Joe Airman

This was told to me third hand today.

The source was an AC (or Jazz) pilot who flys out of (I think) YYJ (or in or near YVR). Supposedly AC/Jazz will end service to Victoria and London (YXU) sometime in late March or Early April.

Maybe this is bogus (ie April fools joke). Maybe it's real. Anyone know for sure?

Shareholder

It is hardly likely AC will drop two cities that feed so much traffic into its mainline domestic, transborder and overseas routes. London has a catchment of considerable territory, and is a major business and education centre that can certainly generate enough commercial traffic, as well as leisure traffic from a fairly upscale income group. Same goes for Victoria, which is a provincial capital, and were AC to pull out of that city, it would bring down considerable pressure. As well, in season, tourist traffic is also a major factor in air service to that city. I suggest your source has been smoking too much BC Gold and needs to come down o earth. Obviously, AC could contract these routes [YYJ-YVR and YYZ-YXU] out to a smaller regional carrier, but there are many more such regional routes that this would be done on before getting to cities the level of Victoria and London.

Luubert

I don't know about YYJ but I highly doubt that AC will drop service to YXU. AC doesn't have any competition as they are the only carrier at YXU to offer service to YYZ and YOW as WestJet offers service to YYC and YWG and NW goes to DTW. The only trouble I see for AC is customers trying to connect to somewhere out west or going down to the US would rather fly NW or WestJet.

Ben Smith

The rumour is not true. AC will continue to offer more flights than all other carriers combined from each of these cities.

Doc Fraud

FYI, Ben Smith is a senior executive with AC. Rumour DEAD!

DF

LeSabre74

Don't know why Mr. Smith didn't clarify this, but Jazz is closing their crew bases in those 2 cities, and in YQB. They are NOT ending service to them. In addition their base in YHZ is being greatly downsized (odd since their HQ is there).

Joe Airman

Person X (not someone I know directly) has a neighbor that was trying to book a flight out of YXU to YYZ to Cuba. Was told by the travel agent that he wouldn't be able to book flights out of YXU after March 19.

Relative of person X is a pilot (Jazz pilot based in Victoria) who says yea, operations are closing down in YXU and YYJ around that time. The pilot thinks he's out of a job unless he moves to Vancouver.

So if it's just the crew bases that are closing in Victoria and YXU, then the travel agent has it wrong.

By the way, what will / what does it mean (service-wise) when a crew base at a given location shuts down?

Academic

The crew base shift was announced a while ago. Flight crew have the option of moving to the new base (YVR/YYZ) or commute. It should have no impact on service. It could be that the AC Vacations flights are not doing that routing any more.

Doc Fraud

Shows available on Aircanada.com for $805 on March 22, 2005.

Can't check the loads because Sabre won't carry a Cuba bound flight.

DF

exAC

It puts the crews where the flights are. YXU and YYJ are not places where the aircraft are hubbed. YVR and YYZ are.

DanJ

AC's website is still showing Jazz flights to yyz for next January. Also, there hasn't been any talk here of Jazz closing the maintenance facility, so I don't think it would make sense to deadhead the planes here when they already run them here with (many) passsengers.