Hamilton International Airport

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

Has anyone heard that WestJet has cancelled YHM to Halifax?

I recieved an email showing my summer flights have been cancelled and when I went on line they have no flight to Halifax or St. John's from Hamilton after July 1st.

Ironically, on July 1st, they added a singlular YHM-YYC flight using our swoop aircraft. Curious.

[JakeLRS]

Honestly, F### you too westjet.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/westjet-sc...104202041.html

“The cancellation is part of WestJet's broader plan to discontinue operations in Hamilton.”

"The decision to remove service is never taken lightly and we understand this is disappointing news for our guests and the community of Hamilton and sincerely apologize for the impact this may have," spokesperson Madison Kruger told CBC News in an email.”

[NortheastWind]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

Honestly, F### you too westjet.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/westjet-sc...104202041.html

“The cancellation is part of WestJet's broader plan to discontinue operations in Hamilton.”

They must have edited the article. It now reads:
"The cancellation is part of WestJet's broader plan to discontinue connections from Hamilton to airports in Atlantic Canada and to reduce service to Florida."

[drpgq]

This is so disappointing. My elderly aunt is flying in soon from Halifax, but fortunately she's leaving before July 1st.

[urban_planner]

This is all a game with Air Canada and the GTAA. I wouldn't be surprised if the GTAA is partially funding the Air Canada Bus. If I was Westet and Air Transat I would have left too.

The airport agreement with the city and Vantage better not be renewed.

[king10]

At what point do we start asking question of Vantage group as the operator? They can’t make anything stick.

[King&James]

Hopefully, Play doesn't pull the plug. Agree with others, what is Vantage doing for the airport on the passenger side. Or get the Feds to allow non Canadian players do domestic routes only between secondary airports with links to their US networks. Then we might see some real competition return.

[Innsertnamehere]

Originally Posted by king10

At what point do we start asking question of Vantage group as the operator? They can’t make anything stick.

I mean look at the airport facilities. It's no wonder airlines prefer to operate out of Waterloo - Hamilton's airport feels like a rotting barn in a 3rd world country comparatively.

There is no reason that Hamilton shouldn't be able to sustainably maintain a stock of domestic and US flights given the market area it serves, like every other secondary market airport in Ontario. The fact that we can't seem to maintain even basic service levels should be telling.

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

YHM_Summer2023 by freerealms454, on Flickr

Can't even maintain peak summer service to Halifax

Just look at the contrast between 2023 and 2024. Absolutely dreadful. I never thought Id see the day where YKF is substantially busier and they have more Westjet YYC frequency. Even London (YXU) has more YYC frequency with Westjet.

Clearly something at the airport isnt working, and I'm sure the $30 AIF is apart of that.

I don't recall a summer where we've had only 2 departures a day. I think we'd have to go back to pre-westjet era for frequency this low! Prior to swoop, WS operated YEG, YHZ, YQM daily in summer consistently. Alongside the other additions, ie. YVR in 2015 a few times weekly.

YHM_Summer24_Revised by freerealms454, on Flickr

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

Ironically, on July 1st, they added a singlular YHM-YYC flight using our swoop aircraft. Curious.

To relocate that aircraft back to YYC, perhaps to get it ready for reconfiguration and painting?

[LikeHamilton]

It looks like the 2nd flight on Wednesday has disappeared out of the system also. It is just showing 1 flight a day to YYC for the summer.

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

It looks like the 2nd flight on Wednesday has disappeared out of the system also. It is just showing 1 flight a day to YYC for the summer.

Starts Wed July 17th for the summer. A second daily on July 1st to reposition the swoopcraft to YYC and a random 2nd daily on July 6.

I find it funny how WS was able to do 12x weekly YYC last summer with all the swoop western flights, but when they are all alone they can only justify 8x weekly.

YKF has 10x weekly YYC flights with WS (on top of 7x weekly with Flair)
YXU has 14x weekly YYC flights with WS (on top of 3x weekly with Flair)

Either the YHM economy is really poor or WS doesnt care for YHM. I'd pick the later.

[brandensimon560]

We need to bring Porter Airlines to Hamilton with Embraer E195-e2 aircraft with more aircraft on the way to serve poplar destinations like Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver and add services to Florida. Porter Already has a base in Toronto-Pearson and Toronto Billy Bishop. Flair and Westjet doesn’t care YHM.

