The month by month growth that YYC has seen for the majority of this year continued in August and September based on the latest numbers released by the Calgary Airport Authority.
August 2010 saw only small growth with an overall increase in passengers of 0.4% over the same month last year. Broken down, 2 out of 3 sectors saw numbers that were actually lower then 2009 but not by much. Domestic travel was down 0.8% compared to 2009 and transborder traffic was also down a marginal 1.4%. International traffic was the only sector to see a gain, and it continued the double digit numbers growth with a 13.0% increase over 2009. Overall, 1,206,223 passengers used the airport in August.
August 2010
Domestic: 866,188
Transborder: 214,313
International: 125,722
September boded much better for YYC in comparison to August with all three sectors seeing increased numbers over 2009. The overall increase in passengers for September was 2.7% over 2009. Domestic numbers were nearly the same as the year before with only a 0.6% growth while transborder saw a good rebound over August with an increase of 4.1%. International traffic continues to be the hot spot with September 2010 coming in 16.1% higher then 2009.
September 2010
Domestic: 743,955
Transborder: 189,362
International: 112,960
From what I can tell, the total numbers for the third quarter were the best ever. (Q3 2007 held the top honours before). It'll be interesting to see what the 4th quarter numbers will be as Lufthansa and KLM reduce their flights for the winter season and the Air Canada route to Tokyo goes on hiatus until next spring. Will the increase in sun routes make up for those losses? We'll just have to wait and see!
Source: YYC.com
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
WestJet and American Airlines announce commercial agreement
Agreement is WestJet's First Interline Agreement With a U.S. Airline - Opens Up Travel to More Cities in Canada for American's Customers
FORT WORTH, TX, Oct. 19 /CNW/ - American Airlines and WestJet Airlines announced today they have entered into an interline agreement. The interline agreement means American Airlines customers travelling to Canada and transferring to a WestJet flight can purchase a single ticket and check bags through to their final destination.
The agreement provides American's customers seamless connecting service to 25 new Canadian cities not currently served by American or American Eagle. WestJet serves a total of 31 Canadian cities and 71 destinations in 13 countries.
The connections will first be available through the six gateways in Canada currently served by American or American Eagle - Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax and Ottawa. American and WestJet expect to implement a second phase of their interline relationship in December that will add additional connecting opportunities through WestJet's non-stop U.S. flights to Canadian cities.
"American's interline agreement with WestJet complements our North American network and greatly benefits our customers by offering additional connections to and from new Canadian markets," said Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Officer. "WestJet offers a high-quality on-board product that our customers will enjoy."
"This agreement represents WestJet's first interline with a U.S. carrier and we are excited to be working with such a well-established and recognized global airline like American Airlines," said Hugh Dunleavy, WestJet's Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Planning. "We look forward to welcoming the many American customers on board our aircraft as guests who will experience WestJet's world-class guest experience."
The interline connecting itineraries will be available for booking on American's award-winning AA.com website, as well as through travel agencies and American Airlines Reservations, effective Nov. 9, 2010.
The companies also said they are exploring other ways to enhance customer benefits through other commercial co-operation agreements.
Source: WestJet Press Release
FORT WORTH, TX, Oct. 19 /CNW/ - American Airlines and WestJet Airlines announced today they have entered into an interline agreement. The interline agreement means American Airlines customers travelling to Canada and transferring to a WestJet flight can purchase a single ticket and check bags through to their final destination.
The agreement provides American's customers seamless connecting service to 25 new Canadian cities not currently served by American or American Eagle. WestJet serves a total of 31 Canadian cities and 71 destinations in 13 countries.
The connections will first be available through the six gateways in Canada currently served by American or American Eagle - Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Halifax and Ottawa. American and WestJet expect to implement a second phase of their interline relationship in December that will add additional connecting opportunities through WestJet's non-stop U.S. flights to Canadian cities.
"American's interline agreement with WestJet complements our North American network and greatly benefits our customers by offering additional connections to and from new Canadian markets," said Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Officer. "WestJet offers a high-quality on-board product that our customers will enjoy."
"This agreement represents WestJet's first interline with a U.S. carrier and we are excited to be working with such a well-established and recognized global airline like American Airlines," said Hugh Dunleavy, WestJet's Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Planning. "We look forward to welcoming the many American customers on board our aircraft as guests who will experience WestJet's world-class guest experience."
