FlyerGoldII

Ogdensburg NY is 1 hr south of Ottawa on the freeway (416).

Right now, a lot of people at work who are cost conscious do not mind driving to Ogdensburg (Cape Air serves that airport via Albany NY as a hub) or more often to Syracuse NY, to fly to US destinations - they feel that the ticket prices from YOW on AC to US destinations are exorbitant.

Imagine what will happen when Allegiant starts serving Ogdensburg late next year (link: http://www.ogd.com/article/20141125/OGD/141129041).

I think, just like Bellingham for Vancouver, Ogdensburg will label itself as an international airport - as it will be serving Canadian travelers!

drvannostren

It'll be interesting, BLI I don't think steals much traffic from YVR. I think what it does is just offers prospective travelers options. I don't think many work travelers are driving to BLI to hop on a Horizon flight to SEA then NY or whatever. But for a family of 4 who wanna take a vacation, they might find a good price on Alaska to Hawaii or perhaps Allegiant to Vegas/LA. Though Allegiant's rep isn't too stellar from the travelers I've heard from.

The other thing is, in our case, with SEA not that much farther it's also a good option.

Not saying this won't work, but I don't see travelers en masse leaving YOW behind for this.

DealAddict

Not really into going to Ogdensburg from Ottawa to take a flight on Allegiant.

YEGTigger

Especially given the fact that Allegiant is one of the three Airlines that charge for Carry On Bags in addition to Checked Bags. A family that fails to notice that the first time and gets caught may not return a second time.

PhotoJim

Alegiant already flies from MOT (Minot ND) but since it's a four-hour drive from YQR, WestJet gets my business when I fly to LAS. (AC connects in YYC.)

HerpaYvr

That is great news! When we lived in Ottawa we passed through Ogdensburg NY on our way to Syracuse to fly both United and US Airways as Ottawa has expensive air travel prices, IMHO. Funny thing AC flies from SYR to YYZ and cheaper than if you started your flight from YOW or YYZ!!

Every time we drove through Ogdensburg NY I always said to my wife, why cant Spirit, Southwest or Allegiant fly from this dead town, it would pump so much Canadian money into this once thriving community.

Flown Allegiant from Bellingham, WA and Great Falls, MT to Vegas and I think it was $24.95 and we took no extra's, so cheap, cheap!

For those not in the 1%, this will be a big savings, and provide weekend getaway opportunities for many more. Too bad we are no longer there to enjoy this. Allegiant provides those cheap getaways where the focus is on the destination and not the flying experience.

shaner82

Didn't know that until just now. But that means I will never fly with this airline. I don't like surprise charges at the airport. I prefer to have an all inclusive price, even if it is a bit higher. I want to know exactly what I'm paying. So I'll pay more to fly another airline that doesn't charge for carry on

robsaw

Those airlines don't survive at BLI with optional passengers but ones that actually buy tickets. The gate, parking, etc expansion at BLI was precisely because of ex-YVR travelers. While the volume is certainly not a threat to the existence of YVR it draws real, measurable traffic that used to go to YVR.

freeflyer

Allegiant charges for large sized carry on bags. One measuring 16 x 15 x 7 inches can be brought aboard for free (i.e. a personal item). It's made clear when booking a ticket on their website.

Food, coats, umbrellas, reading material, and a few other things can also be brought aboard without charge.

drvannostren

Right you are, but I think an airline that like doesn't concern themselves there.

Obviously all airlines want repeat business, but I think in some cases, Spirit and Allegiant included, I think they get enough purchases out of curiosity and cheapness that they can afford to lose customers. Plus when they ding people for those fees they get that money, so if you catch a family on Spirit with another $800 in fees, hey that's like having them fly again!

I'm not sure how one would figure this out, but I feel like Spirit probably doesn't value/hates their frequent fliers, because those would be the people who play the game as well as the airline, they'll travel with no bags at all, or just prepaid carryon, buy no drinks, don't pay for the big seat etc etc to keep the fare as bare bottom as possible.

drvannostren

I'll take your word for it. Obviously it's doing well enough to keep all 3 airports open. My point is that I think people that are buying them are often people that otherwise wouldn't take the vacation in the first place. If Allegiant can undercut Rouge to LAS then people might chose to take a trip. I'm just saying I don't think it hurts AC/WS as much as the OP did. I think Allegiant opens itself to more passengers than just the original ones AC/WS had. The ultra low cost pax, if that's a way to phrase it.

To this point, I only know about 4 people/groups who've gone down there. A couple hated it and had horrible experiences, a couple were fine with it. In the same vein, half went because it was a cheap and close option, the others went as opportunistic people who had a couple days free and saw a cheap fare. Those are the passengers specifically that I'm talking about.

CZBB

ROTFL; you're kidding right? You don't think that 75% of the cars in the parking lot being from BC is a sign of 'stealing' from YVR? Of course BLI steals traffic from YVR. Hell, Alaska's BLI-LAS even uses the same flight numbers as their cancelled YVR-LAS service.

And the stealing is actually from the US Government. The reason YVR-USA flights are expensive is large US (not Canadian) taxes on Intl flights entering the USA. It's $30-50 cheaper to fly USA-CANADA than the other way around.

Drive across the border (for free) and fly domestically; and that goes away.

24left

I know a few in Montreal who are happy to do the short drive from where they live to Plattsburgh NY and fly Spirit down to FLL. They know all the rules and restrictions, they have even signed up for Spirit's "$9 Club" (which costs $$), but these are people who have checked in advance as to what the extra costs are, and chose the ones that suit them. All are now repeat flyers.

Will these carriers make a dent in the Canadian markets nearby? Not for me to say. But obviously for now, there are just enough people willing to fly them to make it work. (I'd be interested to know what % of a typical Spirit flight to FLL are from Quebec vs locals from upstate NY)

Transpacificflyer

Allegiant is more of an Air Canada Vacations on Rouge type of experience and they specialize in offering hotels & vehicle rentals. One has to click through when making a purchase. The process also requires one to click through carry-on, checked bags, seat reservations, boarding pass and priority boarding options. It is a well structured purchase format with transparency that is easy to understand. Nothing is hidden. The additional charges are quite reasonable.


Personal Item - FREE One per passenger.Must be placed under the seat in front of you. Examples: Purse, briefcase, laptop

Carry-on Bag - $10 - $30 online, $50 - $75 at airport per bag, each way Max Weight: 25lb / 11kg One per passenger. Must fit in the overhead bin space. Examples: Roll-aboard bag, garment bag

Checked Bags - $15 - $35 online, $50 - $75 at airport per bag, each way Max Weight: 40lb / 18kg Additional charges apply to overweight, oversized, sporting equipment and excess baggage.

Priority Boarding - Now, just $5.00 each way!

The way Allegiant declares the charges makes it much easier to understand for the infrequent leisure traveler. Air Canada in comparison offers a bit of a cumbersome process that is not as clear. Even with the extra charges, the cost savings will be their for travelers on a tight budget. The base fares are significantly lower than Canadian counterparts.

I won't fly budget carriers like Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant and the imitation LCC Rouge because you get what you pay for. For people who prefer quality over cost, they will continue to pick mainline Canadian carriers over the US LCCs and Rouge.

LittleYHZ

The Dollar dropping to 82 cents has ended this party. Its Cheaper to fly YVR to LAX than BLI to LAX most days, and you don't have to drive.

One of the things I've noticed since I started deal hunting is the gap has disappeared. Canada to Asia for example is cheaper than most US cities to Asia. The same goes for Europe.

This is the impact of the AC density strategy combined with a low Canadian Dollar. Its made US carriers uncompetitive.