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AC 838/839 Winter Changes; Air Canada drops Ottawa-Frankfurt flight for winter

AC 838/839 Winter Changes; Air Canada drops Ottawa-Frankfurt flight for winter

Old Aug 31, 2014, 3:11 pm
  #16  
 
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Air Canada drops Ottawa-Frankfurt flight for winter

Air Canada is dropping its non-stop flights from Ottawa to Frankfurt, Germany for the winter season starting October 25, 2014.
An airline spokesman told CTV Ottawa in an email the decision to suspend the flight is due to lower travel demand from Ottawa to Europe during winter months.
Ottawa-Frankfurt service will resume March 28, 2015.


Read more: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/air-canada-...#ixzz3C0S2aXWG

Too bad, I had this flight booked for November.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 3:27 pm
  #17  
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That's certainly disappointing. It's not uncommon to see the frequency of some flights drop to 4-5 flights per week in winter, but I'm surprised there's not enough demand to fill a 763, especially since quite a few government folks book this flight year-round.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 4:28 pm
  #18  
 
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Dang...my parents are booked on FRA-YOW in December.
Time to find an alternative route.
Why can't AC just reduce the frequency on this route instead of completely dropping it..
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 6:05 pm
  #19  
 
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Ah yes, this route. I remember hearing about it a while back. Apparently it was a very important route for AC and Transport Canada. So important, apparently, that AC's CEO used it to illustrate the need for protecting AC.

Air Canada's Rovinescu cites Ottawa-Frankfurt as an example. "When you look at who travels on this flight, only 15% are people going between Ottawa and Frankfurt. The other 85% are connecting in Frankfurt to fly somewhere else. If another carrier siphons off even just the 15% headed for the Middle East, then the route is no longer viable."
And here we are four years later, with YEG-LHR and YOW-FRA reduced to seasonal services and a couple of thousand jobs at Aveos gone for good measure.

I'm sure there are perfectly legitimate reasons for these 'developments'. However, one cannot help but marvel at the cynicism involved: "Protect us to protect these routes...which we'll scrap for completely unrelated reasons whenever it suits us". It almost seems...dishonest.

I wonder if Transport Canada will hold them to account. One would expect that a transport authority that agrees to protect an airline on the basis of protecting certain routes, will notice - and take issue - with the erosion of those routes. Not that I expect them to.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 6:38 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by yulred
Ah yes, this route. I remember hearing about it a while back. Apparently it was a very important route for AC and Transport Canada. So important, apparently, that AC's CEO used it to illustrate the need for protecting AC.



And here we are four years later, with YEG-LHR and YOW-FRA reduced to seasonal services and a couple of thousand jobs at Aveos gone for good measure.

I'm sure there are perfectly legitimate reasons for these 'developments'. However, one cannot help but marvel at the cynicism involved: "Protect us to protect these routes...which we'll scrap for completely unrelated reasons whenever it suits us". It almost seems...dishonest.

I wonder if Transport Canada will hold them to account. One would expect that a transport authority that agrees to protect an airline on the basis of protecting certain routes, will notice - and take issue - with the erosion of those routes. Not that I expect them to.
We don't ask for protection we ask for a level playing field.
There have been some changes since the flights you mentioned were introduced.
Iceland was granted open skies to Canada on a promise to fly year-round service to YHZ. This never materialized. YEG offered an incentive to FI to fly to YEG and unfortunately the YEG-tatlantic market could not support 2 players during the slow winter so we redeployed our asset to a more lucrative opportunity.
Canada unlike the US and many other countries does not mandate gvt employees to fly locally based airlines. The recently introduced increase in ON jet fuel tax does not help either.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 6:42 pm
  #21  
alc
 
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Here is the thread that talk about this change:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...r-changes.html
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 6:57 pm
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Ben Smith
Canada unlike the US and many other countries does not mandate gvt employees to fly locally based airlines.
Interesting point.