The interline connecting itineraries will be available for booking on American's award-winning AA.com website, as well as through travel agencies and American Airlines Reservations, effective Nov. 9, 2010.
The companies also said they are exploring other ways to enhance customer benefits through other commercial co-operation agreements.
Source: WestJet Press Release
Monday, October 11, 2010
Cathay Pacific & WestJet launch Canadian code share service
This past week saw the official announcement of a code sharing agreement between Cathay Pacific and WestJet which will further solidifies the relationship that these carriers have had with each other. As of October 20th, Cathay Pacific will out their code (ie own flight number) on numerous WestJet flights that connect to the two cities that Cathay flies to: Vancouver and Toronto. The cities that Cathay will 'serve' now with this agreement include Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg. They will also codeshare on some of WestJet's flights between Toronto and Vancouver.
To see the complete list of code share flights please see Airline Route Updates
To see the complete list of code share flights please see Airline Route Updates
Thursday, October 7, 2010
KLM to increase YYC flights in Summer 2011 + equipment change
UPDATE: Per the comments below this increase is not happening, KLM will remain at 5 flights per week for the summer season
Original post:
Thanks to IflyCalgary reader Aaron for alerting me to this airliners.net thread about the changes to KLM's scheduele for 2011. Airline Route Updates has also posted about this and hopefully these planned changes stay true as next summer is still a ways off. Anyways on to the actual news! According to preliminary schedules loaded into the global distribution systems KLM will increase their Calgary-Amsterdam flights in Summer to 6 times weekly from the 5x we saw the past two summers. On top of this the scheduled equipment on the route is now going to be the MD-11 replacing the A330-200 that is currently on the route. Both planes carry almost the same amount of passengers with the MD-11 carrying less in business class and slightly more in economy then the A330. This change is not unique to Calgary as you will see in the thread linked to above it shows that the vast majority of KLM's Canadian routes will be flown with the MD-11.
Overall this is great news for Calgary, it shows that at least in summer this route is working for KLM and they see the demand to increase the number of flights. The traffic in both directions must be quite good particularly with Dutch tourists coming here as the number of Dutch people I see and hear at tourist sites in Calgary and Banff has definitely increased from a few years ago (unscientifically non-statistically speaking of course!)
Original post:
Thanks to IflyCalgary reader Aaron for alerting me to this airliners.net thread about the changes to KLM's scheduele for 2011. Airline Route Updates has also posted about this and hopefully these planned changes stay true as next summer is still a ways off. Anyways on to the actual news! According to preliminary schedules loaded into the global distribution systems KLM will increase their Calgary-Amsterdam flights in Summer to 6 times weekly from the 5x we saw the past two summers. On top of this the scheduled equipment on the route is now going to be the MD-11 replacing the A330-200 that is currently on the route. Both planes carry almost the same amount of passengers with the MD-11 carrying less in business class and slightly more in economy then the A330. This change is not unique to Calgary as you will see in the thread linked to above it shows that the vast majority of KLM's Canadian routes will be flown with the MD-11.
Overall this is great news for Calgary, it shows that at least in summer this route is working for KLM and they see the demand to increase the number of flights. The traffic in both directions must be quite good particularly with Dutch tourists coming here as the number of Dutch people I see and hear at tourist sites in Calgary and Banff has definitely increased from a few years ago (unscientifically non-statistically speaking of course!)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Earn bonus Aeroplan Miles on select flights out of Calgary
Air Canada has released their 4th quarter systemwide flight bonus promo as follows:
Earn up to 30,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you register and fly Air Canada on select routes within North America, to the Caribbean, Europe or Asia. For every eligible roundtrip or twoone-way flight segments, you’ll earn:
* Up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes within Canada or between Canada and the U.S.
* Up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes between Canada and Bermuda or the Caribbean
* Up to 10,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes between Canada and Europe or Isreal
* Up to 15,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes between Canada and Asia
plus Fly 3 eligible one-way flight segments in Latitude or Executive First between Canada and Europe or Asia, and you’ll receive an additional one-time 15,000 mile bonus!
The unfortunate thing is that Calgary is excluded on the 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for select North American routes offer (within Canada and Canada to the U.S.) So if you want to earn these set of bonus miles you'll have to connect to one of the routes that the bonus is offered on. Other then that all other Air Canada flights to Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe, Israel and Asia are game.
