Swoop Cannibalization of WestJet Routes

[AvifiskAlly]

Pretty hilarious to see that GS just created a two-tier pay system and there are actually pilots buying it as a good idea. WJ is so flush with cash, that to say that lower wages are "needed" in order to compete with upstarts is laughable at best. The shareholders just want a bigger slice of cake, and they want those "overpaid pilots" to foot the expense.

Do you guys realize that they are only creating a tool to whip-saw against WJ WACON and create division??? It is simply a coordinated ATTACK on wages. Union busting 101......simple. Divide and conquer.

Exceptionally narrowminded

At Air Canada, huge bargaining capital is being utterly wasted by ACPA on trying to bring Rouge back up to Mainline standards. Not one pilot at Air Canada voted for Rouge when it was initially created, it was brought on by the ineptitude of our colluding MEC that bought in to the concept that high pilot wages are indeed a "problem" that was in need of a "solution".......ridiculous. If the difference in crew wages between WJ/Swoop or Mainline/Rouge is the only thing making the entity profitable, then either Company should NOT be doing it at all.

Pilots are SO THICK. (I can say that because I am one)

DP.

[Longtimer]

Get your 'freq' on: Swoop announces increased frequency with addition of fourth aircraft

News provided by
Swoop
08:00 ET 
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13 weekly flights added on Hamilton routes for high summer season

CALGARY, March 22, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, Swoop announced the addition of a fourth Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and an increased weekly frequency schedule out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport beginning August 16, 2018.





The announcement comes less than two months after Swoop announced its initial schedule release on February 1, with service starting from Abbotsford, Hamilton, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Halifax, beginning June 20, 2018.

The addition of a fourth aircraft will increase weekly frequency almost two-fold for Hamilton-Edmonton and Hamilton-Abbotsford, while service from Hamilton to Halifax and Winnipeg will now be offered daily.

"We're excited to get growing with the addition of our fourth aircraft." said Steven Greenway, President of Swoop, who joined the company earlier this month. "The increased frequency schedule allows us to offer travellers even more opportunity and flexibility to explore Canada or visit family and friends during the peak summer season."

"We are thrilled that after only seven weeks in market, Swoop is already increasing frequency out of Hamilton International. The addition of the 13 weekly flights provides passengers with even more flexibility when travelling to key regional destinations." said Cathie Puckering, President & CEO, John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. "Last year 599,146 passengers flew to and from Hamilton International and we are excited about the growth we are already seeing in 2018."

Overall, the increase will see Swoop operating 59 weekly flights as of August 16, 2018.

Details of Swoop's increased service:

An increase of 13 weekly flights will almost double the daily frequency between Hamilton-Edmonton and Hamilton-Abbotsford as well add 1 weekly flight to the schedule for Hamilton-Halifax and Hamilton-Winnipeg.



•Hamilton-Edmonton increases from 7 to 13 times weekly
•Hamilton-Abbotsford increases from 6 to 11 times weekly*
•Hamilton-Halifax increases from 6 to 7 times weekly
•Hamilton-Winnipeg increases from 6 to 7 times weekly

*The Hamilton-Abbotsford frequency schedule will increase from August 16-September 5 only, reverting to 6 weekly flights from September 6 - December 13, 2018.

Swoop is celebrating – or salebrating - with some special fares:

Starting today, Swoop is celebrating the addition of the fourth aircraft and increased weekly frequency schedule with the release of 3500 seats at the special fares† detailed in the table below:



 Release contains wide tables.
View fullscreen.




Departing

Arriving

Air transportation
charges (ATC)

Base fare from

Taxes, fees and
charges

Total one-way
price from


Abbotsford

Edmonton

$39.55

$9.45

$49.00*CAD


Edmonton

Abbotsford

$9.55

$39.45

$49.00*CAD


Hamilton

Winnipeg

$28.94

$40.06

$69.00*CAD


Winnipeg

Hamilton

$33.59

$35.41

$69.00*CAD


Hamilton

Halifax

$55.49

$43.51

$99.00*CAD


Halifax

Hamilton

$50.97

$48.03

$99.00*CAD


Hamilton

Abbotsford

$55.49

$43.51

$99.00*CAD


Abbotsford

Hamilton

$87.17

$11.83

$99.00*CAD


Edmonton

Hamilton

$76.21

$42.79

$119.00*CAD


Hamilton

Edmonton

$73.19

$45.81

$119.00*CAD


†Book by March 27, 2018 (11:59 p.m. MT) for travel between June 20-June 30 and/or August 16-December 13, 2018. 3500 seats available. Some blackout dates and restrictions apply. For more details, please visit FlySwoop.com/deals, and spend the savings on yourself.

To learn more about Swoop's destinations, schedule and ultra-low-cost model visit FlySwoop.com or connect with Swoop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

[brooks]

Rouge Expansion is progressing nicely I see...

Air Canada to expand domestic Rouge offerings amid increased low-cost competition
GREG KEENAN AIRLINE INDUSTRY REPORTER
PUBLISHED APRIL 30, 2018

Air Canada will expand the domestic offerings of its Rouge discount brand this summer as the competition from ultralow-cost carriers heats up over Canada’s skies.

As Flair Airlines increases its service and WestJet Airlines Ltd. introduces its Swoop ultralow-cost unit, Rouge will add flights between Montreal and Victoria, and between Toronto and the B.C. cities of Nanaimo and Kelowna.

The moves come as Air Canada increases the number of planes in the Rouge network to 53 from 50 after an agreement with its pilots last year permitted the expansion of the brand.

The introduction of Rouge – with its lower operating costs than Air Canada’s mainline service – on those routes is also part of a new effort to cut expenses amid higher fuel prices that hit Air Canada during the first quarter.

“When we are in cost-reduction mode, we’re going to look at all opportunities,” Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu said Monday.

“Think of it as an additional tool in our cost-transformation program arsenal that we can deploy Rouge on regional routes,” Mr. Rovinescu said during a conference call on the first-quarter results. The program is designed to trim costs by $250-million.

The larger Rouge Airbus planes can replace smaller regional aircraft on many regional routes, thus reducing costs.

Between Halifax and St. John’s, for example, Air Canada operates five to six flights a day, but using larger planes, it could reduce that by one or two flights depending on the season, Ben Smith, Air Canada’s president of passenger airlines, said on the call.

Air Canada has also expanded its economy fare offerings, including a rock-bottom basic fare, as a means of fighting back against increased competition in the domestic market.

“The basic fare was put in to have something ready in case we need to use that fare surgically in certain domestic markets,” Mr. Smith said.

That fare will not be available across the board, he said, but “we’ll use it when and where necessary.”

Air Canada carried more passengers in the first quarter than it did a year earlier, but it cost the airline more to get them to their destinations, leading to a loss of $170-million, or 62 cents a share, compared with a loss of $13-million, or 5 cents, a year earlier.

Fuel costs rose 16 per cent to 73.3 cents a litre from 63.2 cents in the first quarter of 2017.

“We are dealing with that by raising prices where we can [and] by accelerating cost reductions where we can,” Mike Rousseau, Air Canada’s chief financial officer, said on the call.

The airline expects fuel prices to average 77 cents during the second quarter and overall costs per available seat mile to rise between 0.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent.

It is expecting costs for the full year to range between a drop of 0.5 per cent and an increase of 1 per cent.