Saskatoon and Regina Air Service - Page 60

SkydivePilot · #**1181** Posted **May 24, 2016, 1:26 AM**

I will bet you guys anything that Delta is pulling out for the same reasons as United did last year. It would be because of their desire to increase $$$ via utilizing their domestic market instead. The U.S. economy is improving ---- despite being $19.5 trillion in the hole.

brithgob · #**1182** Posted **May 24, 2016, 2:08 AM**

How on earth are we supposed to have any kind of business sector when no one can fly here? (Flights to vacation destinations do not count.)

brithgob · #**1183** Posted **May 24, 2016, 2:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

And confirmed. Got to love now having one option for international flights.

On a side note, I swear the L-P, CBC and CTV all use this forum as a source.

Wait, they're continuing Saskatoon but ending Regina? That is literally adding insult to injury.

casper · #**1184** Posted **May 24, 2016, 2:43 AM**

There is nothing special about MSP. It is a connecting hub into the US. Saskatchewan probably has more business ties with Chicago and California than MSP.

Lets see what ha[[ems with the two Canadian airlines.

Air Canada looks to be committed to having US traffic going through the hub airports. They will probably pickup up a few extra seats to Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. I would not expect any new destinations.

WestJet is more interesting. Due to the downturn in Calgary WestJet has aircraft they are shifting to other destinations (e.g. Toronto or Vancouver).

Las Vegas is a poor airport for connections. There just as not a lot of options with Delta or American as partners. Phoenix is an American hub and there good mix of options from there. Will WestJet add more capacity? I don't know.

The airline Saskatoon (and Regina) should try to chase after is Alaska. From the Seattle hub there are a lot of options into California and Asia.

BrutallyDishonest2 · #**1185** Posted **May 24, 2016, 3:21 AM**

I'd say that Regina probably has more connections to MSP than you'd think.

And frankly MSP is a good hub to be connected with. It connects you with the east quite successfully plus it provides a connection to Europe. Additionally, I actually like MSP for the most part. Chicago's airports, as much as they are in a bigger, better city, are awful.

casper · #**1186** Posted **May 24, 2016, 1:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

I'd say that Regina probably has more connections to MSP than you'd think.

And frankly MSP is a good hub to be connected with. It connects you with the east quite successfully plus it provides a connection to Europe. Additionally, I actually like MSP for the most part. Chicago's airports, as much as they are in a bigger, better city, are awful.

When I lived in Saskatoon my perception was there was always more ties between business in town with Chicago. With the likes of Potash Corp having corporate offices in both cities. Being in tech I ended traveling in and out of California more frequently than any other part of the US. MSP is a bit of a detour for both. All said, I would have expected Saskatoon to hold on to the Chicago flight, but it did not. The peek time was always the fall when hunting season was in full swing.

Sounds like Regina may have different business ties if MSP is a common final destination.

Stormer · #**1187** Posted **May 24, 2016, 2:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by casper

When I lived in Saskatoon my perception was there was always more ties between business in town with Chicago. With the likes of Potash Corp having corporate offices in both cities. Being in tech I ended traveling in and out of California more frequently than any other part of the US. MSP is a bit of a detour for both. All said, I would have expected Saskatoon to hold on to the Chicago flight, but it did not. The peek time was always the fall when hunting season was in full swing.

Sounds like Regina may have different business ties if MSP is a common final destination.

Whenever I have been on the MSP flight there are several if not tens of Mosaic Potash employees on the flight. As well there are several ag related companies in the MSP area with YQR connections.

One big difference with Potash and YXE is that Potash has a fleet of its own jets.

Stormer · #**1188** Posted **May 24, 2016, 2:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

I will bet you guys anything that Delta is pulling out for the same reasons as United did last year. It would be because of their desire to increase $$$ via utilizing their domestic market instead. The U.S. economy is improving ---- despite being $19.5 trillion in the hole.

This is so true. I expect they were doing OK, they just want to make even more. It is no coincidence that our U.S. flight option "took off" after the U.S. economy tanked but ours was still booming and the $C was high.

Stormer · #**1189** Posted **May 24, 2016, 2:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brithgob

How on earth are we supposed to have any kind of business sector when no one can fly here? (Flights to vacation destinations do not count.)

This is very true. You will never get head offices if execs can't travel efficiently.

Nathan · #**1190** Posted **May 24, 2016, 3:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormer

This is very true. You will never get head offices if execs can't travel efficiently.

I smell an opportunity for a new Saskatchewan Crown Corporation... AirSask, Saskair, SKair... The name's a work in progress.

(Joking, but that is the EXACT reason why most of the others were created, the older/larger ones anyway... companies based elsewhere either didn't want to properly service Saskatchewan, or would, but at exorbitant rates).

Stormer · #**1191** Posted **May 24, 2016, 3:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

I smell an opportunity for a new Saskatchewan Crown Corporation... AirSask, Saskair, SKair... The name's a work in progress.

(Joking, but that is the EXACT reason why most of the others were created, the older/larger ones anyway... companies based elsewhere either didn't want to properly service Saskatchewan, or would, but at exorbitant rates).

Been done:

Quote:

Postwar, Campbell died and Mayson accepted a 1947 offer from the province's new Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) government for the sale of the airline. The government's goal was to use aircraft to open the province's vast north. This airline was known as Saskatchewan Government Airways (SGA). Structured as a Crown corporation, SGA operated from 1947 to 1965 from a main base at the Prince Albert (Glass Field) Airport and a number of sub-bases in northern Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan's 1964 general election saw the NDP government defeated by the Liberals. SGA was privatized into the hands of some Saskatchewan businessmen, who renamed it "North Canada Air" or "Norcanair" for short.

