Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW) 1.0 - Page 281

Dominion301 · #**5601** Posted **Oct 23, 2021, 4:46 PM**

Today's departure count: 37

MountainView · #**5602** Posted **Oct 23, 2021, 6:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by thewave46

Would it actually lure passengers though?

I recall Air Canada doing something similar with Toronto-Vancouver-Sydney (AUS) a while ago. They kept the same flight number and aircraft, but advertised it as 'direct' service from Toronto. I'm not sure it actually really mattered to most on the flight. I'm not sure if Air Canada sold tickets for the Toronto-Vancouver segment on it.

Airlines have really moved away from that model for a reason - it's just easier to disembark all passengers at the connection point and reload them when they're headed onto their next destination. No awkward shuffle for people staying on-board versus those getting off. It's probably less confusing for the passenger if the plane only has one destination instead of intermediary stops. Finally, many countries are picky about visitor entrance requirements so intermixing of passengers between domestic and international segments is frowned upon.

It also makes things easier from an operations point-of-view. If the airplane has to be swapped out it is easier to do when it is empty.

The parts I dislike most about airline travel is sitting on an airplane at the gate - if I'm going to be going nowhere, might as well stretch my legs in the terminal.

It was just an idea only for 2022 when passenger traffic to/from Europe may be unpredictable. Like I mentioned, I understand airlines are moving away from this model... but was simply an idea/thought.

Would it lure passengers? I have no idea. It could lure people who are hesitant to book a connection flight, only to miss it. That wouldn't happen with same plane service to Europe.

There is likely a crew change in YHZ though...which is why everyone disembarks. Its probably easier for baggage loading to just take everything out in YHZ than having to sort through which ones are continuing, and which one's aren't.

AC also did this with YYZ-YYC-NRT. They do sell just the domestic section as it's own flight, as I took it once YOW-YYZ-YYC on the B767.

I do know that Porter allows passengers to remain on the plane for routes like YHZ-YOW-YTZ, but they are quick turnarounds (35-45 mins).

MountainView · #**5603** Posted **Oct 23, 2021, 6:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaskoYOW

That would make too much sense! Wonder, if YOW authorities have approached WestJet with that idea? Especially with no news on YOW-LHR resumption anytime soon. I also believe that YOW-YHZ-CDG could work for summer seasonal.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see, how the Covid-19 passenger recovery will unfold the next few months, as well as the restrictions.

As Dominion301 has pointed out before, WS had intentions to start a YOW-LGW 3x weekly with their 737-max before the pandemic. So it's on WestJet's radar... It would definitely be interesting if the folks at YOW could get WS to try this route in 2022. It would almost entirely be O&D through...whereas the YHZ flights have feed from YYZ, YOW, YUL, YYT and perhaps even from YYC and YEG.

YHZ is just in that sweet spot of Canada where smaller planes can reach Europe, and there is a sizeable catchment area in the Maritimes. Routing all those people back to YYZ is expensive.

Dominion301 · #**5604** Posted **Oct 24, 2021, 9:56 PM**

Someone who appears to be an AC insider, published a list of the summer overseas & S. America flight numbers in the airliners.net AC thread: https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1456021&p=23009403#p23009403

According to them, AC still have 888 reserved for YOW-LHR (along with a couple other suspended routes in italics), so hopefully that means it'll come back in 2023.

MountainView · #**5605** Posted **Oct 25, 2021, 12:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominion301

Someone who appears to be an AC insider, published a list of the summer overseas & S. America flight numbers in the airliners.net AC thread: https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1456021&p=23009403#p23009403

According to them, AC still have 888 reserved for YOW-LHR (along with a couple other suspended routes in italics), so hopefully that means it'll come back in 2023.

That's good because I believe I saw in a thread many, many months ago that 888 was put on the second daily YUL-LHR.

I think once government travel picks up, we will see the return of LHR. YUL is just a great use of the slot for AC as they can collect a lot of YOW traffic anyways.

RomanR27 · #**5606** Posted **Oct 25, 2021, 4:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainView

I know airlines have moved away from this model, but I wonder if WestJet would ever consider advertising the YOW-YHZ-LGW(Europe) as a "direct" flight from YOW and keeping the same flight number all the way through. So for example, having WS24 be the flight number on the YOW-YHZ tag as well, and allowing folks to remain on the plane in YHZ. Perhaps just for the summer of 2022 when YOW won't have a "direct" connection to Europe... it could be something WestJet could market locally. It's fairly obvious that the 737 Max 8 that does YOW-YHZ then continues onto one of their European destinations.

WestJet did this a few summers ago I believe when it was being run with a 737NG still. Same flight number from YOW-YHZ then from YHZ-LGW.

Dominion301 · #**5607** Posted **Oct 25, 2021, 1:26 PM**

Sunday’s departure count was around 40. The online FIDS stopped working and are still down.

thewave46 · #**5608** Posted **Oct 25, 2021, 1:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainView

As Dominion301 has pointed out before, WS had intentions to start a YOW-LGW 3x weekly with their 737-max before the pandemic. So it's on WestJet's radar... It would definitely be interesting if the folks at YOW could get WS to try this route in 2022. It would almost entirely be O&D through...whereas the YHZ flights have feed from YYZ, YOW, YUL, YYT and perhaps even from YYC and YEG.

