Canadian Airport Thread

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by casper

I don't know how typical it was. Last month I was on the AC 787 service from YVR to YOW. There was an hour delay after closing the door. Something about another aircraft having a broken tow bar that was blocking us from pushing back.

Anyway enroute to YOW the crew announced there were 45 people on the flight connecting onto the YOW-YQB flight, not to worry they would sort things out. The YOW-YQB flight turned out to also be late.

There is traffic on that route. I was surprised Ottawa had significant connecting traffic with Air Canada. But it did.

YOW's overall connecting traffic pre-pandemic was about 6% and 90% of that was AC/UA. Now that AC's about half the size they once were at YOW, they number of connectors over YOW is a lot less. YOW only had 3% connecting traffic in 2022.

PD will start to pump up YOW's connecting numbers again and eventually they'll reach their highest ever in a couple of years.

[kattiff]

Porter just announced Winnipeg to Toronto 2 times a day starting in early September

And I just read they should be announcing Victoria to Toronto right away too

[nname]

Originally Posted by kattiff

Porter just announced Winnipeg to Toronto 2 times a day starting in early September

And I just read they should be announcing Victoria to Toronto right away too

Yes they already uploaded the images for the route map.

https://www.flyporter.com/Content/responsive/images/DestinationDetails/Recommended/YYJ/tiny.jpg

https://www.flyporter.com/Content/responsive/images/DestinationDetails/Recommended/YLW/tiny.jpg

Image for the "City Info" page is uploaded for YYJ, but not YLW yet.

Interesting they are launching more domestic routes after the peak season. Maybe that's due to YYZ's restriction for the summer peak? Are they still planning to add sun destinations? Or maybe Winterpeg is their "sun" destination?

Assume YYJ and YLW are one daily each from YYZ and not red-eye flights, the current schedule will require 15 planes.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by nname

Yes they already uploaded the images for the route map.

https://www.flyporter.com/Content/responsive/images/DestinationDetails/Recommended/YYJ/tiny.jpg

https://www.flyporter.com/Content/responsive/images/DestinationDetails/Recommended/YLW/tiny.jpg

Image for the "City Info" page is uploaded for YYJ, but not YLW yet.

Interesting they are launching more domestic routes after the peak season. Maybe that's due to YYZ's restriction for the summer peak? Are they still planning to add sun destinations? Or maybe Winterpeg is their "sun" destination?

Assume YYJ and YLW are one daily each from YYZ and not red-eye flights, the current schedule will require 15 planes.

YYT daily will happen too around the same time.

It makes no sense to start any sun routes before November, which would probably be an August announcement. I would imagine both YYZ and YOW will see some Florida flying this winter.

[nname]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

YYT daily will happen too around the same time.

It makes no sense to start any sun routes before November, which would probably be an August announcement. I would imagine both YYZ and YOW will see some Florida flying this winter.

Just announced today, 1x daily flight morning inbound, evening outbound and RON at YYT.

Seems like they have a habit of announce one new route every Tuesday and Thursday.. to the point that no one bother with them anymore

And looks like PD will have at least 1 RON plane for each of the destination (except for YWG). I suppose they will have a plane stay overnight at YLW and YYJ as well, so not sure about the cost of this...

[hollywoodcory]

YYC May 2023 Stats:

Domestic: 1,107,816 +14.1% YTD: 4,574,520 +37.03% [2019: 1,055,976]
Transborder: 275,920 +33.7% YTD: 1,268,090 +58.66% [2019: 270,455]
International: 168,927 +52.9% YTD: 904,447 +79.36% [2019: 133,642]

May Total: 1,552,663 +21.6% [2019: 1,460,073]
2023 YTD: 6,747,057 +45.35%

For the first time, YYC has surpassed its 2019 totals in ALL 3 sectors including the monthly total, with non-US international still seeing the largest increase.

[Alexcaban]

Does 24R/06L fully open tomorrow at YUL?

