Calgary International Airport II

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

Just keep in mind everything is as far from normal as it could be. AC "aren't willing to maintain a decent domestic network..." there really isn't a domestic market to maintain at the moment. They just cannot be flying from everywhere to everywhere right now so they've cut. I wouldn't read into their current state of play too much when it comes to their long term strategy... still a long way to go before even a slight sense of normalcy returns. Who knows what will happen.
Hainan running two daily flights from YVR to PVG is another example of far from normal.

Of course nothing is normal, given that BA has been flying basically daily to YEG when they would usually serve us. YEG has managed to get a ton of interested traffic these past few months while we have had almost nothing (We basically swapped roles )

If you look at WestJet's domestic network currently, they managed to maintain a decent domestic network to allow essential traffic while Air Canada basically went to connecting through its three larger hubs. They resumed intra-Alberta flying this month which is a step in the right direction.

I knew someone who needed to get to Winnipeg, and is typically AC loyal. But all they could give him was YYC-YVR-YYZ-YWG while WestJet got him a non-stop.

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Additionally, it looks like Edelweiss cancelled their 2 remaining flights in June.

Also KLM's advance bookings in July are far outpacing AC's. Some of the flights are more than half-full too.

UPDATE: On the note above, KLM must have scared AC off cause YYC-FRA has officially been cancelled for July. Now all eyes turn to WestJet.

[Pegasus]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

Of course nothing is normal, given that BA has been flying basically daily to YEG when they would usually serve us. YEG has managed to get a ton of interested traffic these past few months while we have had almost nothing (We basically swapped roles )

I didn't realize British Airways (or anyone else) were currently operating direct scheduled passenger flights between YEG and the UK (although I understand there has been cargo only flights).

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by Pegasus

I didn't realize British Airways (or anyone else) were currently operating direct scheduled passenger flights between YEG and the UK (although I understand there has been cargo only flights).

It's only cargo flights, but they've almost been flying there daily the past couple of weeks. I don't think the international restrictions have been lifted yet.

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WS 6th 787 (C-GMKS) was spotted in CHS today on some test flights. Suppose to be delivered back in May originally.

[hollywoodcory]

WestJet updated its schedule and they will still resume limited Transborder operations from June 26.

LAX - 4x weekly
ATL - 1x daily
LAS - 2x weekly (increases to 4x weekly in July)

Domestic resumptions:
YUL / YOW & YHZ all appear to resume from July 5 with 6x weekly.

Doesn't look like any international flights will be flown in July.

UPDATE: WestJet will increase from 180 to 341 weekly domestic flights in July with non-stop flights to 26 destinations. Will fly 15 weekly Transborder flights to 3 destinations for a total of 356 weekly flights to 29 destinations.

[YYCFlier]

RE: All the discussion on AC/WS and YYC as hub and dehubbing...

Yes, YYC is an AC hub. Yes, it is the smallest hub by far - AC often uses the phrase "major hubs" to mean "all hubs but Calgary". For AC, YYC mostly serves as a regional hub for the prairies for domestic and trans-border traffic and for business traffic to Europe. There is some leisure in there too, as well as some important O&D markets.

YYC and YVR are opposite for WestJet and AC respectively. YYC is AC's secondary hub in the west, whereas YVR is WS's secondary hub in the west. Rough sizing is -

WS -> YYC > YYZ > YVR
AC -> YYZ > YUL > YVR > YYC

Other than some local O&D markets or geography, YYC always gets service before YVR for WS (SNA is a local O&D exception, and the Hawaii flights are a geographical concern seeing as the 737-800s could not make the flight from YYC). In almost every other market WS serves from YYC and YVR, YYC has higher frequency and more seats.

This is the opposite in YYC for AC. Any flight YYC gets, YVR likely already has with higher frequency and larger frames.

The result is when either airline has to scale back, they pull back at their secondary hubs. This is especially obvious if you see that to get to YQR, YXE or YWG on AC you have to back-track to YVR, and WS has cut its flights from YVR to those markets, routing you through YYC.

Let's also remember that although in usual circumstances YYC is 70% domestic travel, it still nips at the heels of YUL, which is astounding considering the Montreal area has almost triple our population.

Let's look at AC's strategy in YYC -

Internationally, AC serves LHR and FRA year round. These are AC's "mini-hubs" in Europe through which they route their important business traffic to other partners including LH.