Source Wikipedia

Robag · #**1192** Posted **May 24, 2016, 5:02 PM**

Regardless, it's very unfortunate that we are losing this service. My wife and I were booked on United last year when they pulled out of YQR. It resulted in us having to do an overnight in Calgary to get back. I have a cruise vacation booked out of Tampa at the end of November with my family. Part of the reason we booked where we did and when we did was costs, and you couldn't beat the price on Delta and the connections were really good. Now I have to re-evaluate our whole trip. Our hands our tied however, as Delta codeshares with Westjet, and to get to Tampa from here will now be an all day affair with stops in Toronto and New York. How convenient!

wacko · #**1193** Posted **May 24, 2016, 7:54 PM**

Yes, very disappointing. I first noticed the inability to book flights past July 31 on Delta last week, when looking up flights to Atlanta for next spring. I'd hoped it might just be a technical glitch of some kind, but alas. Still can go via Toronto, but that option isn't as good.

casper · #**1194** Posted **May 25, 2016, 2:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robag

Regardless, it's very unfortunate that we are losing this service. My wife and I were booked on United last year when they pulled out of YQR. It resulted in us having to do an overnight in Calgary to get back. I have a cruise vacation booked out of Tampa at the end of November with my family. Part of the reason we booked where we did and when we did was costs, and you couldn't beat the price on Delta and the connections were really good. Now I have to re-evaluate our whole trip. Our hands our tied however, as Delta codeshares with Westjet, and to get to Tampa from here will now be an all day affair with stops in Toronto and New York. How convenient!

You should still try to price the trip on United, Delta or American in addition to WestJet and Air Canada. More recently I have been finding that United is quite a bit cheaper than Air Canada. Due to codeshares it is frequently an AC operated flight ticketed under a United flight number. The same hold for WestJet ticketed under a Delta or American flight number.

Robag · #**1195** Posted **May 25, 2016, 3:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by casper

You should still try to price the trip on United, Delta or American in addition to WestJet and Air Canada. More recently I have been finding that United is quite a bit cheaper than Air Canada. Due to codeshares it is frequently an AC operated flight ticketed under a United flight number. The same hold for WestJet ticketed under a Delta or American flight number.

The flight is already paid for. WestJet codeshares with Delta, so we will get flights, but the convenience factor of flying through MSP was a huge benefit for us. Now we will probably leave an hour earlier, and arrive 6 hours later from what we had before. Makes you not want to fly to Florida from here.

scotty c · #**1196** Posted **May 25, 2016, 4:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robag

The flight is already paid for. WestJet codeshares with Delta, so we will get flights, but the convenience factor of flying through MSP was a huge benefit for us. Now we will probably leave an hour earlier, and arrive 6 hours later from what we had before. Makes you not want to fly to Florida from here.

I don't remember the actual rules but when United quit flying direct to the province I had a flight with them. I just asked for a refund and because it was a change of more than 3 hrs (???) they had to give my money back no questions asked. That worked for me because WestJet had a better flight option than AC would have. So if there is another better option for you to travel outside the Delta family you should have no trouble getting your money back.

casper · #**1197** Posted **May 25, 2016, 5:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty c

I don't remember the actual rules but when United quit flying direct to the province I had a flight with them. I just asked for a refund and because it was a change of more than 3 hrs (???) they had to give my money back no questions asked. That worked for me because WestJet had a better flight option than AC would have. So if there is another better option for you to travel outside the Delta family you should have no trouble getting your money back.

Usually when there is a change in flights the airline will re-book you (at no cost) onto pretty much any other flight that is available between the two destinations.

Air Canada is a legacy carrier that interlines with all the other legacy airlines. You can get a single ticket that has Air Canada transferring to United or Delta or American as an example. They do the same with most of the airlines in the rest of the world. They try to use their own flights or their partner United but in a pinch they will move people onto any of the other legacy airlines as needed.

The problem is WestJet is not a legacy carrier, they started life as a stand-alone discount carrier, only in the last few years have they started to interline and codeshare. Today for the US they only interline with Delta and American and a few select airlines in Europe and Asia. Every few months they another one or two airlines.

Air Canada and WestJet don't interline. That means if a flight is cancelled in Calgary to say Saskatoon the agent that is rerouting people does not see and can't rebook onto the other airline. All they can do is offer a refund and you go over to the other airline and try to buy a new ticket.

Stormer · #**1198** Posted **May 25, 2016, 6:56 PM**

I just heard on CTV that Delta's passenger loads were up 45% year over year. They even changed to a bigger plane. We are getting so screwed. C'mon WestJet...

Stormer · #**1199** Posted **May 25, 2016, 10:22 PM**

apparently WestJet flies to MSP from several smaller airports in Canada:

Find flights to Minneapolis St. Paul:

scotty c · #**1200** Posted **May 25, 2016, 10:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stormer

apparently WestJet flies to MSP from several smaller airports in Canada:

Find flights to Minneapolis St. Paul:

All of those listings have you going from the originating city to Toronto and then connecting on a codeshare flight operated by Delta to Minneapolis. WestJet itself doesn't fly direct to MSP at all.