I can't see full summer schedule running single runway passed this weekend.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by kattiff

Porter just announced Winnipeg to Toronto 2 times a day starting in early September

And I just read they should be announcing Victoria to Toronto right away too

You gotta wonder who's going to want to fly planes for Porter or Flair in light of this and the WS settlement:

Air Canada pilots to seek big wage gains in contract talks
ERIC ATKINS TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO
FOR SUBSCRIBERS

Contract talks kicked off this week between Air Canada and the union representing its 4,500 pilots, bargaining the union hopes will bring big wage gains to keep pace with the significant raises won by counterparts at WestJet Airlines and U.S. carriers.

Charlene Hudy, head of the Air Line Pilots Association at the airline, said she is aiming for higher pay and better working conditions amid a scarcity of pilots.

Pilots at Canada’s largest airline are in the ninth of a 10-year deal that provides annual raises of about 2 per cent. Air Canada Pilots Association members voted to fold their union into ALPA, which represents 73,000 North American pilots, and triggered a clause to enter contact talks one year early.

“Air Canada pilots have been working with an outdated contract,” Ms. Hudy said. “Now it is time for a collective agreement that closes the gap between other ALPA-represented pilot groups and our pilot group.”

WestJet’s 1,800 pilots, represented by ALPA, recently ratified a four-year deal that raises wages by 24 per cent over the life of the contract. Pilots at Delta Air Lines in March approved a four-year contract with 34-per-cent wage hikes. Pilots at United Airlines have been offered an even richer deal, Reuters reported, as the busy summer travel season gets under way.

Pilots at U.S. discount carrier Spirit Airlines approved a contract that raises pay by 27 per cent over the next two years. JetBlue Airways pilots in January voted for a contract with 21.5-per-cent wage hikes over 18 months. FedEx pilots in July will vote on a contact that provides 30-per-cent raises....

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-air-canada-pilots-wage-increase-union/

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Alexcaban

Does 24R/06L fully open tomorrow at YUL?

I can't see full summer schedule running single runway passed this weekend.

It opened today…..finally! It will close once more in September for a few weeks. They weren’t able to finish all the work that was required.

Last Monday, immediately following the F1, we did over 700 movements on a single runway.

[nname]

Originally Posted by whatnext

You gotta wonder who's going to want to fly planes for Porter or Flair in light of this and the WS settlement:

Seniority. If you want to get to senior position quickly, it's better to join a new company undergoing massive expansion and will have many new hires joining after you. If you join an already well-established company, then you're stuck behind everyone else to slowly climb up the ladder.

This is the same for every company, not just airlines.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by nname

Seniority. If you want to get to senior position quickly, it's better to join a new company undergoing massive expansion and will have many new hires joining after you. If you join an already well-established company, then you're stuck behind everyone else to slowly climb up the ladder.

This is the same for every company, not just airlines.

But flying E-jets is a far as you'll go at PD and 737s at F8.

[nname]

Originally Posted by whatnext

But flying E-jets is a far as you'll go at PD and 737s at F8.

Maybe faster to promote to captain (which is much higher pay the FO), be the first to bid on new schedule, fly the route you wanted, get the days off exactly when you wanted, etc...

If you're new to a company, you get whatever that's leftover.

[craner]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

YYC May 2023 Stats:

Domestic: 1,107,816 +14.1% YTD: 4,574,520 +37.03% [2019: 1,055,976]
Transborder: 275,920 +33.7% YTD: 1,268,090 +58.66% [2019: 270,455]
International: 168,927 +52.9% YTD: 904,447 +79.36% [2019: 133,642]

May Total: 1,552,663 +21.6% [2019: 1,460,073]
2023 YTD: 6,747,057 +45.35%

For the first time, YYC has surpassed its 2019 totals in ALL 3 sectors including the monthly total, with non-US international still seeing the largest increase.

👍🏼 Great news all round for YYC. Does this full recovery seem a little ahead of schedule ?
Looking like 16M+ for calendar year 2023.