The promotion is open to all Aeroplan members who register for the offer and is valid for flights until December 15.
Click here for full details and registration
Earn up to 30,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you register and fly Air Canada on select routes within North America, to the Caribbean, Europe or Asia. For every eligible roundtrip or twoone-way flight segments, you’ll earn:
* Up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes within Canada or between Canada and the U.S.
* Up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes between Canada and Bermuda or the Caribbean
* Up to 10,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes between Canada and Europe or Isreal
* Up to 15,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on select routes between Canada and Asia
plus Fly 3 eligible one-way flight segments in Latitude or Executive First between Canada and Europe or Asia, and you’ll receive an additional one-time 15,000 mile bonus!
The unfortunate thing is that Calgary is excluded on the 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for select North American routes offer (within Canada and Canada to the U.S.) So if you want to earn these set of bonus miles you'll have to connect to one of the routes that the bonus is offered on. Other then that all other Air Canada flights to Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe, Israel and Asia are game.
The promotion is open to all Aeroplan members who register for the offer and is valid for flights until December 15.
Click here for full details and registration
Thursday, September 23, 2010
YYC Passenger stats for June and July 2010
The Calgary Airport Authority recently released the passenger statisitics for June and July 2010 and they continue to show healthy growth numbers.
June 2010 saw growth in all sectors with domestic travel growing 4.4% over 2009 and nearly matching the 2008 record numbers. Transborder traffic also boded well with a 8.5% growth over 2009 and International traffic once again seeing double digit growth over 2009 with a 15.6% increase. Overall, 1,052,202 passengers used the airport in June.
June 2010
Domestic: 758,186
Transborder: 186,552
International: 107,464
Domestic and International numbers continued their growth July 2010 however Transborder saw a declinefor the first time since November 2009. Overall traffic was 5.1% to 1,209,982 with Domestic travel growing by 5.1.%, Transborder shrinking by 0.8% and International going up 16.6%. .
July 2010
Domestic: 867,075
Transborder: 215,268
International: 127,639
Source: YYC.com
June 2010 saw growth in all sectors with domestic travel growing 4.4% over 2009 and nearly matching the 2008 record numbers. Transborder traffic also boded well with a 8.5% growth over 2009 and International traffic once again seeing double digit growth over 2009 with a 15.6% increase. Overall, 1,052,202 passengers used the airport in June.
June 2010
Domestic: 758,186
Transborder: 186,552
International: 107,464
Domestic and International numbers continued their growth July 2010 however Transborder saw a declinefor the first time since November 2009. Overall traffic was 5.1% to 1,209,982 with Domestic travel growing by 5.1.%, Transborder shrinking by 0.8% and International going up 16.6%. .
July 2010
Domestic: 867,075
Transborder: 215,268
International: 127,639
Source: YYC.com
Monday, September 20, 2010
Edelweiss to increase YYC service for Summer 2011
UPDATE: Per the comment below Edelweiss is not increasing service to YYC, only to YVR
Original post
According to this CBC article, Swiss charter airline Edelweiss will be increasing service between Calgary and Zurich to twice weekly from this past summer's once weekly service. Edelweiss' Chief Commercial officer commented that the flights to Calgary and Vancouver were a success and they are looking to expand to Whitehorse where German charter carrier Condor is reducing flights.
Original post
According to this CBC article, Swiss charter airline Edelweiss will be increasing service between Calgary and Zurich to twice weekly from this past summer's once weekly service. Edelweiss' Chief Commercial officer commented that the flights to Calgary and Vancouver were a success and they are looking to expand to Whitehorse where German charter carrier Condor is reducing flights.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Air Canada cuts Seattle and Portland for the winter season
It appears that Air Canada is pulling their direct non-stop flights to the Pacific Northwest. The flights to Seattle and Portland will stop on Oct 30 and are schedule to be resumed on May 1, 2011
Other winter changes include Air Canada Las Vegas flights being upgraded to an A320 and Winnipeg flights losing mainline and going all to AC Jazz.
Original Source: Skyscraper pages
Additional Source: Airline Route Updates
Other winter changes include Air Canada Las Vegas flights being upgraded to an A320 and Winnipeg flights losing mainline and going all to AC Jazz.
