navigator4309

The problem with YHZ is that these routes just don't seem to have worked, and I say that begrudgingly having lived there a few years and completely empathising with you.

YHZ has lost so much service, but carriers don't dump routes that are profitable, or at least more profitable than other alternatives with the aircraft and slots. Fares at YHZ are high, even by Canadian standards, but no one seemed keen to drop them to stimulate traffic (and though anecdotal, most trans-border flights I took out of YHZ were full at those high fares and still they've been cut). The loss of smaller equipment among the big US carriers' regionals definitely has to have been a big factor for a lot of lost service. [Also worth noting that the US carriers never did themselves any favours by seeming to cancel YHZ on a whim whenever the slightest bit of IRROPS surfaced (I took the added time through YYZ or YUL on a few occasions when I felt I just couldn't risk it, especially in winter).]

If DL can somehow overcome what hasn't worked in the past, that will be great, but I'd be cautious there; WS' operation isn't exactly massive in YHZ. They may get some feed traffic to routes in Atlantic Canada and a few low-yield tourists to WS' translantic flights, but I'd say it's still going to be a challenge. That said, it's bizarre to think that YHZ has so much less service than even just a few years ago even though the industry has had record profits; it was only 2014 or so when I remember several flights to PHL and UA had 3-4 daily to EWR. You'd hope someone could make something work, but costs are rising again and economics less stabile, so it'll be an uphill climb.