Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW) 1.0 - Page 232

movebyleap · #**4621** Posted **Sep 10, 2020, 2:16 AM**

Interesting. I flew out to Vancouver in mid August and the plane was packed. Got back early September and the plane was actually overbooked. People were being asked to volunteer to take a later flight. The airports, both in Vancouver and here in town, were completely full. It almost felt normal. I suppose it was still the summer holiday crowd.

Dominion301 · #**4622** Posted **Sep 10, 2020, 10:59 PM**

Today’s departure count: 16

MountainView · #**4623** Posted **Sep 11, 2020, 1:37 PM**

I noticed that AC is only flying YHZ 5-week and YYC 6-weekly for September.

ars · #**4624** Posted **Sep 11, 2020, 2:49 PM**

I had to fly out to Boston recently(through YYZ and YUL). YOW, YUL and BOS were all ghost towns.

On the flip side, YYZ was so busy that you would think there isn't even a pandemic going on right now.

HighwayStar · #**4625** Posted **Sep 11, 2020, 5:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ars

I had to fly out to Boston recently(through YYZ and YUL). YOW, YUL and BOS were all ghost towns.

On the flip side, YYZ was so busy that you would think there isn't even a pandemic going on right now.

Just curious as to what happened when you returned to Canada... did they say, "stay at home alone for the next 14 days upon penalty of arrest", or something like that?

Dominion301 · #**4626** Posted **Sep 12, 2020, 5:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ars

I had to fly out to Boston recently(through YYZ and YUL). YOW, YUL and BOS were all ghost towns.

On the flip side, YYZ was so busy that you would think there isn't even a pandemic going on right now.

It’s because AC is banking most into a couple of banks per day. It’s still a fraction of what it would have been this time last year. Now that a lot of people are thinking of the state of the planet more and tones of biz travel has almost certainly moved onto MS Teams, Zoom, etc. permanently, YOW will be lucky to get LHR back, let alone FRA...or maybe they become narrowbody routes in future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by movebyleap

Interesting. I flew out to Vancouver in mid August and the plane was packed. Got back early September and the plane was actually overbooked. People were being asked to volunteer to take a later flight. The airports, both in Vancouver and here in town, were completely full. It almost felt normal. I suppose it was still the summer holiday crowd.

That might explain why AC add a 2nd YVR flight. But YOW packed? 2-3 gates packed sure, but the airport’s peak departure day in August saw 19.

Today’s departure count: 13

Dominion301 · #**4627** Posted **Sep 13, 2020, 4:12 PM**

Today’s departure count: 18 - this is the highest possible total for a day this month. The 1700 YUL departure today is upgauged to a CR9.

casper · #**4628** Posted **Sep 13, 2020, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by movebyleap

Interesting. I flew out to Vancouver in mid August and the plane was packed. Got back early September and the plane was actually overbooked. People were being asked to volunteer to take a later flight. The airports, both in Vancouver and here in town, were completely full. It almost felt normal. I suppose it was still the summer holiday crowd.

Would depend on the specific timing. But Vancouver shutdown concourse A and B (where WestJet, Flair and Air North normally operate from), and moved those flights all over to concourse C (where Air Canada normally operates out of). They shutdown the domestic and US check-in halls and consolidated into international checkin. They are just now starting to open back up.

MountainView · #**4629** Posted **Sep 13, 2020, 11:00 PM**

Westjet is increasing YOW-YYC back to 6x weekly from Oct 5 through Nov 4.

It has been 4x weekly since Labour Day

YYZ 4x daily
YHZ 2x weekly
For the same time period (Oct 5 to Nov 4)

Dominion301 · #**4630** Posted **Sep 14, 2020, 8:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainView

Westjet is increasing YOW-YYC back to 6x weekly from Oct 5 through Nov 4.

It has been 4x weekly since Labour Day

YYZ 4x daily
YHZ 2x weekly
For the same time period (Oct 5 to Nov 4)

Any mainline to YYZ?

Today's departure count: 16

MountainView · #**4631** Posted **Sep 14, 2020, 10:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominion301

Any mainline to YYZ?

Today's departure count: 16

Looks to be all on the Q400 unfortunately

BenYOW · #**4632** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 1:06 PM**

At a Region of Waterloo Special Council meeting this morning, it was announced that an exclusive operating agreement has been signed with Pivot Airlines between the Region of Waterloo International Airport and Ottawa. Pivot Airlines started in 2020 after purchasing some of the assets of the now defunct Air Georgian.

Press Release

kwoldtimer · #**4633** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 2:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenYOW

At a Region of Waterloo Special Council meeting this morning, it was announced that an exclusive operating agreement has been signed with Pivot Airlines between the Region of Waterloo International Airport and Ottawa. Pivot Airlines started in 2020 after purchasing some of the assets of the now defunct Air Georgian.

Press Release

I'd have doubts about the viability of service to Toronto (a 20 minute hopper?) or Windsor, but a return of flights between YKF and YOW would be very welcome. I'm trying to remember whether Bearskin tried YKF-YUL back in the day?

MountainView · #**4634** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 4:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'd have doubts about the viability of service to Toronto (a 20 minute hopper?) or Windsor, but a return of flights between YKF and YOW would be very welcome. I'm trying to remember whether Bearskin tried YKF-YUL back in the day?

