7636 replies to this topic

[shoeflack]

Looks like someone was a little angry with the lack of legroom on the Air Canada Rouge flight from Toronto last night. Anyone know someone who was on the flight?

 

https://globalnews.c...ruly-passenger/

[todd]

Geez just pay the extra $50 for the preferred seats

[Redd42]

Looks like someone was a little angry with the lack of legroom on the Air Canada Rouge flight from Toronto last night. Anyone know someone who was on the flight?

 

 

Anyone take this flight in Business Class? Comments?

[vortoozo]

Anyone take this flight in Business Class? Comments?

 

Premium Rouge is equivalent to AC mainline's narrow-body Business Class with the exception of seat back TVs.

Lounge access is included in YYZ, priority check in, same baggage allowance, etc.

It's fine, but if you're headed to Toronto and don't mind the connection, Business ("Signature Class") on one of the widebody aircraft gets you the pod. Sometimes fares are better on the non-stop, though.

Edited by vortoozo, 19 January 2019 - 12:33 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

what has happened to northstar air tours? they had much publicity about their San Juan Island flights but now I see their website is dead,

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2019 - 07:40 AM.

[SimonH]

what has happened to northstar air tours? they had much publicity about their San Juan Island flights but now I see their website is dead,

Henry went to Spain last year to live with (or close by) his sister.

[Redd42]

Did Northstar ever get off the ground?

[Victoria Watcher]

Did Northstar ever get off the ground?

 

it was supposed to start less than 1 year ago.

 

https://www.seattlet...arbor-victoria/

 

Victoria-based NorthStar Air Tours announced that it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation to operate scheduled flights between Victoria International Airport, the San Juan Islands, and Bellingham. Service will begin Feb. 2.

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 January 2019 - 02:14 PM.

[shoeflack]

Tough time to be flying to Victoria, it would appear. Another day, another incident.

 

https://www.cheknews...airport-526519/

[Victoria Watcher]

departed the taxiway. rolling towards a takeoff runway. maybe the snow just made the taxiway edges hard to see.

[shoeflack]

Swoop added London (ON) and Kelowna to their network today. Kelowna was just a shift of existing seasonal Winnipeg service off of WestJet, but London was some outright new routes, including to Abbotsford.

 

Curious to see if Victoria will be in the next wave. I could see WestJet shifting some Edmonton flights to Swoop as they build up their fleet. That being said, they're already offering Swoop-like prices on that route to compete with Flair when they are operating.

[Mike K.]

Once again, Victoria is MIA. I can't wrap my head around this any longer.

[vortoozo]

But why would you want Swoop here? As indicated, they would likely convert mainline flying over to Swoop on the YEG route. With fewer benefits, no frequent flyer program, no connectivity, no Business Class, etc. And they are already pricing competitive to Flair. Seems like a loss overall.

Edited by vortoozo, 22 January 2019 - 12:24 PM.

[Mike K.]

It would be nice to have choice, but I do agree that we'd likely lose mainline service in favour of Swoop service.

[vortoozo]

At least with Air Canada, rouge is integrated into mainline from a connections, frequent flyer, etc. point of view. And rouge has allowed new markets (YUL) or larger aircraft (763) that otherwise wouldn't be possible due to the cost/revenue structure of AC mainline.

But that's not how Westjet is operating Swoop.

Unless it's to start an entirely new route that WestJet doesn't currently serve, Swoop should stay far far away from Victoria.

And the likelihood of brand new routes is pretty limited, given that Swoop is WS's vehicle to compete against Flair.

[Mike K.]

Isn't Swoop more-so a deterrent to Jetlines? I promise you that should Jetline falter Swoop will disappear.

[RFS]

Isn't Swoop more-so a deterrent to Jetlines? I promise you that should Jetline falter Swoop will disappear.

Flair

Edited by RFS, 22 January 2019 - 12:44 PM.

[shoeflack]

Isn't Swoop more-so a deterrent to Jetlines? I promise you that should Jetline falter Swoop will disappear.

 

I don't know about that. Deterrent to Flair maybe. Look, there's only so many people who want to fly to Edmonton. Air Canada, WestJet, Flair, Swoop, and Jetlines can't all operate that route with success.

 

At this point Jetlines is still a marketing plan, and that alone. Will be interesting to see if they even get off the ground...and if so, how long they last.

[Mike K.]

Swoop's launch was to coincide with the launch of Jetlines, which ended up delaying its launch by a year leaving Swoop in the midst of a union debacle that it didn't want to engage in in the first place if it didn't have to.

 

Flair is irrelevant to the big picture. Jetlines is approaching the market even more ambitiously than Westjet did back in the early 90's and that's got the old guard a little concerned, hence the sudden appearance of Swoop.

[Missed Approach]

From Flair Air today:

 

 "YOU spoke, WE listened. We're bringing back routes to Halifax and Victoria! Fly Toronto to Halifax one way for $119 between April 21-June 15, 2019 or Edmonton to Victoria for $119 between June 16-July 20, 2019 (taxes and fees inc.) Limited seats available for a limited time!"

 

Victoria dates are operating 5 days per week down from 7 last year, shorter seasonal service as well.

 

I emailed Flair once asking why there was no year round service ( only 2 daily by WS on the week days and 1 on the weekends )

Their response was, YYJ is super popular in the summer months and doesn't have the passenger numbers in the off season.