Original Source: Skyscraper pages
Additional Source: Airline Route Updates
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
2010 Airline Mega Awards Judging Academy
I am proud to announce that I will be one of the five members of the Judging academy for the 2010 Mega Awards to be held in Montreal on Oct 13, 2010 which is part of the larger Mega Event 2010 (FFP | ARAC | Co-Brand): The Airline Profitability Summit which runs Oct 12-14.What are the Mega Awards? Well it is easier to post what Airline Information has described it as rather then having me rehash it:
"Airline Information proudly presents The 2010 Mega Awards Gala Dinner, sponsored by Visa and hosted by Freddie Laker
(son of legendary low cost airline innovator Sir Freddie Laker).
Winners of the Mega Award will be recognized during a ceremony held at Mega Event in Montreal on 13 October. An elegant gala evening featuring cocktails, dinner and a special appearance by modern low cost innovator Tony Fernandes, will mark Airline Information’s return to industry accolades since the FFP Innovation Awards.
This is truly an event that you don’t want to miss!
What are the Mega Awards?
Mega Awards can be won by Airlines, Vendors, and Professionals in three categories.
Categories include: Loyalty Marketing, Customer Engagement through Social Media, Merchandising/Ancillary Revenue. For the 2010 awards, both Vendors and Professionals are limited to the Loyalty Marketing and Merchandising categories.
What does it take to win?
The honor of winning a Mega Award requires daring innovation and results-oriented marketing. Campaigns launched or executed in the calendar year 2009 will be up for consideration by the Mega Awards Judging Academy. "
I am excited to be selected to be part of the judging panel and look forward to evaluating all the entries that are received.
If you are attending the summit or the gala or both, feel free to contact me so that we can have chance to meet face to face in Montreal.
For more information on the Mega Awards please see here: Mega Awards Gala Dinner 2010
For more information on the Mega Event Summit please see here: Mega Event 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Mexicana ceases operations
Unless you were on vacation like me, you probably caught this news as it came out on Friday, but YYC (and many other cities) has lost service from Mexicana as they ceased operations on Saturday August 28th.
This is the press release from Mexicana:
Grupo Mexicana suspends flights until further notice
* Current management received the company in a state of technical bankruptcy seven days ago after it filed for protection under Mexico’s insolvency laws
* Financial deterioration and lack of agreements force Grupo Mexicana to stop flying
* Grupo Mexicana deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to passengers
Mexico City, August 27, 2010. Nuevo Grupo Aeronáutico, S.A. de C.V. ("Grupo Mexicana") announced this morning that as a result of the group’s delicate financial situation when it changed owners a week ago, compounded by failure to reach agreements that would allow for the capitalization of its three airlines, Mexicana Airlines, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink flights will suspend operations until further notice as of midday (12:00 p.m.) on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
Among the factors that have contributed to this announcement are:
1. Grupo Mexicana’s fragile financial situation, which has deteriorated further over the last four weeks due to the previous management’s decision to suspend ticket sales, forcing the company to continue operating in the interests of passengers without receiving any revenue.
2. No substantial agreements were reached to give companies in the Group long-term viability.
3. Lack of effectiveness in the insolvency (Concurso Mercantil) process intended to protect additional financial resources available to the company so it could to continue operating.
4. Given the uncertainty of the situation, certain suppliers have begun demanding advanced payment of services that are essential to the airlines’ operations.
Today’s decision is a painful one for the 8,000-strong Grupo Mexicana family, but we will continue seeking out ways of securing the company’s long-term financial viability, so our passengers can once again enjoy the quality services they are accustomed to. We hope to be back in the air soon and would like to thank everyone involved in this process for their support and understanding.
If you have bookings or/and have paid for a Grupo Mexicana flight and have a reservation code, we would like to inform you that:
1. All Mexicana, MexicanaLink and MexicanaClick flights will be suspended until further notice as of midday on Saturday, August 28, 2010. All flights programmed to depart after this hour will be canceled.
2. Grupo Mexicana deeply regrets any inconvenience this decision may cause and will continue to assist passengers to the full extent of its abilities. Passengers who have already flown a leg of their journey and who are scheduled to fly with a Grupo Mexicana airline after Saturday, August 28, 2010 are advised to consult the websites or contact us at the numbers listed below. Priority will be given to minors traveling unaccompanied, passengers traveling with children under age 3 and special needs passengers.
