E75 vs a CR9. The rest remain CR9s. No capacity change but at least a change in aircraft variety as YVR doesn't see any E75 action right now.

That's it for concrete stuff.

Now for some speculation.....

Virgin Australia has just been given permission by the CTA to code share on Delta/Skywest. I wouldn't be surprised to see DL launch at least a daily CR9 to LAX... This could feed VA's SYD, MEL and BNE flights but could also tie into DL's own LAX-SYD flights. DL is after all ramping up LAX again. They could of course codeshare on the SEA and SLC flights but a non-stop to LAX makes sense.

[SFUVancouver]

^ Question regarding regional jets, is Bombardier's entry niche for the CS100 (100 pax) routes like the one you described to SLC in which it's probably busy enough to fill something larger than a regional jet but not really quite up to a 737 / A320? When those flights start getting full and carriers start considering larger jets, low and behold, the CS300 (130 pax) is on the scene to fill the gap between the CS100 and the 737 / A320 and pick off business at the low end of those mainline jets.

[Kapten]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

SLC - is going back to all CR9s. The later afternoon flight was scheduled to be a daily 320 but that has been scaled back.

SEA - the first of the 5 daily flights to SEA is now going to be operated with an E75 vs a CR9. The rest remain CR9s. No capacity change but at least a change in aircraft variety as YVR doesn't see any E75 action right now.
.

Doesn't delta already operate the 175 to MSP?

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by Kapten

Doesn't delta already operate the 175 to MSP?

Oh yeah... they do! Forgot about the winter scheds.

In summer there are no E175s.

[SpongeG]

when i flew slc to yvr once, the only time, there were 2 kids and myself for passengers it was very empty

[Hot Rod]

Not directly Vancouver related, but I wonder if DL's ramp of LAX will mean the end to it's experiment in SEA? Sure, there will be a few long haul flights left from the NW days, but I can't see DL having two west coast gateways AND a hub in SLC. If DL is moving to LAX this could indirectly impact YVR in a positive way, perhaps?

[casper]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

^ Question regarding regional jets, is Bombardier's entry niche for the CS100 (100 pax) routes like the one you described to SLC in which it's probably busy enough to fill something larger than a regional jet but not really quite up to a 737 / A320? When those flights start getting full and carriers start considering larger jets, low and behold, the CS300 (130 pax) is on the scene to fill the gap between the CS100 and the 737 / A320 and pick off business at the low end of those mainline jets.

The 737-600 and A318 are the smallest competitors in the 737/A320, they are apparently very heavy (and therefore expensive) aircraft. Because of that there are very few of them in operation and none on order.

The lighter aircraft in that seat range are the DC-9, MD-80 and Boeing 717. All of those are getting old. The C-series is a lighter modern aircraft and a good replacement.

[SFUVancouver]

Thanks for the reply and thoughts. I hadn't appreciated aircraft weight; I had the pax/range blinders on.

[casper]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

Thanks for the reply and thoughts. I hadn't appreciated aircraft weight; I had the pax/range blinders on.

The higher operating costs (due to extra weight) is the main reason Air Canada ended up buying the Embrears instead of the A318 to replace their DC-9 fleet. (Per Wikipedia there were 79 of the A318 manufactured out of nearly 10,000 for the entire A320 family. The 318 was not very popular).

Westjet was as odd one in they purchased several 736-600. Same thing, again only 69 of the 6,000 aircraft sold in the 737 NG family are the smallest model.

Hopefully Air Canada ends up with the C-series as their Embrear replacement.

[SFUVancouver]

I imagine that for West Jet the maintenance and operational advantages of a common type were felt to outweigh the cost of operating a heavier aircraft on marginal routes; no pun intended.

[craneSpotter]

Don't know if this has been posted before, but interview with China Southern CEO by BIV.

Mar 17, 2014 BIV <link

Interesting comments CEO made during interview:

Our Guangzhou to Vancouver service is quite successful. We launched it in 2011 and had three flights per week. After one year, we operated five flights per week. Then, in 2013, we made it daily.

It’s a big thing for any airline in the world to increase flight frequency on such a big international route in such a short period of time. You can imagine it’s not easy for China Southern, but we have been able to maintain an 80% load factor. That’s a success.

The cargo business worldwide is not very strong. However, when it comes to the cargo market between China and Vancouver, it’s doing well.

We will send a working team to Vancouver shortly to discuss with the Canadian government, and also on the Chinese side, to see how we can make it better.

China’s new 72-hour visa-free policy has had a very positive impact on our Vancouver operation.

Over half of the passengers travelling on our Guangzhou-Vancouver route are transit passengers.

I fully agree with the Vancouver airport CEO’s initiative to lobby the Canadian government to relax transit-visa policies, especially for Chinese nationals transiting via Vancouver airport to the U.S. or to South America visa-free. If a new policy is in place, it will greatly improve the tourism exchange between our sovereign nations.

China Southern is also working on getting visa-free transit via Vancouver airport to the U.S.

[Hot Rod]

sweet, is China Southern planning daily 787 or A380 service to Vancouver? I thought I heard something but forget which plane it is.

[Hourglass]

^^^

787.

I can see visa-free transit to the US having a significant impact.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Hourglass

^^^

787.

I can see visa-free transit to the US having a significant impact.

Are you referring to the Canadian government accepting US visas? Are you referring to that visa-free" zone" (talked about, but never implemented by Toronto - ooops, Ottawa?)
I'd just like further info on that if you have any. Thank you.

[SFUVancouver]

My photo, taken March 20th, 2014.

[SFUVancouver]

My photo, taken March 20th, 2014.


My photo, taken March 20th, 2014.

[hollywoodnorth]

thanks for the pics!