People want to bring Porter to Hamilton

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by brandensimon560

We need to bring Porter Airlines to Hamilton with Embraer E195-e2 aircraft with more aircraft on the way to serve poplar destinations like Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver and add services to Florida. Porter Already has a base in Toronto-Pearson and Toronto Billy Bishop. Flair and Westjet doesn’t care YHM.

People want to bring Porter to Hamilton

LOL, substitute "Hamilton" in your post for every other airport in the country not already served by Porter. I'd be happy if they brought Dash 8's to London and served the island, Ottawa and Montreal. I don't see them kneecapping their YYZ jet service by using the jets in the 3 airports to the immediate west of YYZ though.

[JakeLRS]

If Porter was to ever to come to YHM, it would be to feed either their Ottawa or new Montreal airport hub and I’d imagine it would be on DASH aircraft.

Don’t see it happening for a while tho…

[drpgq]

I was always a little surprised during the Swoop days they never offered Montreal.

[King&James]

Maybe Air Canada will be tempted to take the ground that Westjet has ceded. We can be their Rouge Hub!

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by King&James

Maybe Air Canada will be tempted to take the ground that Westjet has ceded. We can be their Rouge Hub!

You're dreaming way to big. Maybe once this AC Bus thing flops.

Rouge was suppose to fly daily YYC runs but it got axed when one of their aircraft overran a runway. They were planning on offering this on top of westjets double daily YYC run.

There is such an open market here, but it comes down to our close proximity to YYZ.

I wouldn't necessarily rule out flair, but they don't want to eat in to their Waterloo + Toronto ops. Maybe next summer (if they are still around) they might offer what they are currently doing at YXU (flights to YYC+YVR) but I think its a bit of a long shot. I doubt we'll see anything this winter as they pretty much have their winter routes all set up. They also arent getting any new aircraft so they are tied up.

We wont see an AC YUL route until we are out of a recession. If I recall, AC pulled it because of the lack of business travellers. It was great for european and east-coast connections. I doubt we'll see YYC since they don't have a hub there anymore. At a long shot, maybe YVR? but I'm very doubtful.

I keep saying porter because just maybe they'll give us YOW or YUL to feed their hubs. I have hope, just a little.

I'm curious what direction Sunwing will take this winter from YHM, especially since WS wont be overtaking their flying until the spring. With the absence of Transat, Swoop, and WS only doing 2 florida routes, maybe Sunwing would consider basing an aircraft here 7 days a week and bumping some frequencies?

As of right now, sunwing is offering Punta Cana (Fridays), Cayo-Coco (Saturdays), Cancun (Saturdays & Sundays), Varadero (Sundays). Sunwing didnt offer Cancun last winter, seems like these are WS pick ups all while dropping Huligun and decreasing Punta Cana to 1x weekly compared to last winter. Historically finalized in July I believe.

Another dark period for pax ops from YHM. Just need a 20th start up to get us off the ground again.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

I mean look at the airport facilities. It's no wonder airlines prefer to operate out of Waterloo - Hamilton's airport feels like a rotting barn in a 3rd world country comparatively.

There is no reason that Hamilton shouldn't be able to sustainably maintain a stock of domestic and US flights given the market area it serves, like every other secondary market airport in Ontario. The fact that we can't seem to maintain even basic service levels should be telling.

I can't speak to the quality of facilities and the functionality, but from the outside, London's terminal looks like a real airport terminal. Waterloo's airport terminal looks like a real airport terminal. Hamilton's terminal looks like a temporary building.

Edit: Even Hamilton, New Zealand has a much nicer terminal building: https://apgarchitects.com/portfolio/hamilton-airport

Too many things related to Hamilton overall are rinky-dink, which is why I am very grateful for the big-time arena renovation and what it might help bring about. Hopefully this city somehow gets a head of steam and gets more people with money to live in it.

[Djeffery]

London is definitely the nicest of the 3, and especially in crappy weather with jet bridges. Hamilton barely feels like it measures up to the old London terminal. London definitely spent when the times were good, it kills me that with all the good things Hamilton had going for it that they never put any serious money into their terminal.

London is still my closest airport but now living in Woodstock, I wish all 3 would gain major services. We're just leisure travellers but I hate that for an upcoming vacation, Buffalo once again wins out. (First class on American for little more than half of Economy with luggage and seat selection on AC from YYZ).