[zahav]

I am so happy that YVR-YHZ on AC has been a success, I have so many friends in NS and have gone every year since 2014 for a visit. Yes WS started the limited flights a few years ago (I never used it, timing didn't work and I prefer AC for my points), but it was less than daily, and still less than what you would expect between two major cities domestically (it would be like if Boston and San Fran didn't have any flights between them, it's ludicrous). So AC introducing service was a huge gain, then they went daily, then double daily, and now up gauged to a 787-9 for one of the flights! Love seeing that kind of route strength, it makes me a lot more confident in the route and it is clearly a sign of the route's popularity, a 787-9 is an in demand aircraft, so it quite the endorsement from Air Canada to deploy it here.

In fact, looking at week of Aug. 14th (it's mid-August, and one of the busiest flying periods so I often use this week to compare flights between airports), the YVR flight is the only widebody that AC operates; the YUL and YYZ flights are all a mix of narrow bodies and even some Jazz. To go from no service to this kind of capacity is very positive, and just shows how crazy it was that major Canadian cities weren't linked properly before.

YQB is a similar story, albeit on a smaller scale. Two very major cities not linked was a huge gap, so year-round on mainline is a major win for both airports. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Air Canada is really putting focus on YVR and YUL it seems, I am truly surprised how many new or expanded routes AC is giving to these airports. And it is really at the expense of YYZ, it seems... YYZ controlled so much of the east west traffic, hence the lack of YQB and YHZ for so long, for example. YYZ got all the good routes for a long time (they are the global hub, so no shade, just a fact). But post-Covid they seem to be gearing down at YYZ and starting more internarional routes to YUL instead. I have been following flight schedules for decades now, and to have YVR-YHZ on a 787-9 yet not operate YYZ-HKG at all, for example, is wild. Yes I know the Russian airspace etc, but still, YYZ-HKG was always such an important route for AC, once they had the right aircraft. The fact that it's not even being flown is shocking, even with all circumstances considered.

I know I asked before, but I didn't think YYZ was THAT space constrained, I thought the new terminal provided enough capacity for some time? And other than some of the incidents last year (the delays, and cancellations, and lack of staff etc.) Pearson isn't some pariah that airlines are forced to avoid. AC didn't have to shift so much capacity to YUL because of an airport limitation, they chose to do it. Is it just the YUL was so underserved for so long that this is a correction in the traffic of the two airports? Or is it a conscious decision to shift to YUL because the demand just isn't there at YYZ for more capacity? I am not being rhetorical, I honestly don't know the reason, but it's clear to anyone who follows airports/airlines that this is what's happening.

Even more odd since WS pulled out big time from YYZ, you'd think AC would be in expansion mode to pull that share bacK??

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by zahav

I am so happy that YVR-YHZ on AC has been a success, I have so many friends in NS and have gone every year since 2014 for a visit. Yes WS started the limited flights a few years ago (I never used it, timing didn't work and I prefer AC for my points), but it was less than daily, and still less than what you would expect between two major cities domestically (it would be like if Boston and San Fran didn't have any flights between them, it's ludicrous).

Are you really comparing Halifax (or even Vancouver) to Boston or San Fran? Both those US cities have metro areas larger than 4 million people. Halifax is tiny by comparison, and Vancouver is just over half the size. Not to mention demand between Boston and San Fran significantly outweighs Canadian demand between Vancouver and anything east of Toronto (and that includes Montreal, an actual metro city of 4 million+).

Originally Posted by zahav

In fact, looking at week of Aug. 14th (it's mid-August, and one of the busiest flying periods so I often use this week to compare flights between airports), the YVR flight is the only widebody that AC operates; the YUL and YYZ flights are all a mix of narrow bodies and even some Jazz. To go from no service to this kind of capacity is very positive, and just shows how crazy it was that major Canadian cities weren't linked properly before.

YHZ-YYZ routinely saw widebody service pre-COVID. The 767s regularly plowed that route. YUL-YHZ less so, but has seen widebody service in the past. In fact, this coming summer from July 24 to August 11, YUL-YHZ will see an A333 3x weekly as well. So it's not specific to YVR. Nova Scotia has a huge fishing industry and is an exporter of seafood. The added cargo capacity of widebodies definitely factors into AC's decision to send widebodies there.

