Canada 3000 Airlines announces new polar-direct service to India

Operates as exclusive Canadian carrier

CANADA 3000 AIRLINES announced today details of their new scheduled service to Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), India commencing October 8, 2001 as the exclusive Canadian carrier.
CANADA 3000's inaugural flights using 'polar-direct' routes will commence from Toronto to Delhi on October 8th, 2001 and from Vancouver to Delhi on October 10th, 2001.

http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/010807/cda3...ice_india.html

On the Great Circle map that's 7,636 miles from YVR-BOM !!!

15+ hours in a plane non-stop is one long flight.

With an A340-300, that is pushing the envelope to the maximum. Is there a fuel stop in ANC?

[This message has been edited by airbus320 (edited 08-07-2001).]

Not to mention their pitch in the main cabin!

The YVR-DEL flight will do a fuel stop in ANC. My understanding is that the YYZ-DEL flight is non-stop. Not sure of the economics of this, especially after both UA and AC dropped the non-stop polar route to India as unworkable.

I am sure there is a viable market between these two Canadian cities and the two Indian cities. The problem faced by AC -- and UA today -- is the need to fill high dollar premium seats consistently on these routes, and maintain the support services that go with business travellers. None of this is required for the mass traveller. The rear cabin can be filled, and the price levels C3K will no doubt charge will be attractive, not to mention the lack of a LHR stop. Granted margins will be thin, but volume should be sufficient.

I see elsewhere that the configuration will include 36 of C3K's large seats, which will be marginally more expensive to operate than those in the back, so they will be providing a "premium" service for those wishing more comfort, and for price-conscious business travellers. But don't have to support all the frills that go with a front cabin [lounges, extra catering, etc.]. And with AAdvantage points, these trips should collect close to 18K. [Too bad they won't be Q-points, though.]

I believe they do count as Q miles. Remember AA Executive Platinum for under CAD$6000 by Ken?

The AA site has N/A for First Class on Canada 3000. I wonder if the 60"-pitch seats will count as J or F?

andrew

I think it will count as J since the fare basis is CNI for flights to BOM and JNI for flights to DEL.

"Volume" has never been a problem on anyones flights to the Indian sub-continent. Profitability on the other hand has never been acheivable for AC [and likely UA].

The reason is the heavy discounting that all airlines in this market participate in to acheive that "volume". The wholesalers, consolidators, and ethnic travel agencies that are used by most of the travellers in this market are what takes away the ability for an airline to sustain a profitable operation. AC/UA looked at operating non-stop from Canada to India as a way of cutting their costs inorder to acheive a profitable margin. But, I would bet that the heavy discounting drove them away again.

By the way. If C3 is only going to have one aircraft to operate both the YYZ and YVR to Delhi flights, what happens when it goes mechanical. They don't have another aircraft to fly the route.

Yes, their ability to make a profit could perhaps be linked to the relative strength of the Indian Rupee and the economy in general!

Actually, I doubt the relative strength of the INR is going to be nearly as much problem as the Indian forex restrictions.

C3K will pull in revenue in INR which will offset its local expenses--salaries, rent, commissions, landing fees, etc.

However, if the bulk of their income is Indian origin, they are going to have a hard time pulling any of that money back in to Canada.

That's what ultimately killed AC's Indian services--it wasn't that they couldn't earn money, it was that they couldn't realize any of the income.

Well, that's C3K for you. I've seen them regularly post 5-6 hour delays on their YYZ-Europe flights. You pay for what you get; if you're a price-sensitive leisure traveller, you take that risk.

What is the status of UA's flights to Delhi, on their RTW flights from London, and Hong Kong, respectively? How many times a week, do these flights operate?

One of the earlier posts stated that the transpolar service from USA to Delhi is discontinued - do you mean the above flights (although, I would not think they are transpolar routes)?

UA still flies daily IAD-LHR-DEL-HKG-LAX-IAD service, as well as one the other way daily. However, credible rumours from company HQ suggest that the flights will soon be scaled down to three times a week in one direction and four in the other to/from DEL, given the poor loads in business and first.

UA considered a ORD-DEL non-stop polar service two years ago but eventually decided the economics didn't make sense. AC has also dropped plans to fly YYZ-LHR-DEL.