New Routes

[bmc]

Continental has a huge hub in Houston. Not all traffic from YYC is going to HOU. On top of that, you have other hubs to access it, depending on your FFP affinity.

[whiteguy]

Why doesnt Westjet do Calgary-Houston? I cant understand that.There is so many people travelling between Calgary and Houston. Industry wise they are almost sister cities. I bellieve Continental alone does it 4 times a day. I think WJ could get a big piece of that pie. As for Dogshit, the RNP shortgates and .78 makes WJ money. WJ doesnt need government handouts.

You just answered your own question... between Continental and Jazz, market is saturated.

So was YEG-YZF with Jazz, Cdn Nrth, and First AIr, didn't stop them there.

[W5]

Media Advisory - WestJet to make new service announcement
Press Release
Source: WestJet
On Thursday October 1, 2009, 7:03 pm EDT
Buzz up! 0 Print.CALGARY, Oct. 1 /CNW/ - Joined by Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel and Reg Milley, President and CEO of the Edmonton Airport Authority, WestJet will make a major announcement at Edmonton City Hall on Friday, October 2, 2009, regarding new non-stop service from Edmonton International Airport.


Date: Friday, October 2, 2009

Time: 1:00 p.m. MT

[W5]

WestJet to launch non-stop flights to Hawaii from Calgary, Edmonton


By Gina Teel, Calgary HeraldOctober 2, 2009 11:02 AMBe the first to post a comment

CALGARY - WestJet Airlines Ltd. will offer non-stop flights to Hawaii from Calgary and Edmonton starting in March.

The eight week runs will offer non-stop flights from Calgary to both Maui and Honolulu, and Edmonton to Maui, through to the end of April.

WestJet, Canada’s second-largest carrier, currently flies to Hawaii, but doesn’t offer non-stop flights.

The Calgary-based carrier will make the official announcement later today and said unlike its main competitor, it will offer non-stop flights from Edmonton to Maui.

The wait is related to aircraft availability. WestJet will take delivery of six new aircraft between now and March, part of its confirmed orders for 54 aircraft through 2016, and those aircraft will be used for the new flights and other new destinations on its winter schedule.

Earlier this year, Air Canada announced it will begin direct flights to Hawaii from Calgary in December. The carrier will offer up to five weekly flights from Calgary.

Canda's biggest airline already offers 15 weekly flights during peak winter from Vancouver to Hawaii.

© Copyright © The Calgary Herald

[whiteguy]

WestJet to launch non-stop flights to Hawaii from Calgary, Edmonton


By Gina Teel, Calgary HeraldOctober 2, 2009 11:02 AMBe the first to post a comment

CALGARY - WestJet Airlines Ltd. will offer non-stop flights to Hawaii from Calgary and Edmonton starting in March.

The eight week runs will offer non-stop flights from Calgary to both Maui and Honolulu, and Edmonton to Maui, through to the end of April.

WestJet, Canada’s second-largest carrier, currently flies to Hawaii, but doesn’t offer non-stop flights.

The Calgary-based carrier will make the official announcement later today and said unlike its main competitor, it will offer non-stop flights from Edmonton to Maui.

The wait is related to aircraft availability. WestJet will take delivery of six new aircraft between now and March, part of its confirmed orders for 54 aircraft through 2016, and those aircraft will be used for the new flights and other new destinations on its winter schedule.

Earlier this year, Air Canada announced it will begin direct flights to Hawaii from Calgary in December. The carrier will offer up to five weekly flights from Calgary.

Canda's biggest airline already offers 15 weekly flights during peak winter from Vancouver to Hawaii.

© Copyright © The Calgary Herald

But can they do it with a full load?

[Tiny Voices]

No. The flights will be capped. At what number I'm not sure.

[balfour]

95ish.

[circlingfor69]

95....ouch. Gotta wonder if it's worth it.

[Flightlevels]

Considering we make money around 70 to 75% LF, depending on the route, I would say yes it's worth it. I accomplishes a couple things as well.
Protects market share and erodes our competitors yield. Makes sense to me.

[Donald]

Is protecting market share and eroding competitor yield, worth taking a loss on an individual route?

Just curious, how is the profit share/stock price doing these days (honest question)?

[Flightlevels]

pretty common for any airline, it's done all the time to protect market share and yield. I don't think we will lose money though.

