Calgary International Airport II

[Cage]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

AC seems to be getting very bearish on the YYC (non-USA) sun destination market... and the USA one too really... But

This winter looks like only one weekly to CUN and one weekly to PVR both on mainline A319s. This is a far cry from the 9 weekly to 5 destinations last year.

The pull down is due in large part to the pullout of the YVR rouge 319 pilot base. AC has determined the economics of a small 319 base do not support the need, espEcially with YVR to California requiring mainline to support the TransPac route development.

Basically even with a good economy in Alberta, AC would have still pulled out of sun destination flying.

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by Cage

You are analyzing a nonstop out of YYC compared to a single connection YYZ. The TS YYC-YYZ flight connects to a dozen European destinations not served nonstop from YYC. If the pax is connecting anyway; YYZ T3 is much easier transfer over LHR/LGW, FRA, or AMS.

A little more money to get over the pond is running at $200-$300 round trip. For the visiting friends and relatives market this is a maybe, but for the packaged tour market that is TransAt bread and butter, the extra money is a non starter for nonstop over the pond.

The problem with the market TS is targeting is a lot of these travelers just need to get to Europe. Just take the cheapest flight to somewhere and go from there. With the additional capacity that has been added lately and the heavy discounting which will most likely continue the flights via YYZ probably won't be cheaper anyway. I see their strategy but going up against the likes of FI via YEG or cheap flights on KLM or the TS / Westjet direct flights will be a battle to draw pax via YYZ. On the visitor side, the largest markets to YYC are still by far the UK and Germany.

Yeah I mean I'm not saying skip school... but SKIP SCHOOL.

I dodged a prior commitment so I could be up on the hill to watch the first departure and arrivals on 35R and now I've got that memory forever. The number of physics classes I skipped in grade 12 and still did fine... pfft.

[holhm22]

Originally Posted by Acey

Yeah I mean I'm not saying skip school... but SKIP SCHOOL.

I dodged a prior commitment so I could be up on the hill to watch the first departure and arrivals on 35R and now I've got that memory forever. The number of physics classes I skipped in grade 12 and still did fine... pfft.

I really want to but I really can't unfortunately. My school has this incentive program where if you don't miss/late 3 classes, you get to drop your lowest mark. Got the stereotypical Asian parents who wouldn't let you skip. Already RSVPd saying no as well.

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by holhm22

I really want to but I really can't unfortunately. My school has this incentive program where if you don't miss/late 3 classes, you get to drop your lowest mark. Got the stereotypical Asian parents who wouldn't let you skip. Already RSVPd saying no as well.

Ahh the pressures faced today! I skipped to go to the opening day of Expo 86 in Vancouver and saw Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Also skipped to go to the opening day at Blackcomb Mtn (pulled by my parents on the Friday though he he!)

I think I turned out OK!

[Johnny Aussie]

As discussed previously the agreement between Suncor and Westjet is a done deal.

http://westjet2.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1167

More than 100 flights per week from YYC, YEG, YVR, YLW, YXE to YMM.

This service will replace Suncor's own aviation service. Another outsourcing.

[Bigtime]

WS needs flying, however. This is big for them.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

The drop in flights is due to the ongoing move of leisure flights to rouge. AC doesn't seem interested in putting mainline metal on the sun routes. And as we know rouge closed their western A319 base. This makes it tougher as all A319 rouge aircraft have to cycle through YYZ eventually. This also seems to explain the reduced flying from YYC to PHX and LAS this winter. The other option is use the YVR based rouge 763s but they seem to be fully utilised and will be operating all of the YVR rouge flights this winter with the exception of one of the two daily YVR-LAS flights which will be on a 319. All other YVR rouge flights will be 763s (35 flights per week this winter).

Also, YYC-OGG would most likely have been rouged now if it wasn't for the NRT route still on mainline 763s. I'm sure AC is trying to figure out what to do with that but perhaps they will just leave it as 3 weekly 763s for some time.

Great minds think alike Jonny!!!

One point of clarification. The rouge 319 aircraft do not have to be cycled through YYZ. However the rouge 319 pilots and flight attendants must be based in the Toronto area within a 90 minute drive from YYZ.