NRT is a leisure destination that is served primarily because Japanese tourists love the Rocky Mountain parks, so it is seasonal and marginal. When needed, AC simply routes YYC pax through YVR. It is scheduled to run next year on a 788 and I think it will survive 2021 if only due to the Olympics, but I think it makes enough money to return annually in some seasonal form (perhaps later in the year, lower frequency etc. but it will run).

Sun destinations are always leisure and CUN and the Hawaii markets are popular.

Domestically, YYC is well connected to most major markets but the further east you go, the more likely you have to route through YYZ or YUL.

Trans-border wise, YYC serves as a regional hub for YEG, YQR, YXE and to a lesser extent YWG (which is almost as close to YYZ so only for western destinations):

IAH = business market
SFO = business and leisure
LAX = premier business market
EWR = premier business market
PHX = leisure high O&D
LAS = leisure high O&D

AC also cedes a lot of *A market share to United, which at full capacity runs a lot of seats from YYC from SFO, ORD, DEN and IAH. It does not mind this as YYC is a secondary hub.

So yes, it is a hub for AC, but a small one, and with a minimal international focus. Even pre-COVID, I would expect minimal expansion. It does have a pilot base for Jazz, and a mainline crew base. The mainline pilot base in YWG is some weird anomaly of previous agreements and there are a lot of deadheading pilots YVR-YYC. I think they would move the base to YYC if they could.

[outoftheice]

Originally Posted by YYCFlier

So yes, it is a hub for AC, but a small one, and with a minimal international focus. Even pre-COVID, I would expect minimal expansion. It does have a pilot base for Jazz, and a mainline crew base. The mainline pilot base in YWG is some weird anomaly of previous agreements and there are a lot of deadheading pilots YVR-YYC. I think they would move the base to YYC if they could.

The AC mainline pilot base in YWG is due to the terms of the Air Canada Public Participation Act from when the company was privatised. It mandates that AC continue to operate a pilot base in YWG. AC has essentially shrunk that base down to be as small as possible while still being functional and as a result it is actually one of the most senior bases in the company.

In terms of a YYC pilot base, you are correct. When AC purchased the Embraers they approached the pilot union with a request to open a YYC pilot base and expressed a desire to base a large number of the Embraer crews out of YYC. The union turned them down as a lot of their members would be getting their first upgrades to Captain on the Embraers and didn't want to have to move for the promotion. To my knowledge that's the last time AC has broached the subject of a YYC pilot base but the desire is definitely there.

[hollywoodcory]

After WestJet's schedule was announced, AC followed suit and made adjustments to their own.

YVR & YYZ were increased from 5 to 6x daily (to match WS) while YLW was dropped in July. YQU was reduced from daily to 5x weekly. As previously mentioned they further suspended FRA to August.

This leaves just 7 non-stops in July on AC.

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

After WestJet's schedule was announced, AC followed suit and made adjustments to their own.

YVR & YYZ were increased from 5 to 6x daily (to match WS) while YLW was dropped in July. YQU was reduced from daily to 5x weekly. As previously mentioned they further suspended FRA to August.

This leaves just 7 non-stops in July on AC.

Another day another change huh? So fluid. Check back in an hour and I’ll bet more changes

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

Another day another change huh? So fluid. Check back in an hour and I’ll bet more changes

I think they've gone from daily to weekly changes for now. I forgot to add they've also removed CUN until the end of October now.

Either way July is looking up for YYC, going from just 14 weekly flights outside of Canada to 45 weekly.

WS 15 weekly (7x ATL / 4x LAX / 4x LAS)
AA 14 weekly (7x DFW / 7x ORD)
DL 7 weekly (MSP)
UA 7 weekly (ORD)
KL 2 weekly (AMS)

[yyc_engineer]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

Either way July is looking up for YYC, going from just 14 weekly flights outside of Canada to 45 weekly.

WS 15 weekly (7x ATL / 4x LAX / 4x LAS)
AA 14 weekly (7x DFW / 7x ORD)
DL 7 weekly (MSP)
UA 7 weekly (ORD)
KL 2 weekly (AMS)

I understand all the adds except YYC-LAS.

LAX, ATL, DFW, ORD, MSP and AMS have major onward connections but what is the point of flights to Vegas? Leisure travel is not permitted and I doubt if there are enough families with ties between Canada and the LV metro area to warrant 4 flights a week given the present situation. What would be the motive is behind this route?