[Troubleshot]

I think it is good that WJ is standing their ground, even at break-even it is still the right thing to do from a business stand point (in the overall picture).

[FICU]

Considering we make money around 70 to 75% LF, depending on the route, I would say yes it's worth it. I accomplishes a couple things as well.
Protects market share and erodes our competitors yield. Makes sense to me.

Your Yellowknife LF has been less than 50% on average, about 30% lately, and although Canadian North's LF has been well over 80% you were able to erode Canadian North's yield with $75 and $99 tickets to the tune of about 35 Canadian North employees losing their jobs... including pilots and flight attendants.

You guys really know how to compete... congrat's!

[Jastapilot]

Considering we make money around 70 to 75% LF, depending on the route, I would say yes it's worth it. I accomplishes a couple things as well.
Protects market share and erodes our competitors yield. Makes sense to me.

Your Yellowknife LF has been less than 50% on average, about 30% lately, and although Canadian North's LF has been well over 80% you were able to erode Canadian North's yield with $75 and $99 tickets to the tune of about 35 Canadian North employees losing their jobs... including pilots and flight attendants.

You guys really know how to compete... congrat's!

FFS, here we go again.

[Flightlevels]

Bark up another tree FICU

[CanadaEH]

Wow.

[double-j]

[balfour]

[bmc]

FICU

It's easy to fill an airplane. There is no correlation between full airplanes and profitability. None. Filling it with good yield and end to end revenue is always the challenge.

And if WJ is doing so poorly, celebrate. You're winning. This good, right?

[tonysoprano]

b.
Someday you and I will have sit down over an agreed upon bottle of the good stuff and have a heart to heart discussion about deregulation and what the the LCC model has done to our industry. I think IATA should wake up and smell the coffee. But this isn't the place for that discussion.

[Jastapilot]

"I am entitled to my entitlements"

[FICU]

FICU

It's easy to fill an airplane. There is no correlation between full airplanes and profitability. None. Filling it with good yield and end to end revenue is always the challenge.

And if WJ is doing so poorly, celebrate. You're winning. This good, right?

WJ is doing poorly on the YZF run but it doesn't matter to them on what is a drop in the bucket in terms of their overall network. YZF is Canadian North's largest segment and although we have had excellent loads the price of competing with WJ's extremely low fares is poor yield and route closures and layoffs for us due to the fact we can't make money at WJ's prices. First Air is the airline that has taken the biggest hit on loads but they have a massive government food/mail contract to rely on for their prime revenue source. Unfortunatey we took a double hit this year because of the recession and WJ's entry into the YZF market. Bad timing but we will bounce back. It's just very unfortunatewe have had to reduce our service and cut jobs company wide.

As you can see by the replies of some of the fine WJ folks here they could care less and probably think of this as a victory.

[Flightlevels]

FICU,
It's not the response of westjet "folk" It's your verbal diarrhea towards us from day one. glass houses or mirrors comes to mind. You couldn't be further from the truth.

[bmc]

FICU

You don't know how good or bad WJ is doing on YZF. You simply don't. You don't know what their fully allocated operating costs are. You don't know what their block hour yield is. You don't what their cost per ASK is. You don't know what their break even load factor is. You don't know what their yield mix is on their flight.

If you do, you should be reported for having access to confidential information that you have no right to. WJ found themselves in hot water a few years back over this.

Counting heads of boarding passengers, and assuming a plane is completely sold on the basis of advertised prices shows a complete lack of understanding how an airline really works.

Low cost business models destroy traditional business based on high levels of customer service. The Walmarts, IKEA, COSTCO's have killed traditional business models. The survivors are the ones that reinvent themselves.

You are being forced into that. It's never fun. The whole industry is being forced into dramatic change. They will emerge better and stronger, but there will be more casualties.

[Jastapilot]

FICU

You don't know how good or bad WJ is doing on YZF. You simply don't. You don't know what their fully allocated operating costs are. You don't know what their block hour yield is. You don't what their cost per ASK is. You don't know what their break even load factor is. You don't know what their yield mix is on their flight.

If you do, you should be reported for having access to confidential information that you have no right to. WJ found themselves in hot water a few years back over this.

Counting heads of boarding passengers, and assuming a plane is completely sold on the basis of advertised prices shows a complete lack of understanding how an airline really works.

Bing-effn-go.