if Air Canada(AC) take over Air Transat(TS) ................. rather than another operator that would be in direct competition with AC .........
https://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?c=setreg®ion=3&m_id=s~s~Y!bdv& w_id=36099&news_id=2037257
then TS could fly routes like Vancouver)(YVR/Abbotsford(YXX) to Hawaii (HNL or Maui OGG or other Hawiian port) then onto Australia.
They could simply start seasonally esp over DEC-JAN period when demand is huge & just like Qantas do SYD/HNL(both Qantas & Jetstar fly this route nonstop, aimed at different market segments)
so eg.
AC fly YVR/HNL & YVR/BNE, YVR/SYD & YVR/MEL
& TS fly YVR/OGG & then onto BNE, SYD & MEL or perhaps rather than BNE, fly to OOL & rather than MEL fly to AVV. Twice a week would work. TS could say direct to Australia(via Hawaii), while AC could offer the nonstops.
Perhaps instead of AC doing twice a day YVR/HNL & YVR/OGG in peak periods in B737 max 8s they, could give some of these flights to TS & use a widebody with more basic service, which continues onto Australia or New Zealand or even Fiji(if the Fijians will allow them traffic rights). There's huge demand for low cost long haul. The likes of Scoot are having an impact on what big boys can charge Australia to Europe. Australia & probably the rest of the world are heading into one massive recession, where low costs will boom at the expense of full service carriers.
From memory Canada 3000 flew same 340 seat A330-200 aircraft something like YYZ/YVR/HNL/NAN/BNE/SYD/AKL/RAR/HNL/YVR/YYZ once a week in each direction. (not sure about Fiji stop, but I did fly YVR/NAN once on Canada 3000)
+ don't think AC flies Calgary YYC/HNL (Westjet WS does twice a week using a 767-300ER in peak periods at least)
+ WS flies EdmontonYEG/OGG twice a week using 767-300ERs & AC doesn't & no one seems to fly YEG/HNL at all.
AC seems to want to push everyone via YVR.
YXX is perfect low cost airport as alternative to YVR. Have never flown out of YXX, but it seems to be close to most of Vancouver population & closer to anyone living just east of Vancouver
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