Originally Posted by zahav

YQB is a similar story, albeit on a smaller scale. Two very major cities not linked was a huge gap

Again, there is nothing "major" about Quebec City. You need to stop comparing Canadian secondary cities such as YQB or YHZ to major metro areas such as YYZ or BOS or SFO.

There is a reason why YVR-YQB/YHZ wasn’t served in the past. Part of that reason is that there might not have been enough demand 10 or 20 years ago, but another part is that now there are aircraft like the Max or the CSeries, which are significantly more fuel efficient than older generation aircraft, which enables AC to open up routes that it couldn't in the past. (YVR-YHZ and YUL-YLW are perfect examples of that.)

Originally Posted by zahav

so year-round on mainline is a major win for both airports. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Air Canada is really putting focus on YVR and YUL it seems, I am truly surprised how many new or expanded routes AC is giving to these airports. And it is really at the expense of YYZ, it seems... YYZ controlled so much of the east west traffic, hence the lack of YQB and YHZ for so long, for example. YYZ got all the good routes for a long time (they are the global hub, so no shade, just a fact). But post-Covid they seem to be gearing down at YYZ and starting more internarional routes to YUL instead. I have been following flight schedules for decades now, and to have YVR-YHZ on a 787-9 yet not operate YYZ-HKG at all, for example, is wild. Yes I know the Russian airspace etc, but still, YYZ-HKG was always such an important route for AC, once they had the right aircraft. The fact that it's not even being flown is shocking, even with all circumstances considered.

Those circumstances are outside of AC's control. All that AC can do is adapt. Hence why YVR-BKK/SIN, or YUL-DEL, etc.

Originally Posted by zahav

I know I asked before, but I didn't think YYZ was THAT space constrained,

Well, it is.

Originally Posted by zahav

I thought the new terminal provided enough capacity for some time?

It did, as T1 was inaugurated almost 20 years ago now, in 2004. Traffic numbers have almost doubled since then, so it's only normal YYZ has hit the ceiling and needs to build new gates to add more capacity.

The aviation industry is constantly changing. You seem to be surprised by that. You shouldn't be. AC is doing what it must to maximize its profits and keep its fleet of almost 200 aircraft flying and earning money. It's doing that by leveraging its 3 main hubs of YYZ, YVR and YUL, and unlocking new routes that in past were not feasible.

[craner]

I think zahav’s point was that two important cities in the country did not have a daily airline connection. Not comparing Halifax & Vancouver to Boston & SF directly. It was a relative comparison based on Canada. Obviously the US has 10 times the volume of Canada.

It’s similar to my rant that the three largest metros in western Canada are not connected by freeways. That would not be the case in the US. Hell in the US Calgary would be connected to Saskatoon via an Interstate.

[hollywoodcory]

Lynx is adding additional US routes later this summer:

YUL-LAS 4x weekly from Aug 31
YYZ-LAX 5x weekly from Aug 24
YYZ-PHX 3x weekly from Oct 13

YYC-PHX is also back on the schedule too. It was briefly removed.

[Dominion301]

On this date 45 years ago in 1978, AC189 a D9S operating YOW-YYZ-YWG-YVR aborted takeoff at YYZ, fell down the Etobicoke creek ravine (the same ravine AF358 plunged into in 2005), breaking in half with 2 deaths amongst the 102 pax and 5 crew: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Canada_Flight_189

The lack of a post-crash fire likely prevented many more deaths.

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by hollywoodcory

Lynx is adding additional US routes later this summer:

YUL-LAS 4x weekly from Aug 31
YYZ-LAX 5x weekly from Aug 24
YYZ-PHX 3x weekly from Oct 13

YYC-PHX is also back on the schedule too. It was briefly removed.

There transborder loads weren’t terrible last winter, but they weren’t good. Not sure what they are thinking launching these routes at the beginning of the fall when demand dips.

More so shocked how they have nothing loaded for YHM past October.

[Dominion301]

Later today marks Air France’s inaugural flight out of YOW. Good thing it wasn’t yesterday with the chaos of hours of thunderstorms. However thunderstorms are possible this afternoon.