Also, why the cancellation of resumption of CUN? Cancun/ Mayan Riviera is supposed to be fully open.

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by yyc_engineer

I understand all the adds except YYC-LAS.

LAX, ATL, DFW, ORD, MSP and AMS have major onward connections but what is the point of flights to Vegas? Leisure travel is not permitted and I doubt if there are enough families with ties between Canada and the LV metro area to warrant 4 flights a week given the present situation. What would be the motive is behind this route?

Also, why the cancellation of resumption of CUN? Cancun/ Mayan Riviera is supposed to be fully open.

WestJet is actually operating 8 weekly flights to Vegas if you include all of it's hubs.

I wondered this as well, but it seems WS actually has decent advance bookings for LAS in July. Air Canada was even promoting Las Vegas on its website this week too.

As for CUN, Air Canada seems less interested in YYC these days and consolidated the flights out of YYZ. I suspect LHR & FRA might even get pushed until the winter too. If WestJet has success on it's limited international schedule in July, I believe they'll add back YYC-CUN later in the summer.

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Also UA just upguaged it's flights in July from a E75 to a mainline 737.

[PPAR]

Originally Posted by yyc_engineer

I understand all the adds except YYC-LAS.

I have heard rumors that USCBP is letting Canadians fly to the US now. They are only blocking land crossing. On return, if you are Canadian, CCBP is obliged to let you back in.
While hardly a great public health situation, Trump is happy to have Canadians in Vegas. This may explain the WS flights

[YYCFlier]

USCBP has never blocked Canadians by air since they “closed” the border. It’s been fine to fly since the beginning of CoVid. So there is transborder traffic but mostly one way.

[yyc_engineer]

Originally Posted by YYCFlier

USCBP has never blocked Canadians by air since they “closed” the border. It’s been fine to fly since the beginning of CoVid. So there is transborder traffic but mostly one way.

Well I'll be damned. For the last 3 months I thought Canadians couldn't fly to America but that was never the case. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-u-s-border-rules-and-restrictions-covid-19-travel-1.5619268

They should be able to do alright on 4 weekly YYC-LAS for the summer months.

[FormerWingTipper]

Originally Posted by PPAR

I have heard rumors that USCBP is letting Canadians fly to the US now. They are only blocking land crossing. On return, if you are Canadian, CCBP is obliged to let you back in. While hardly a great public health situation, Trump is happy to have Canadians in Vegas. This may explain the WS flights

USCBP = United States Customs and Border Protection
CBSA = Canada Border Services Agency

CCBP = Caribbean Capacity Building Programme? Certification of China Banking Professional? Coal Combustion By-Product?

Let's get our acronyms right...

[hollywoodcory]

May stats are out, and they are much better than I expected. I figured the numbers would bottom out in May given the further service reduction in comparison, but they still showed an improvement from April.

Domestic: 78,416 -92.6% (YTD: 2,448,262 -49.07%)
Transborder: 2,613 -99.0% (YTD: 721,056 -49.10%)
International: 0 -100% (YTD: 463,101 -46.52%)
May total: 81,029 -94.5% (2020 YTD: 3,632,419 -48.76%)

I believe June will about 90,000 and July over 100,000.

https://www.yyc.com/en-us/media/factsfigures/passengerstatistics.aspx

[YYCFlier]

@Cory - I wonder how YYC is comparing to the big three based on % of pax? YYZ and YVR look like they are picking up but still slowish in YUL.

[zahav]

YYC has really benefitted by WS's consolidation of flights there, to the detriment of pretty much everywhere else in Western Canada. WS has cut so many non stops from YVR for example, in order to filter them thru YYC. Normally I hate that, but given the circumstances you can't blame them, it's the only way to survive and fill those planes.

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by zahav

YYC has really benefitted by WS's consolidation of flights there, to the detriment of pretty much everywhere else in Western Canada. WS has cut so many non stops from YVR for example, in order to filter them thru YYC. Normally I hate that, but given the circumstances you can't blame them, it's the only way to survive and fill those planes.

And Air Canada has done the exact opposite.. cut most of Western Canada and focussed on YVR. And this is continuing. There will be no international flying from Western Canada as well on AC except YVR for the next little while. WS is going to startup YVR Transborder in th next week as well.

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by YYCFlier

@Cory - I wonder how YYC is comparing to the big three based on % of pax? YYZ and YVR look like they are picking up but still slowish in YUL.

Go check out the YUL thread and see what's going on there.