Canadian Airport Thread

[wave46]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

As of yesterday, both Sydney NS and Saint John NB are orphaned airports with no commercial traffic whatsoever.

I have a feeling they'll come back at some point.

Air travel has been absolutely destroyed by COVID and unless governments are going to pony up to keep airlines flying these routes, airlines are going to be in extreme capital conservation mode.

Q1 is always a bad one for airlines flying domestically. I can't imagine how it looks to the accountants right now.

Now, some of the smaller airports in the east that got cancelled earlier on? They're not coming back. Anything that can't justify 50 seats daily is a dead duck.

[Nick]

Smaller carriers will likely fill the void and fly King Airs or Beach 1900's on the routes. The price will be very expensive, but those travelling it will often not be paying themselves, such as lawyers, high ranking government officials etc.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Nick

Smaller carriers will likely fill the void and fly King Airs or Beach 1900's on the routes. The price will be very expensive, but those travelling it will often not be paying themselves, such as lawyers, high ranking government officials etc.

You're dealing with significant CMAs/CAs with metropolitan populations over 100,000. The loss of service is entirely pandemic related. Scheduled airlines will return. The main concern however is just what the new level of service delivery will be? How many flights per day, and available destinations - that sort of thing. There is a legitimate concern that this will not return to pre-pandemic levels.........

[Nick]

I think eventually we will return to pre-pandemic levels, but it'll take 5 years+.

[casper]

Some stories floating around on US media that the US will do the same thing as Canada requiring a negative COVID test prior to boarding an international flight to the US.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

As of yesterday, both Sydney NS and Saint John NB are orphaned airports with no commercial traffic whatsoever.

Looks like as of Saturday, January 23rd, Fredericton will join SJ and Sydney with no service.

YFC's been down to a single Montreal flight a day from Air Canada, and now that route is being suspended.

I wonder if the airport can accelerate their renovations since there won't really be anyone using the terminal for the next few months?

The airlines will return once the Atlantic provinces reopen; I don't see a provincial capital remaining without service for too long. Even if for some reason we aren't reopened by spring, I suspect AC and Westjet will start restoring services anyway.

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

I wonder if the airport can accelerate their renovations since there won't really be anyone using the terminal for the next few months?

It takes cash to renovate, something airports don’t have at the moment.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

It takes cash to renovate, something airports don’t have at the moment.

YFC's renovations have been on going for 2 years now, and (checks https://expansion.yfcfredericton.ca/news/update-on-the-terminal-expansion-project/ ) are scheduled to be complete in May 2021, so there isn't really much left to speed up. The plans were in place pre-COVID and budgeted/paid for long before COVID came in.

If anything they'll be able to celebrate the Grand Reopening of the terminal with the arrival/return of regular service at the same time in May.

[Bishop2047]

The Fredericton flight is always to capacity, and the most full of all my connecting flights. I am surprised and disappointed as this really puts those if us that must travel in a bind. They just axed Saint John and many that had flights booked out if there rebooked in Freddy, now they have to re rebook.

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

You're dealing with significant CMAs/CAs with metropolitan populations over 100,000. The loss of service is entirely pandemic related. Scheduled airlines will return. The main concern however is just what the new level of service delivery will be? How many flights per day, and available destinations - that sort of thing. There is a legitimate concern that this will not return to pre-pandemic levels.........

Just because you're a CMA over 100,000 doesn't mean you can't lose commercial air service. Quebec has several CMA's that are larger than Fredericton, Moncton or Saint John with NO commercial air service.

Location is everything. YFC, YSJ and YQM are all within an easy drive of each other. They compete with each other. It wouldn't be unheard of for one of YSJ or YFC to have a hard time regaining commercial service, especially now that Jazz has all but retired the 37 seat Dash 8-100, and the number of 50 seater RJ's is/will be trending downwards as well.

Originally Posted by wave46

Anything that can't justify 50 seats daily is a dead duck.

Make that ~76 seats. Anything that can't justify a Q400 will have a hard time regaining/maintaining service. The industry was trending that way anyways, with or without COVID.