3. If you have not yet begun your journey, we recommend you make alternative travel arrangements.
4. For information on how to apply for a refund, visit mexicanainforms.com (Tickets issued in the United States and Canada; - Tickets issued in Mexico and the Rest of the World), or contact us at any of the numbers listed below:
1-888-882-9994
1-877-801-2010
from the U.S. or Canada
This is the press release from Mexicana:
Grupo Mexicana suspends flights until further notice
* Current management received the company in a state of technical bankruptcy seven days ago after it filed for protection under Mexico’s insolvency laws
* Financial deterioration and lack of agreements force Grupo Mexicana to stop flying
* Grupo Mexicana deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to passengers
Mexico City, August 27, 2010. Nuevo Grupo Aeronáutico, S.A. de C.V. ("Grupo Mexicana") announced this morning that as a result of the group’s delicate financial situation when it changed owners a week ago, compounded by failure to reach agreements that would allow for the capitalization of its three airlines, Mexicana Airlines, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink flights will suspend operations until further notice as of midday (12:00 p.m.) on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
Among the factors that have contributed to this announcement are:
1. Grupo Mexicana’s fragile financial situation, which has deteriorated further over the last four weeks due to the previous management’s decision to suspend ticket sales, forcing the company to continue operating in the interests of passengers without receiving any revenue.
2. No substantial agreements were reached to give companies in the Group long-term viability.
3. Lack of effectiveness in the insolvency (Concurso Mercantil) process intended to protect additional financial resources available to the company so it could to continue operating.
4. Given the uncertainty of the situation, certain suppliers have begun demanding advanced payment of services that are essential to the airlines’ operations.
Today’s decision is a painful one for the 8,000-strong Grupo Mexicana family, but we will continue seeking out ways of securing the company’s long-term financial viability, so our passengers can once again enjoy the quality services they are accustomed to. We hope to be back in the air soon and would like to thank everyone involved in this process for their support and understanding.
If you have bookings or/and have paid for a Grupo Mexicana flight and have a reservation code, we would like to inform you that:
1. All Mexicana, MexicanaLink and MexicanaClick flights will be suspended until further notice as of midday on Saturday, August 28, 2010. All flights programmed to depart after this hour will be canceled.
2. Grupo Mexicana deeply regrets any inconvenience this decision may cause and will continue to assist passengers to the full extent of its abilities. Passengers who have already flown a leg of their journey and who are scheduled to fly with a Grupo Mexicana airline after Saturday, August 28, 2010 are advised to consult the websites or contact us at the numbers listed below. Priority will be given to minors traveling unaccompanied, passengers traveling with children under age 3 and special needs passengers.
3. If you have not yet begun your journey, we recommend you make alternative travel arrangements.
4. For information on how to apply for a refund, visit mexicanainforms.com (Tickets issued in the United States and Canada; - Tickets issued in Mexico and the Rest of the World), or contact us at any of the numbers listed below:
1-888-882-9994
1-877-801-2010
from the U.S. or Canada
Condor to return in Summer 2011
German leisure airline Condor is set to return to Calgary in the summer of 2011 after leaving our city when parent company Lufthansa began flights to our city. Condor will offer two flights per week between Calgary and Frankfurt between June 24 and October 3.Flight Timings:
Calgary-Frankfurt Dep 2000 Arr 1335+1
Frankfurt-Calgary Dep 1505 Arr 1715
Bookings can be made directly through Condor
Sources: SkyscraperPage & Airline Route Updates
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Double Delta SkyMiles when flying Alaska & select SkyTeam airlines out of Calgary
Technically this offer is not only for flights out of Calgary but for any flights taken with Alaska/Horizon and Delta or select SkyTeam Airlines.
To earn Double SkyMiles you have to fly Alaska/Horizon and either Delta, Air France, KLM or Alitalia all on the same ticket. For most Calgary fliers that will mean flying Alaska/Horizon to Seattle and connecting to Delta or Air France from there. Of course other routings are also eligible. The offer runs from Sep 15 to Dec 15 and requires registration prior to flying. For full details and registration please visit Delta.com
To earn Double SkyMiles you have to fly Alaska/Horizon and either Delta, Air France, KLM or Alitalia all on the same ticket. For most Calgary fliers that will mean flying Alaska/Horizon to Seattle and connecting to Delta or Air France from there. Of course other routings are also eligible. The offer runs from Sep 15 to Dec 15 and requires registration prior to flying. For full details and registration please visit Delta.com
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