The_Cat
Senior Member
This is good news for our region, given our military presence in the Edmonton area.
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- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
Vanfan123
Active Member
Not too surprising , WestJet continues to build up its Calgary YYC WS Fortress Hub in Canada
with new flight 
routes & added frequencies , just like AC Air Canada is doing the same at Toronto YYZ, Montreal YUL & Vancouver YVR
.While Edmonton YEG & other smaller airports in Canada get the “short end of the pie” = (very limited).
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Glenco
Senior Member
I’m quite sure $850 million is for the whole project not just one base. Likewise for the one thousand jobs quoted
Offworld
Active Member
But who is who in this comparison? Honest question.
Tropical
Active Member
Not too surprising , WestJet continues to build up its Calgary YYC WS Fortress Hub in Canada
While Edmonton YEG & other smaller airports in Canada get the “short end of the pie” = (very limited).
Given our geography and population, running flights through 4 primary hub cities doesn't read like "a short end of the pie". It reads as logic and economics.
Even more, aren't Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto the end-points that many flyers have in mind here? And it's not as if locating a direct flight to other in-demand locales (Ottawa, Montreal, Las Vegas, Kelowna etc.) are difficult to locate.
Yes, there are a few key cities that would be helpful. But connecting via Vancouver or Toronto to many places is not a ridiculous burden. Nor is it ridiculous for WestJet to utilize Calgary as a hub city to make economics function.
David A
Senior Member
Toronto and nearby Montreal are many times larger than Ottawa, so I understand why it may not always have direct flights. Vancouver is almost twice as big as any other city in the west as well as being located closer to Asia. So they make sense as hubs.
In Canada I feel there are three major or real hubs and one city that desperately aspires and tries to be a mini hub somewhat to our detriment it often seems including when you have to go south and then fly north over our city again to go to Europe.
In Canada I feel there are three major or real hubs and one city that desperately aspires and tries to be a mini hub somewhat to our detriment it often seems including when you have to go south and then fly north over our city again to go to Europe.
blue12
Active Member
I wouldn't say it just aspires and tries to be a mini hub, it quite literally is one. Mini is definitely an appropriate word however, as it's not of the same scale as what YYZ/YUL/YVR are to Air Canada.
I agree that it's placement in regards to Edmonton leaves a lot to be desired, but like said by others, it's just a logical and economical decision. As opposed to what, pumping more investment into the already Air Canada dominated YYZ/YUL/YVR, using YEG as a primary hub, or splitting the hub network between YYC and YEG? All three are illogical. As disappointing as it is for us, it's hard to be upset or surprised when you understand how the industry operates.
I agree that it's placement in regards to Edmonton leaves a lot to be desired, but like said by others, it's just a logical and economical decision. As opposed to what, pumping more investment into the already Air Canada dominated YYZ/YUL/YVR, using YEG as a primary hub, or splitting the hub network between YYC and YEG? All three are illogical. As disappointing as it is for us, it's hard to be upset or surprised when you understand how the industry operates.
David A
Senior Member
Oh I do understand how the airline industry works. It is not known for or does it much care about good customer service.
It is basically a duopoly, Air Canada mostly gets the east, Westjet mostly the west and they don't care to compete too much so Westjet gets its mini hub as long as they do not threaten the big dog too much elsewhere.
blue12
Active Member
Porter is making a good effort at challenging this duopoly..... but they're east-focused of course. Canada does not really have enough demand to support more than one major west-focused airline, under the (fair) assumption both WS and AC don't shrink.
David A
Senior Member
Flair to some degree also, which is partly why Westjet service to Edmonton improved some after they arrived here, but as you said not a lot of room for another major west focused airline.
TAS
Senior Member
Well noted - airlines provide some of the worst customer service. Some really head shaking examples of that.
blue12
Active Member
The full Westjet winter schedule is up, there are a few other changes in addition to the route to MBJ:
Kelowna increased to 27x weekly
Victoria increased to 13x weekly
Mazatlan increased to 3x weekly
Huatulco increased to 3x weekly
Atlanta reduced to 4x weekly
Kelowna increased to 27x weekly
Victoria increased to 13x weekly
Mazatlan increased to 3x weekly
Huatulco increased to 3x weekly
Atlanta reduced to 4x weekly
EdmTrekker
Senior Member
Without stating last years frequency the "increase" or "decrease" means little. And you wrote in an earlier post "splitting the hub network between YYC and YEG". Since when is YYC a AC HUB? AC took a meat clever when they gutted service at YYC. Clearly AC does not see YYC as a HUB and why bother since WS sucks the tits of the Alberta taxpayers with the sweetheart support UCP provided to WS to bolster YYC and screw YEG.
Markyeg
Active Member
Exactly this. Last winter ATL was daily, but we’re actually getting the route back since it was originally scheduled year round but got axed in the spring for Summer 2025 when the transborder numbers took a nosedive.
blue12
Active Member
To add clarity, YLW is up from 19x weekly last winter to 27 this winter. YYJ from 11x to 13x. MZT from 2x to 3x. HUX from 2x to 3x. ATL from 7x to 4x.
But to respond to the rest - I’m not sure where you got some of this from. I never wrote about YYC being an AC hub, because it isn’t one. My previous comments were about Westjet’s current strategy and how, although it sucks, it makes sense.
Regardless, my post this afternoon was solely talking about some changes to YEG’s schedule this winter. That is what this thread is for, after all - Edmonton’s airport. I didn’t mean it in an inflammatory way.