They did fly to YUL back in 2011 I believe it was. I can't remember how long it lasted for but they flew 2-3x daily direct to YUL and had 2x daily YUL-YOW-YFK.

What I can't remember was if the YUL-YOW portion was sold separately. (I don't think it was)

Dominion301 · #**4635** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 5:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'd have doubts about the viability of service to Toronto (a 20 minute hopper?) or Windsor, but a return of flights between YKF and YOW would be very welcome. I'm trying to remember whether Bearskin tried YKF-YUL back in the day?

I wonder if Toronto = YTZ? YKF has actually been linked for a couple of years to Toronto/YTZ via FlyGTA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainView

They did fly to YUL back in 2011 I believe it was. I can't remember how long it lasted for but they flew 2-3x daily direct to YUL and had 2x daily YUL-YOW-YFK.

What I can't remember was if the YUL-YOW portion was sold separately. (I don't think it was)

Yeah YOW-YKF on JV peaked at 5x on weekdays with a couple of them for a few months operating YOW-YUL too. During that time, you could purcase a YOW-YUL ticket. I remember they priced a one-way at $99 and for that time, AC lowered the fare to match, instead of the usual ridiculous +$300.

Prior to that long since defunct Alberta-based Quik Air flew YOW-YKF 2x (1x on Sundays) for about 18 months on a J31. Quik Air's specialty was the YXD-YYC shuttle when the Edmonton Muni was still open.

The first offering was not long before that with Trillium Air also on a J31...which was a division of Pem Air - the small airline that existed for 30 years flying Pembroke-YYZ.

I wish this venture success. So they'll use YKF as a mini-hub to link YOW, YUL and YQG. They'd be wise to look at YZR too that AC recently abandoned and currently has zero airline service.

Eventually having 2 new regional airlines at YOW would be awesome.

Dominion301 · #**4636** Posted **Sep 15, 2020, 5:35 PM**

Today's departure count: 13

Dominion301 · #**4637** Posted **Sep 16, 2020, 12:40 AM**

August pax stats:

Sector / Aug-19 / Aug-20 / % Change
Dom: 390,138 / 57,210 / -85.3%
TB: 50,812 / 0 / -100.0%
Int'l: 25,949 / 0 / -100.0%
TTL: 466,899 / 57,210 / -87.7%

Sector / YTD 2019 / YTD 2020 / % Change
Dom: 2,679,673 / 873,012 / -67.4%
TB: 484,410 / 163,093 / -66.3%
Int'l: 313,910 / 168,382 / -46.4%
TTL: 3,477,993 / 1,204,487 / -65.4%

12 Months Rolling / % Change vs Year End 2019
Dom: 2,186,892 / -45.4%
TB: 364,980 / -49.4%
Int'l: 281,109 / -27.5%
TTL: 2,832,981 / -44.57%

The more meaningful indicator these days:

Month-Over-Month Change
Sector / Jul-20 / Aug-20 / % Change
Dom: 42,675 / 57,210 / +34.1%
TB: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
Int'l: 0 / 0 / #DIV/0!
TTL: 42,675 / 57,210 / 34.1%

PHrenetic · #**4638** Posted **Sep 18, 2020, 6:52 PM**

Good Day. FYI, for all, from CBC :

Quote:

Canadian airlines cancelling flights again as hoped-for bounceback in demand fizzles
Air Canada and WestJet have cancelled 439 flights this month alone
The Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 18, 2020 12:02 PM ET

Canadian airlines are cancelling hundreds of flights as hopes for a spike in demand fall flat, snarling plans for the few passengers who remain.

Figures from flight data firm Cirium show Air Canada and WestJet have cancelled at least 439 flights so far this month.

John Gradek, who heads McGill University's Global Aviation Leadership program, says the inordinately high number comes after airlines banked on a return of business travel and a continued uptick in leisure trips following months of profit loss.

Now, carriers are cancelling the half-booked flights and consolidating passengers on remaining ones to cut costs.

Twenty-six-year-old Rachel Farrell had booked a Transat flight out of Halifax for mid-February as part of her destination wedding in the Dominican Republic, but was informed this week the airline had cancelled the trip and could not make the journey possible until six days later.

Farrell's wedding group of two dozen paid $37,000 for the package, but she says Transat is offering flight credit but no refund as the tour company struggles to bounce back from a 99 per cent year-over-year drop in revenue last quarter.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/flights-covid-1.5729643

Dominion301 · #**4639** Posted **Sep 18, 2020, 7:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHrenetic

Good Day. FYI, for all, from CBC :

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/flights-covid-1.5729643

If have to be utterly insane to want to get married in a foreign country in this environment.

Today's departure count: 14

HighwayStar · #**4640** Posted **Sep 18, 2020, 9:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominion301

If have to be utterly insane to want to get married in a foreign country in this environment.

The article says the trip was originally planned for this past April (I'm assuming this was planned well before Covid)... then Transat rescheduled it for next February, which was probably pseudo-reasonable at the time.

It looks like Transat will not issue a refund.. but will honor the tickets at a future date... which is a whole other issue.