[casper]

Originally Posted by casper

Some stories floating around on US media that the US will do the same thing as Canada requiring a negative COVID test prior to boarding an international flight to the US.

Here is a link https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/us-plann...or-inbound-international-air-travel.html

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

Just because you're a CMA over 100,000 doesn't mean you can't lose commercial air service. Quebec has several CMA's that are larger than Fredericton, Moncton or Saint John with NO commercial air service.

Location is everything. YFC, YSJ and YQM are all within an easy drive of each other. They compete with each other. It wouldn't be unheard of for one of YSJ or YFC to have a hard time regaining commercial service, especially now that Jazz has all but retired the 37 seat Dash 8-100, and the number of 50 seater RJ's is/will be trending downwards as well.



Make that ~76 seats. Anything that can't justify a Q400 will have a hard time regaining/maintaining service. The industry was trending that way anyways, with or without COVID.

All of those cities will be back post-COVID...or when Porter returns. New Brunswick airports were booming pre-COVID with upgauges and Rouge to YYZ. Hence the nearly complete YFC terminal expansion. Keep in mind AC will still have 23ish DH3s for a long time.

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by casper

Here is a link https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/us-plann...or-inbound-international-air-travel.html

Still no quarantine required, so it likely won’t deter much of who’s currently traveling from Canada. Some states like Hawaii already require this.

[zahav]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

Just because you're a CMA over 100,000 doesn't mean you can't lose commercial air service. Quebec has several CMA's that are larger than Fredericton, Moncton or Saint John with NO commercial air service.

Location is everything. YFC, YSJ and YQM are all within an easy drive of each other. They compete with each other. It wouldn't be unheard of for one of YSJ or YFC to have a hard time regaining commercial service, especially now that Jazz has all but retired the 37 seat Dash 8-100, and the number of 50 seater RJ's is/will be trending downwards as well.



Make that ~76 seats. Anything that can't justify a Q400 will have a hard time regaining/maintaining service. The industry was trending that way anyways, with or without COVID.

Yes this is true, those smaller centres are at the bottom of the list for companies like AC, esp. at a time like this. And they will be trying to use the 76 seaters for as many regional flights as possible, they did the change out west first with DH1s gone for a long time, and DHs recently too.

I never realized how close the 3 cities in NB were, this definitely is a factor. Looks like Moncton is the largest so makes sense that's where they are concentrating efforts, as minimal as that is. But things will pick up again, this is just survival mode right now

[SignalHillHiker]

Via Marty and CBC. Terrifying.

Air Canada is cutting three flight routes in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to an email from a company spokesperson Tuesday.

Service between Gander and Halifax, Goose Bay and Halifax, and St. John's and Toronto ends Jan. 23.

[Prairiedawg]

With a lot of those smaller cities in new Brunswick and new Foundland losing service to Toronto or Montreal, as long as they have flights to Halifax they should still be adequately supplied with seats at least for now while those provinces are in quarantine from rest of Canada I'd think, no?.

[hollywoodcory]

Originally Posted by Prairiedawg

With a lot of those smaller cities in new Brunswick and new Foundland losing service to Toronto or Montreal, as long as they have flights to Halifax they should still be adequately supplied with seats at least for now while those provinces are in quarantine from rest of Canada I'd think, no?.

I believe those smaller airports (particularly Sydney, Saint Johns and soon Fredericton) have no commercial flights at all. One would have to drive to Moncton or Halifax.

[SignalHillHiker]

People here are having fun with it. My fave so far:

Air (almost) Canada

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

I believe those smaller airports (particularly Sydney, Saint Johns and soon Fredericton) have no commercial flights at all. One would have to drive to Moncton or Halifax.

Absolutely correct.

There are only three cities left in the Maritimes with any commercial air service - Halifax, Moncton and Charlottetown.

[SignalHillHiker]

I’m not sure how to tell which flights we still have left. Looks like the route map was most recently updated prior to the pandemic:



We still have our provincial airline, PAL, at least. It’s now the only carrier serving Labrador.

I assume we still have St. John’s to Halifax flights, so we’re not completely cut off.