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I think that in the case of YEG, it has been a real struggle to get things going. Go back 30 years and you will see that international flights exist - Calgary had more, but not to the same extent that you are seeing now. The argument was our market was too small (700k) so our population more than doubles and we have less flights. Travel Alberta (or as I call it Travel Calgary/Banff) + GoA incentives to build out YYC are to blame - but let's not kid ourselves: YEG management is useless. Edmonton region fails to create attractions. YEG area businesses continue to produce blue collar jobs rather than high paying corporate jobs that require business travel.

A quick search at schedules and everyone will get the picture here:

- 2 weekly flights to Chicago vs 5 per day at YYC
- 5 or 6 weekly flights to Europe vs 9 or 10 per day at YYC
 
Glenco said:
Thank you captain obvious. We will do all the whining we need to relieve our frustrations you don't have to read it
Click to expand...

Glenco said:
Thank you captain obvious. We will do all the whining we need to relieve our frustrations you don't have to read it.
Click to expand...
Well doing it here hasn’t helped you so can I suggest another form of therapy?
 
MakeYEGGreatAgain said:
I think that in the case of YEG, it has been a real struggle to get things going. Go back 30 years and you will see that international flights exist - Calgary had more, but not to the same extent that you are seeing now. The argument was our market was too small (700k) so our population more than doubles and we have less flights. Travel Alberta (or as I call it Travel Calgary/Banff) + GoA incentives to build out YYC are to blame - but let's not kid ourselves: YEG management is useless. Edmonton region fails to create attractions. YEG area businesses continue to produce blue collar jobs rather than high paying corporate jobs that require business travel.

A quick search at schedules and everyone will get the picture here:

- 2 weekly flights to Chicago vs 5 per day at YYC
- 5 or 6 weekly flights to Europe vs 9 or 10 per day at YYC
Click to expand...
And may I add 7 flights a day to Grande Prairie vs 1.

Why do new members on this forum start by stating the bleedin obvious thinking it is some kind of great revelation? It is really annoying to say the least.
 
Been wondering how a market full of the new xlr narrow bodies will change edmonton connections. I understand these planes can be half full and still be profitable.
 
MakeYEGGreatAgain said:
I think that in the case of YEG, it has been a real struggle to get things going. Go back 30 years and you will see that international flights exist - Calgary had more, but not to the same extent that you are seeing now. The argument was our market was too small (700k) so our population more than doubles and we have less flights. Travel Alberta (or as I call it Travel Calgary/Banff) + GoA incentives to build out YYC are to blame - but let's not kid ourselves: YEG management is useless. Edmonton region fails to create attractions. YEG area businesses continue to produce blue collar jobs rather than high paying corporate jobs that require business travel.

A quick search at schedules and everyone will get the picture here:

- 2 weekly flights to Chicago vs 5 per day at YYC
- 5 or 6 weekly flights to Europe vs 9 or 10 per day at YYC
Click to expand...
It does seem very odd that while we have doubled in size our service has not improved. We are not so much a small market now as an overlooked one.

I feel the blame is not just YEG, but the city and our business community also needs to stand up for our city more and suck up to the corporate crowd in the city to our south less.
 
but people aren’t using the limited flights we do have so it’s not the airlines’ fault.

The business crowd in Edmonton can only do so much to influence how flights work.
 
Yeah look there’s lots of reasons. Some of it is consumer behaviour for sure. Met a guy the other day flying via yyc to Houston. Said he doesn’t like the direct flight because he’s not a united/ac guy, What can you do when guys make that choice?

For sure some of it is the airlines, as I’ve said before it’s not that routes can’t be profitable here it’s just that with limited airframes it may not be profitable enough. I think what should be and is upsetting is the predatory work of WestJet like had been mentioned who will compete on a route just to chase the competition away only to cancel the service once they have won the war and send people to yyc. Or price so that it’s cheaper to fly yyc then direct.

Business do need to step up, the Houston route is a result of a few key players stepping up to the airport authority and giving them some ammunition to go for it.
 
Oilers99 said:
but people aren’t using the limited flights we do have so it’s not the airlines’ fault.

The business crowd in Edmonton can only do so much to influence how flights work.
Click to expand...
And that's the thing...

We can only do so much here, but honestly only need a few more frequencies and a direct to London (Gatwick) to really have decent coverage given that WJ is YYC.
 
Oilguy said:
it’s just that with limited airframes it may not be profitable enough.
Click to expand...
This point should be talked about more. The hub-and-spoke model was starting to get phased out in favour of point-to-point routes before the pandemic, with the largest aircraft (747 and A380) considered doomed. Then the post-pandemic travel boom and the grounding of the 737 Max created huge capacity crunches that revived the old hub model. Jumbo jets were taken out of retirement while frequencies were boosted at hub airports. Maybe with the introduction of the A320XLR, we’ll see a return to the prevailing trend of point-to-point networks gradually superseding the hub-and-spoke model.
 
Yeggy said:
Been wondering how a market full of the new xlr narrow bodies will change edmonton connections. I understand these planes can be half full and still be profitable.
Click to expand...
The A321XLR's introduction globally could be a quite beneficial for Edmonton as airlines such as Aer Lingus have been starting to target more secondary American cities with the jets and it would be a no-brainer (in my opinion) to do the same with some secondary Canadian airports like YEG or YOW.

The latter part of your statement isn't really true though, these aircraft aren't profitable at half full generally speaking. It's the fact that they're smaller aircraft which is more optimal for "smaller" destinations that could attract said airlines to fly to YEG, not that they'd willingly be operating half empty aircraft. There would logically need to be a subsidy or a very lucrative cargo contract for most airlines to continue to operate flights that are consistently only half full.
 
Lingus, Air France, Lot, Lufthansa and possibly British Airways as an outside chance of providing service to Europe. Having a code share with someone on this end would be a tremendous advantage which severely limits the options.
 
Oilers99 said:
but people aren’t using the limited flights we do have so it’s not the airlines’ fault.

The business crowd in Edmonton can only do so much to influence how flights work.
Click to expand...
I get that many people do not want to travel to the US right now so flights get cut here (and also a number from Vancouver btw), but businesses and others have been asking for years for a regular frequent flight to London in the UK. We can't use flights we don't have!
 
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