YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[SpongeG]

photo op!



Vancouver International Airport
4 hrs ·


May the force be with us! All Nippon Airways will fly their special R2-D2 ANA JET to YVR on October 18. Vancouver will be the first international destination for this spectacular Star Wars-themed Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft that is every aviation and Star Wars fan's dream: http://www.ana-sw.com/jets/

from the airport facebook page

[Klazu]

Another 787-9? Airlines seem to love YVR.

[Johnny Aussie]

Further to my post a few days ago... Philippine Airlines YVR operations update

http://airlineroute.net/2015/08/18/pr-america-w15update/

eff 16SEP15 Manila – Vancouver – Toronto Service reduces from 4 to 3 weekly (operational schedule below effective 25OCT15)
PR118 MNL1500 – 1200YVR1330 – 2110YYZ 77W 357
PR119 YYZ2240 – 0105+1YVR0220+1 – 0735+2MNL 77W 357

eff 25OCT15 Manila – Vancouver – New York JFK Airbus A340-300 replaced by Boeing 777-300ER, 4 weekly service
PR126 MNL2350 – 2050YVR2250+1 – 0700+1JFK 77W x357
PR127 JFK1100 – 1350YVR1520 – 2035+1MNL 77W x146

eff 25OCT15 Manila – Vancouver 3 weekly terminator PR116/117 service operated by Airbus A340-300, instead of 777-300ER. Note this service will be cancelled from 15MAR16
PR116 MNL1900 – 1600YVR 343 246
PR117 YVR2315 – 0430+2MNL 343 246

[casper]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

Further to my post a few days ago... Philippine Airlines YVR operations update

http://airlineroute.net/2015/08/18/pr-america-w15update/

eff 16SEP15 Manila – Vancouver – Toronto Service reduces from 4 to 3 weekly (operational schedule below effective 25OCT15)
PR118 MNL1500 – 1200YVR1330 – 2110YYZ 77W 357
PR119 YYZ2240 – 0105+1YVR0220+1 – 0735+2MNL 77W 357

eff 25OCT15 Manila – Vancouver – New York JFK Airbus A340-300 replaced by Boeing 777-300ER, 4 weekly service
PR126 MNL2350 – 2050YVR2250+1 – 0700+1JFK 77W x357
PR127 JFK1100 – 1350YVR1520 – 2035+1MNL 77W x146

eff 25OCT15 Manila – Vancouver 3 weekly terminator PR116/117 service operated by Airbus A340-300, instead of 777-300ER. Note this service will be cancelled from 15MAR16
PR116 MNL1900 – 1600YVR 343 246
PR117 YVR2315 – 0430+2MNL 343 246

The Toronto flight only makes sense if they regard the Vancouver stop as a fuel stop. They are operating Vancouver to Manila with a 2:20 am departure from Vancouver. This so they can arrive in Manila at 8:35 pm. I must be missing something.

[nname]

Originally Posted by casper

The Toronto flight only makes sense if they regard the Vancouver stop as a fuel stop. They are operating Vancouver to Manila with a 2:20 am departure from Vancouver. This so they can arrive in Manila at 8:35 pm. I must be missing something.

Those late night transpacific flights are quite popular actually. I remember there was a flight depart Vancouver at 3am and arrive at Beijing also at 3am.

[SpongeG]

it makes connections easier if you are leaving from alberta, there are so many filipinos here always needing to fly out

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

it makes connections easier if you are leaving from alberta, there are so many filipinos here always needing to fly out

To address the above three comments...

Philippine Airlines operates in strange ways.

The 2:20am YVR departure actually arrives in MNL at 7:35am so you may have mixed up the YYZ and JFK times. They are definitely not treating the YVR stop as just a tech/fuel stop. The fact they are reducing YYZ, yet again, just shows how much they must be struggling to make YYZ work. They would be very much depending on YVR to help fill the YYZ originating flights especially since the YVR terminating flights are being axed. That was just too many frequencies per week on the MNL-YVR route.

Yes, the night flights to Asia are quite popular.

With four flights per week departing at 1520 and three departing at 0220 this makes connections from all over Western Canada feasible. However, the four flights per week that will arrive in YVR at 2050 from MNL will be very tough to many Western Canadian markets. This makes a bit more sense now as these are the flights carrying on to JFK. But after terminating the YVR standalone flights there will only be three weekly flights with decent Western Canada connections.