The reason for closing the rouge 319 pilot base at YVR has to do with the large number of senior pilots located in BC. The junior pilots are all based in Ontario or Quebec and the senior pilots based in BC where they hope to retire someday.

Additionally its hard for a junior pilot to live within 90 minutes of YVR due to the high cost of living (housing expenses being astronomical). The AC Pilots Association came to an agreement with Management to close the airbus narrowbody pilot base at YVR and consolidate all Airbus narrowbody flying to mainline equipment. Concurrently, the Embraer flying was largely restricted to YYZ base as well.

With the YVR base responsible for a much larger number of Airbus narrowbody aircraft, you can guess where the first 737max aircraft will be based.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Acey

WS needs flying, however. This is big for them.

And sucks for the Suncor crews, I hope they find work quickly.

[Cage]

I just finished the YYC Pre-Advanced Trials this morning.

First impressions, big F-WWOW speechless. I was a kid in the candy shop the whole time.

Got to trial the international to domestic connections process; it is everything I hoped for and more. Easily capable of pulling 45 minute connections from USA or Europe using One Stop Security. The connections desk is going to kill off international traffic from the rest of Prairies and is competitive on a large scale with YVR. A YVR traveller willing to complete a cheap one stop connection through YYC to Asia or Europe now has possibilities.

YYZ to Asia is within reach as well. I know a fewYYZ based AC Super Elites that prefer one stop over the nonstop from YYZ as it breaks up the journey. Previously YYC was out of the question because of the poor connections process and antiquated facilities. That's gone. The new connections process is way better than comparable experiences at YYZ and YVR.

Welcome to the big leagues YYC.

[suburbia]

Just saw Hainan's tweets about a tragic bus crash near Calgary - so googled it. Looks like earlier today an empty tour bus with Hainan's logo on it started to roll at a Banff Park lookout area, hit two people who were standing outside (killing one and seriously injuring the second) and then went off the edge down into a creek.

[Habanero]

Awesome update Cage, very positive news for YYC NyFlyZone is going to have a crappy sleep tonight when he reads this

Originally Posted by Cage

I just finished the YYC Pre-Advanced Trials this morning.

First impressions, big F-WWOW speechless. I was a kid in the candy shop the whole time.

Got to trial the international to domestic connections process; it is everything I hoped for and more. Easily capable of pulling 45 minute connections from USA or Europe using One Stop Security. The connections desk is going to kill off international traffic from the rest of Prairies and is competitive on a large scale with YVR. A YVR traveller willing to complete a cheap one stop connection through YYC to Asia or Europe now has possibilities.

YYZ to Asia is within reach as well. I know a fewYYZ based AC Super Elites that prefer one stop over the nonstop from YYZ as it breaks up the journey. Previously YYC was out of the question because of the poor connections process and antiquated facilities. That's gone. The new connections process is way better than comparable experiences at YYZ and YVR.

Welcome to the big leagues YYC.

[simster3]

Very jealous as I should have been there today too.

[Bureaudog]

Also did the trials today, and it all looks very nice. However, I can foresee some issues with:
- CATSA's new xray scanner - the belt automatically moves the bin, so if a traveller has two bins it will cause significant anxiety as the only spot for their first bin is on the auto-conveyor.
- CBSA hall is poorly laid out and difficult to navigate. Even dropping the act of being a 95 year old woman, I had a hard time knowing where to go, although it wasn't helped by the ambassadors who likely need some more uptraining.
- Long walking! The Link cars look like they will ease this quite a bit.
- Definitely not designed for anything but call-to-gate. This morning the 'boarding' was to occur at 1030, but the announcement that it started at 1005 never reached me up at the lounge-around area. Hopefully also just a training issue.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Cage

I just finished the YYC Pre-Advanced Trials this morning.

First impressions, big F-WWOW speechless. I was a kid in the candy shop the whole time.

Got to trial the international to domestic connections process; it is everything I hoped for and more. Easily capable of pulling 45 minute connections from USA or Europe using One Stop Security. The connections desk is going to kill off international traffic from the rest of Prairies and is competitive on a large scale with YVR. A YVR traveller willing to complete a cheap one stop connection through YYC to Asia or Europe now has possibilities.