This actually sounds kind of interesting and a flight I might look into.

A 737 MAX 7/8 would be just about perfect for a London O&D trial.

I'm curious if/when Air Canada does restart AC888 if they use a 787-8 or one of their 737 MAXs.

As more MAX aircraft come online for Westjet, I'm curious if they try some other routes from Ottawa. Paris? Glasgow? Dublin? All seem like good potential candidates, especially since Westjet has no incentive to shuffle people to Montreal unlike AC.

RomanR27 · #**5609** Posted **Oct 25, 2021, 2:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by thewave46

I'm curious if/when Air Canada does restart AC888 if they use a 787-8 or one of their 737 MAXs.

I'd imagine they'd use a widebody if they want to lure business pax back. Before Covid, they were going to a use an A330 on it for part of the summer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thewave46

As more MAX aircraft come online for Westjet, I'm curious if they try some other routes from Ottawa. Paris? Glasgow? Dublin? All seem like good potential candidates, especially since Westjet has no incentive to shuffle people to Montreal unlike AC.

Laroche mentioned in an article posted here that prior to Covid they were very close to getting a CDG route. Very well might have been WestJet.

OTSkyline · #**5610** Posted **Oct 26, 2021, 2:39 PM**

Is there still a restriction on international flights to/from YOW? And if so when is that being lifted?

Flew to New-York last month and my parents are flying to Florida but every flight has minimum 1 stop in YYZ -___-

roger1818 · #**5611** Posted **Oct 26, 2021, 2:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Is there still a restriction on international flights to/from YOW? And if so when is that being lifted?

Flew to New-York last month and my parents are flying to Florida but every flight has minimum 1 stop in YYZ -___-

No. It is just that most airlines are choosing not to fly in or out of YOW.

Dominion301 · #**5612** Posted **Oct 26, 2021, 4:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Is there still a restriction on international flights to/from YOW? And if so when is that being lifted?

Flew to New-York last month and my parents are flying to Florida but every flight has minimum 1 stop in YYZ -___-

First flight to Florida, and first YOW transborder flight since June 2020, is next week on 31OCT21 to FLL with F8. Hopefully it's a nice day for a water cannon salute. The following day marks the return of UA with 1x daily to IAD.

Dominion301 · #**5613** Posted **Oct 26, 2021, 4:24 PM**

Today's departure count: 43

roger1818 · #**5614** Posted **Oct 26, 2021, 5:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominion301

First flight to Florida, and first YOW transborder flight since June 2020, is next week on 31OCT21 to FLL with F8. Hopefully it's a nice day for a water cannon salute.

I don't know if it will be a trick or a treat, but given F8's reputation, there is a good chance the flight will be late if not cancelled.

RomanR27 · #**5615** Posted **Oct 26, 2021, 5:16 PM**

Air North coming back this summer. Inbound flight on Saturday, outbound on Sunday.

Quote:

We’ll be connecting Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Ottawa once again next summer with weekly service between 30 April and 4 September 2022! Visit http://flyairnorth.com or contact your travel agent to book.

https://twitter.com/flyairnorth/status/1453045260070780928

Dominion301 · #**5616** Posted **Oct 27, 2021, 4:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RomanR27

Air North coming back this summer. Inbound flight on Saturday, outbound on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/flyairnorth/status/1453045260070780928

Great to hear Air North is back. 1x weekly is a start, but I see they're going to do a longer season than in 2019.

Today's departure count: 41 plus Jetz to DFW. Rather ironic that the first transborder departures in 15 months are hockey charters, but that all changes on Sunday.

Dominion301 · #**5617** Posted **Oct 27, 2021, 10:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by thewave46

This actually sounds kind of interesting and a flight I might look into.

A 737 MAX 7/8 would be just about perfect for a London O&D trial.

I'm curious if/when Air Canada does restart AC888 if they use a 787-8 or one of their 737 MAXs.

As more MAX aircraft come online for Westjet, I'm curious if they try some other routes from Ottawa. Paris? Glasgow? Dublin? All seem like good potential candidates, especially since Westjet has no incentive to shuffle people to Montreal unlike AC.

Unfortunately they could have gone the MAX route already like YHZ. As such, it’s get back to 788 traffic levels or bust with AC. Unlike YHZ, for YOW AC clearly want to see that J traffic.

MountainView · #**5618** Posted **Oct 28, 2021, 1:28 PM**

Flew out if YOW this morning and noticed some agents at the United counter. Perhaps doing some prep. The TVs above also were displaying United. I'll be glad to see them back.

Dominion301 · #**5619** Posted **Oct 28, 2021, 1:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainView

Flew out if YOW this morning and noticed some agents at the United counter. Perhaps doing some prep. The TVs above also were displaying United. I'll be glad to see them back.

Yeah Monday's the day UA returns to YOW. Only 1x daily to start, but at least it's a start. I wonder who UA's contracted at YOW to handle them?

Today's departure count: 43

BenYOW · #**5620** Posted **Oct 29, 2021, 1:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominion301

According to Pivot's website, route details coming on October 27th and tickets available for purchase starting Nov. 1st.

The latest update from their website - YKF-YOW flights will start on February 19, with YKF-YUL to follow on March 21. Ticket sales to open on November 5 at midnight.