As we all know these flights are quite heavily dependent on VFR. So again, if they are having trouble with the two biggest Filipino markets (and biggest by far) in Canada, I don't think we will be seeing any direct flights to any other Canadian cities from MNL (eg YWG - despite what their airport authority thinks).

The upside to these changes is all YVR flights will be operated with the newer consistent product (after 16 March).

[SpongeG]

i didn't mean flying out of alberta, i meant they fly to vancouver, originating from alberta, they can get a nice stopover in vancouver such as my coworkers said they liked that they could spend some time in vancouver on their way

[teriyaki]

As a local to the Vancouver area, the night red-eye flights are my preferred option whenever flying out. It allows for a full work day, then you mosey on down to the airport after a full dinner at home. I'm sure the timing allows for some creative connections from the rest of the country as well since anything arriving before midnight would be able to connect with these 1-3am departure times.

Off the top of my head, almost all the Asian carriers operate red-eye flights out of YVR.

[Johnny Aussie]

After much discussion.... should start arriving in 2017.

Why in the YVR thread? Speculation is of course YVR will be one of the first routes launched... Possibly year-round.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-to-buy-bo...medium=flipper&utm_campaign=home-flipper

[LeftCoaster]

Good news, I assume this makes the YVR-SYD on Qantas more viable long term than running it with their current 747?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

After much discussion.... should start arriving in 2017.

Why in the YVR thread? Speculation is of course YVR will be one of the first routes launched... Possibly year-round.

http://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-to-buy-bo...medium=flipper&utm_campaign=home-flipper

Knowing that this plane can do MEL-DFW, I thought it might abe able to do YYZ, too, so checked the map
in the link, which is not quite so precise, given the grey circle ring, with Cape Town in that, New York outside, and DFW inside.
YVR still has Oceania more or less to itself, from within Canada.

[ThunderbirdFan]

Originally Posted by Hourglass

Here's an interesting stat. Busiest airports in the world (2015 YTD) fr Wikipedia

1 Atlanta
2 Beijing
3 Dubai
4 Tokyo Haneda
5 Los Angeles
6 London Heathrow
7 Hong Kong
8 Chicago O'Hare
9 Dallas-Forth Worth
10 Bangkok
11 Shanghai Pudong
12 Paris Charles De Gaulle
13 Guangzhou
14 Singapore
15 Istanbul Atatirk
16 Seoul Incheon
17 Frankfurt
18 Jakarta
19 Denver
20 Kuala Lumpur

YVR has non-stop service, either year-round or seasonally, to 14 of these destinations. And cities such as KUL and JKT that aren't served from YVR are on this list because of the huge amount of LCC passengers they handle. They have very few North American connections anyway.

So bottom line, YVR is very well connected, especially for a city its size. The glaring omissions are of course DXB, SIN and BKK. I'd like to see service to Bangkok again one day (used to be served by CP via HKG), but doubt it will happen anytime soon.

Aspiring Avgeek here (I just read posts in this thread from the last 3 years over the course of the last few day), and one question I have is, how the hell does Atlanta have the busiest airport in the world? Not exactly the biggest tourist destintiion and certainly can't compete with level of business travellers in NYC and London. So what am I missing? Does anyone have an explanation for this? I mean sure Atlanta is a big city at 6.1 million CSA, but I mean it ranks 11th in CSA populations, so how is the Atlanta airport overperforming?

[Large Cat]

Originally Posted by ThunderbirdFan

Aspiring Avgeek here (I just read posts in this thread from the last 3 years over the course of the last few day), and one question I have is, how the hell does Atlanta have the busiest airport in the world? Not exactly the biggest tourist destintiion and certainly can't compete with level of business travellers in NYC and London. So what am I missing? Does anyone have an explanation for this? I mean sure Atlanta is a big city at 6.1 million CSA, but I mean it ranks 11th in CSA populations, so how is the Atlanta airport overperforming?

