March 2010 Passenger Statistics

YYC traffic levels continue to rebound over 2009 with March coming in 4.1% higher in 2010 and the first quarter at 2.2% above Q1/09. March 2010 saw a a total of 1,067,539 passengers which is just under 33,000 less then the record for March in 2008. Overall for the first quarter, Calgary International saw 2,970,651 passengers.

Broken down, domestic travel in March saw a 1.2% increase over 2009, transborder grew by 7.3% and internationally the growth was in the double digits for the second month in row with a 15.9% increase. By the way, the 2010 international numbers are eclipsing 2008's record numbers for all three months in the first quarter.

March 2010
Domestic: 707,091
Transborder: 231,663
International: 128,885

Source: YYC

Mexicana Airlines ** Surprise **

It looks like Mexicana is planning some sort celebration/promotion for their second anniversary in Calgary. At this time there are no details except for the following which came from Jody at YYC:

Royal Air Force to train at Calgary International Airport

From the British High Commission Press Release (thanks to Sarah at YYC for forwarding this to me)

"The British Royal Air Force (RAF) will be training in their Tornado GR4 aircraft at Calgary International Airport (YYC) from May 13-24 in advance of their deployment to Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. The training they complete in Calgary is a part of a larger training program that takes them across North America to ensure that ultimately they can provide support not only the British Army but all coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Wing Commander Jim Frampton (Officer Commanding No 12 (Bomber) Squadron, Royal Air Force) said: “I greatly appreciate the opportunity for my team to train at Calgary Airport over this period and am grateful for the hospitality that our hosts and the people of Calgary have shown. The training we complete during our time in Canada, though noisy, will ensure we can provide the best possible air support to our colleagues on operations.”

The British Armed Forces have a close and cooperative relationship with their Canadian counterparts, and have a long-established training ground in Suffield, Alberta. The RAF will be flying 4 missions per day from YYC to this training area in Suffield."

Icelandair wants to serve YYC.... indirectly

According to Airline Route Updates, Icelandair has applied to the U.S. DoT to codeshare on Alaska/Horizon flights between Seattle and Calgary. Should it be approved the codesharing will take effect on June 1, 10. This will present another option for Calgarians to get to Europe albeit via a more gruelling routing through Seattle and Keflavik. Icelandair however does typically have lower fares then other carriers and can be viewed as a decent price option against the charter operators flying Calgary-Europe routes and since they are a scheduled operator you would have more protection over the charter carriers should your flights be delayed or cancelled.

February Passenger Stats

The number of passengers going through YYC in February 2010 remained virtually unchanged over 2009 with only a slight decrease of 0.1%. The number of passengers for Feb 2010 was 942,420 versus 943,455 in 2009. Transborder and International numbers saw significant increases of 6.3% and 15.4% respectively while domestic travel was down 4.4%.

To see all the details on the YYC's passengers numbers see this page on YYC.com

United: Calgary-Philadelphia $290 all in.

Thanks goes to billybob123 over on FlyerTalk for this great deal on United. For roughly C$290 all in, you can fly round trip between Calgary and Philadelphia in Oct, Nov and Dec. The fare basis allows for Air Canada codeshares and some creative routings for maximizing your segments/miles.

See this thread on FlyerTalk for all the details.

Check out our Frequent Flyer Bonuses for a chance to win 2 Free nights from Hyatt

I have once again teamed up with Hyatt to give away some free night stays at any Hyatt worldwide! All you have to do is leave a comment on our Frequent Flyer Bonuses blog. The giveaway ends on Apr 30, so check it out soon!

Also don't forget about FrequentFlyerBonuses.com 5th Anniversary contest: www.5years5waystowin.com

YYC AGM 2010: $2.4bn Expansion over next 5 years

The Calgary Airport Authority confirmed once again that they are going ahead with the much needed expansion of YYC. The expansion will take place over the next 5 years and cost 2.4 billion dollars. As has been noted in the past the expansion will include the parallel North-South Runway, the 22 Gate 1.3 million square foot eco-conscious International Concourse and a new control tower.

You can find out more on the expansion on YYC's website

Stay at the Delta Calgary Airport and earn Triple Asia Miles

A repeat of last year's promo, if you are planning on staying at the Delta Calgary Airport before your flight or overnight connection you can earn Triple Miles in Cathay Pacific's Asia Mile program. The offer runs until June 30, 2010 and is also available at all other Delta Hotels in Canada. Full details

January Passenger Stats for YYC

YYC continues to rebound from the slow down of a year ago with January 2010 seeing a 1.7% increase in passenger numbers. The total number of passengers coming through the Calgary Airport in January was 954,122 versus 938,304 in 2009. The number is still shy of the 979,336 seen in the record year of 2008.

Domestically, the numbers dropped by 2.5% but strong gains in the Transborder (+12.9%) and International (7.8%) markets helped YYC achieve that small gain over 2009.

Source: YYC

Calgary-Mexico from C$311 Round Trip on Mexicana

Thanks again to Jody at the Calgary Airport Authority for forwarding this deal to me:

You can fly on Mexicana from Calgary to Mexico City, Mexican Beach Cities and other cities on Mexico for as little as C$311+taxes* round-trip. Book by Apr 9 for travel until Dec 10. Blackout dates are May 27, 28, 31 and July 8 - Aug 22, 10.

Book online at Mexicana

* Taxes up to $110 per round-trip depending on destination

FrequentFlyerBonuses.com: 5 Years 5 Ways to Win Contest

I am pleased to announce that my global site, FrequentFlyerBonuses.com is 5 years old and to celebrate I have launched the 5 Years - 5 Ways to Win contest where you can win a US$250 Marriott Gift Card for participating in any or all of the 5 different ways such as subscribing to our newsletter, following our blog, participating on Twitter and Facebook and for completing a survey.

If you live in the U.S. you also have a chance at winning 10,000 FREE SPIRIT miles.

See it all at:
http://www.5years5waystowin.com