I always assumed the vast majority of government employees (both domestic and foreign) travelling between YOW and Europe/Africa/ME/certain parts of Asia would book the FRA/LHR-YOW flights operated by AC since:

(1) those are the only non-stop options between YOW and Europe
(2) any alternative routing via the US is far from convenient, especially since most flights are operated by regional jets
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 7:05 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Interesting point.

I always assumed the vast majority of government employees (both domestic and foreign) travelling between YOW and Europe/Africa/ME/certain parts of Asia would book the FRA/LHR-YOW flights operated by AC since:

(1) those are the only non-stop options between YOW and Europe
(2) any alternative routing via the US is far from convenient, especially since most flights are operated by regional jets
Many people fly AF and KL from YOW. Both offer dedicated bus service between YOWYUL.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 7:13 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by Ben Smith
Many people fly AF and KL from YOW. Both offer dedicated bus service between YOWYUL.
Thanks. I know about the bus service, but would have never thought that any government employees, especially those flying J, would ever consider that option due to the time wasted as well as the vastly inferior J products offered by AF/KL (though they're finally updating the product on some aircrafts).
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 7:25 pm
  #25  
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On a more positive note: It seems as if AC876/877 YYZ-FRA is operated by a 77L this winter. Is this confirmed?

If so, it's certainly an improvement compared to the 763 (and occasional 333) during the winter months a few years ago.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 7:30 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Interesting point.

I always assumed the vast majority of government employees (both domestic and foreign) travelling between YOW and Europe/Africa/ME/certain parts of Asia would book the FRA/LHR-YOW flights operated by AC since:

(1) those are the only non-stop options between YOW and Europe
(2) any alternative routing via the US is far from convenient, especially since most flights are operated by regional jets
(1) AF, KL, LX all operate bus service from the Ottawa train station to YUL. While not my cup of tea, other fliers may be enticed.
(2) Govt travellers are entitled to business class if the total travel time exceeds a certain fixed length (8 or 9 hrs). Adding a connection may mean the difference between front or back of the bus.
--
13F
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 9:10 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by Ben Smith
We don't ask for protection we ask for a level playing field.
There have been some changes since the flights you mentioned were introduced.
Iceland was granted open skies to Canada on a promise to fly year-round service to YHZ. This never materialized. YEG offered an incentive to FI to fly to YEG and unfortunately the YEG-tatlantic market could not support 2 players during the slow winter so we redeployed our asset to a more lucrative opportunity.
Canada unlike the US and many other countries does not mandate gvt employees to fly locally based airlines. The recently introduced increase in ON jet fuel tax does not help either.
In your view as usual. Too bad you cast your lot with YYC and now it has backfired in YEG.

Question for you: Did you ever receive a subsidy when you reintroduced YEG-LHR? Just asking.

Last edited by ProudEdmontonian; Aug 31, 2014 at 9:15 pm
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 9:26 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by agjil
Why can't AC just reduce the frequency on this route instead of completely dropping it..
Probably because they wouldn't make enough money to justify the cost of operating it, even at a reduced frequency.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 9:35 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by ProudEdmontonian
In your view as usual. Too bad you cast your lot with YYC and now it has backfired in YEG.

Question for you: Did you ever receive a subsidy when you reintroduced YEG-LHR? Just asking.
Not sure what YYC has to do with YEG-LHR service?

Nonetheless, I hear YEG is no gold mine either. UA terminating YEG-EWR.
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Old Aug 31, 2014, 9:43 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by winnipegrev
Not sure what YYC has to do with YEG-LHR service?/
The master plan is that YEG shall remain forever captive through whatever means and all traffic ex-Canada must go through YYZ/YYC/YVR no matter what.

Yet the ingrates in YEG refuse to abide by the plan and fly YEG-YYC-LHR or preferably YEG-YYZ-everywhere in the world.

Nonetheless, I hear YEG is no gold mine either. UA terminating YEG-EWR.
UA has slashed routes everywhere as they attempt to right the ship from the poor merger.

UA will be back in the spring on a seasonal basis.

Last edited by ProudEdmontonian; Aug 31, 2014 at 9:48 pm
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