YXUFlyboy

As a YYC-based flier I am very interested to see what happens to the 763 routes as all remaining mainline 763s will exit the fleet this year. When the Dreamliners launched, YYC had regular 788/789 service. With the oil crash and AC's shift in strategy to focus on YVR (even more than it did before), I don't see many 788/789/333s at YYC except for subs and Christmas.

Rumour is that AC moves a ton of cargo YYZ-YYC which makes having the widebodies and signature service worthwhile (S19 schedule has 2-3 763s on this trunk route again, same as winter) and of course there is YYC-NRT. Any prognostications on YYC service? I was hopeful but see new routes like YVR-AKL taking frames.

What about the other 763 routes, such as YOW-FRA (summer seasonal)? Will these move to 7M8 aircraft? Think they also use a frame for YYZ-DUB in winter.

Adam Smith

Are you forgetting about the 2x daily 789 (most days) to LHR/FRA?

Good question overall though. The 789 and 333 both have a lot more capacity than the 763s. Even the 788 (255 seats) is a 20% increase over the 763 (211 seats).

If only the 788 didn't have so many issues, maybe it would be a better fit to buy some more and just deal with the upgauge, but that doesn't seem likely. The Boeing NMA might be a better replacement for some of the shorter routes the 763 used to ply - it would be just fine throughout North America and some of the shorter Europe routes that have more demand than a 7M8 can handle - but wouldn't have the range to do some of the longer TATL routes or TPACs.

YXUFlyboy

Sorry - EXCEPT those routes. Important, but yes. Still, question remains if we will see replacement aircraft to YYZ and NRT, and if NRT survives.

Adam Smith

Other than pods for the redeye, YYZ could potentially just be addressed with higher frequency. But yes, for long-haul from YYC, NRT is the big question. I wouldn't hold out much hope given it's seasonal and less than daily already.

nave888

Agreed with YYC-NRT...With so much YVR-YYC capacity/frequency, I really wonder if its worth it to AC to use one of their few 788s to make the direct YYC flight worth it?

As for a few others, my guesses:

YOW-LHR - MAX with seasonal 333 (I believe it used to be a 333 in the summer?)
YYC/YEG-YYZ - more frequency with MAX and 321s. That said, it seems that there are certain times of day that could make a 789 or 77L work on YYC (ie. 8am westbound to YYC, returning at noon - or 8pm westbound and red-eye back to YYZ).
YYZ-DUB - MAX with seasonal 333.
YYZ-MXP - 333. Big capacity increase, but I don't think they'd cut the route.
YYZ-MAD - maybe Rouge? If not, 333.

Even with just a few frames left, the 763 sure is an important plane for AC! It'll be interesting to see how they deal with the end of the 767 era!

YXUFlyboy

I've heard from other fliers that AC runs a ton of cargo YYC-YYZ and the narrowbodies would be harder to load because they don't accept a certain pre-loaded container size. In addition, there is something to be said for maintaining "signature service" to YYZ for a seamless connection experience for paid J. WS looks like they will maintain a 789 frame on this route; AC may wish to be competitive or they may not care?

If AC kills NRT, there is always the possibility WS will pick it up, but I still think ICN is a higher priority for them if they decide to launch any Asia flights ex-YYC.

Adam Smith

I don't know anything about the cargo.

As for Signature Service the whole way, I'm not sure that holds up. The midday 763 YYZ-YYC is okay for some connections to Europe, but not great, and there's no widebody in the evening on YYZ-YYC to pick up people coming back (the 20:55 departure makes for a stupidly long layover). They would need to run a few daily widebodies to make that concept work.

WS has been very incremental with their international expansion so far. I think they're a very long way from doing anything TPAC. Consolidate and densify Europe first. And even when they start going TPAC, not sure YYC is the place to do it from, given the limited size of that market.

YXUFlyboy

Summer widebodies -
AC 144 - arrives in YYZ @ 1702
AC 010 - arrives in YYZ @ 1837
AC 156 - arrives in YYZ @ 0530 (red eye)

AC 137 - arrives at YYC @ 1000
AC 009 - arrives at YYC @ 1114
AC 151 - arrives at YYC @ 2044 (1835 departure at YYZ)

YXUFlyboy

In the east to Europe they can replace 763s with one of the many 7M8 aircraft they have (like YYZ-SNN which seems random). YOW may even pick up a destination or two in summer. In the west, we are too far from either Europe or Asia to use a 7M8.

CanadaDH

I don't normally like cancellations, but was pleasantly surprised this morning to find my AC150 on a 737 was cancelled and replaced with a 777-300 an hour later from YYC to YYZ. Unless, of course, I get a deflated seat.

I typically book the morning 763 to YYC and will miss the widebody option in the future.

ridefar

CZAMFlyer

The AC150 replacement aircraft was written as 777-300.

lespoir

I still prefer 787 as an airplane, to 767, which makes things worse: instead of flying direct from YYC to NRT (I do a couple times a year), I always route YVR options. Years ago they had 787 on YYC-NRT and I always used the route.

yyznomad

That was brief, though, IIRC. Come to think of it, that was in 2017, so only a couple years, IIRC.
AC 9/10 and 888 have basically been 763s for as long as I can remember. But yeah, as you allude, if 9/10 goes back to a DreamCabin, I would give that some additional consideration over 3/4.

lespoir