Due to high population, high wealth, and a lack of other options because of its expansive geography, the United States has the biggest regional air travel market in the world. Atlanta is the biggest hub on the Eastern seaboard for this regional traffic, which accounts for its number one passenger volume position. If the comparison were of international passenger numbers, Atlanta wouldn't even be in the ballpark of the top position in the world. But put together with the regional numbers it adds up.

Airports like Minneapolis and Denver are similar in being huge based on regional jets. Try to walk through the whole of MSP, it takes hours even with the moving walkways, because there are literally a hundred gates of CRJs in a row in two different concourses at any one time. It's insane.

[casper]

Originally Posted by ThunderbirdFan

Aspiring Avgeek here (I just read posts in this thread from the last 3 years over the course of the last few day), and one question I have is, how the hell does Atlanta have the busiest airport in the world? Not exactly the biggest tourist destintiion and certainly can't compete with level of business travellers in NYC and London. So what am I missing? Does anyone have an explanation for this? I mean sure Atlanta is a big city at 6.1 million CSA, but I mean it ranks 11th in CSA populations, so how is the Atlanta airport overperforming?

US Carriers are big into the concept of hubs. They operate very few point-to-point flights. For a good hub you needs lots of land to build massive terminals. All three of the NYC airports are a mess and can't handle any expansion. Large portion of Atlanta traffic is hub connecting traffic within Delta. Delta's other hub are places like Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Detroit.

Domestic Air Travel in Canada is less hub like. For example if you want to fly from Saskatoon to Winnipeg you can on both Air Canada and WestJet. A US like hub system you would need to connect in Calgary or Toronto.

[Hourglass]

Originally Posted by casper

US Carriers are big into the concept of hubs. They operate very few point-to-point flights. For a good hub you needs lots of land to build massive terminals. All three of the NYC airports are a mess and can't handle any expansion. Large portion of Atlanta traffic is hub connecting traffic within Delta. Delta's other hub are places like Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Detroit.

Domestic Air Travel in Canada is less hub like. For example if you want to fly from Saskatoon to Winnipeg you can on both Air Canada and WestJet. A US like hub system you would need to connect in Calgary or Toronto.

This. For various historical and geographic reasons, Atlanta is THE hub for Delta; Delta alone has over 960 departures per day from ATL (by way of comparison, Air Canada has 1,100 flights per week from its Vancouver hub -- source: Calin Rovinescu's speech at VBOT). ATL is also a focus city for Southwest and Frontier.

[SpongeG]

I used atlanta once, it was huge and so many people, it was quite impressive

[Spikester]

Originally Posted by Large Cat

Due to high population, high wealth, and a lack of other options because of its expansive geography, the United States has the biggest regional air travel market in the world. Atlanta is the biggest hub on the Eastern seaboard for this regional traffic, which accounts for its number one passenger volume position. If the comparison were of international passenger numbers, Atlanta wouldn't even be in the ballpark of the top position in the world. But put together with the regional numbers it adds up.

The canonical joke here is that if you die in the southeastern US, you have to connect for heaven or hell at ATL.

[twoNeurons]

I was at a conference recently in Las Vegas and some American travellers had made two connections just to get there. That, to me, is crazy. They have short vacation times and spend a day ( at least ) just travelling.

I guess it's the norm there and what people expect, but I also think it has to do with the American mentality as well. The idea that cheaper and bigger is always better. Bigger hubs must be cheaper to fly into, right? I would think that many Canadians are willing to pay more for a direct flight... which is why direct flights are usually priced higher.

Is that the case in the US? I realize I'm generalizing here, by the way. The fact that you can get a direct flight from YXX ( Abbotsford ) to Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Montreal or Toronto... and even Hawaii and Vegas as well. All from an airport in city that's about half the population of Spokane, WA.

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

I would think that many Canadians are willing to pay more for a direct flight...

Oh, count me in that club.

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

The fact that you can get a direct flight from YXX ( Abbotsford ) to Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Montreal or Toronto... and even Hawaii and Vegas as well. All from an airport in city that's about half the population of Spokane, WA.

Well, YXX is quite near to people in Langley and Surrey, which is over half a million more people to the catchment area. It is way too far for me to consider from Vancouver, but it is still closer than Bellingham.

Never flown from YXX though. Could be interesting, if only it wouldn't be so far away. Do they offer free parking there?