YYZ to Asia is within reach as well. I know a fewYYZ based AC Super Elites that prefer one stop over the nonstop from YYZ as it breaks up the journey. Previously YYC was out of the question because of the poor connections process and antiquated facilities. That's gone. The new connections process is way better than comparable experiences at YYZ and YVR.

Welcome to the big leagues YYC.

Cool. Being YYJ based (and still spending time in YXE) I welcome the improvement. I am generally impressed with YVR, however last month I did a LHR-YVR-YYJ. With the AC 777 late departing Heathrow the connection with a bit tight. The YVR experience was not good. I have had worse at other airports, perhaps my expectations were to high. In any case looking forward to transiting YYC next time.

[holhm22]

Awesome to hear about how the trials went. Can't wait till it's open!

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Habanero

NyFlyZone is going to have a crappy sleep tonight when he reads this

Originally Posted by Cage

Easily capable of pulling 45 minute connections from USA or Europe using One Stop Security.

The new connections process is way better than comparable experiences at YYZ and YVR.

Welcome to the big leagues YYC.

Not only because of the OSS, but also because of the fact that YYC doesn't have that many international flights to begin with. So yes, connections would have been much smoother at YYC vs YVR, YYZ and YUL, even without the OSS.

I read that YVR doesn't have a sterile corridor for OSS ops.

YYZ does, don't know what the hold up is to implement OSS.

YUL also has a sterile corridor. So they have the potential to implement OSS as well.

Nonetheless, nice to see the new international terminal at YYC nearing full ops.....

.

.

.



oh yeah. Habanero....i slept more like this.........




Thank you for worrying about my sleeping patterns though.....Nice to see someone cares about someone else at that level....

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by Bureaudog

Also did the trials today, and it all looks very nice. However, I can foresee some issues with:
- CATSA's new xray scanner - the belt automatically moves the bin, so if a traveller has two bins it will cause significant anxiety as the only spot for their first bin is on the auto-conveyor.
- CBSA hall is poorly laid out and difficult to navigate. Even dropping the act of being a 95 year old woman, I had a hard time knowing where to go, although it wasn't helped by the ambassadors who likely need some more uptraining.
- Long walking! The Link cars look like they will ease this quite a bit.
- Definitely not designed for anything but call-to-gate. This morning the 'boarding' was to occur at 1030, but the announcement that it started at 1005 never reached me up at the lounge-around area. Hopefully also just a training issue.

Originally Posted by Cage

I just finished the YYC Pre-Advanced Trials this morning.

First impressions, big F-WWOW speechless. I was a kid in the candy shop the whole time.

Got to trial the international to domestic connections process; it is everything I hoped for and more. Easily capable of pulling 45 minute connections from USA or Europe using One Stop Security. The connections desk is going to kill off international traffic from the rest of Prairies and is competitive on a large scale with YVR. A YVR traveller willing to complete a cheap one stop connection through YYC to Asia or Europe now has possibilities.

YYZ to Asia is within reach as well. I know a fewYYZ based AC Super Elites that prefer one stop over the nonstop from YYZ as it breaks up the journey. Previously YYC was out of the question because of the poor connections process and antiquated facilities. That's gone. The new connections process is way better than comparable experiences at YYZ and YVR.

Welcome to the big leagues YYC.

[Bigtime]

From over in the YEG thread.

Originally Posted by LO 044

Hainan / WestJet begins codeshare service from Sep 2016

Hainan Airlines operated by WestJet
Calgary – Edmonton
Calgary – Kelowna
Calgary – Ottawa
Calgary – Regina
Calgary – Toronto
Calgary – Vancouver
Calgary – Victoria
Calgary – Winnipeg
Toronto – Edmonton
Toronto – Halifax
Toronto – Kelowna
Toronto – Montreal
Toronto – Ottawa
Toronto – Regina
Toronto – Vancouver
Toronto – Victoria
Toronto – Winnipeg

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airl...-begins-codeshare-service-from-sep-2016/