Edmonton International Airport (EIA/YEG)

[AntonK]

Whether people want to believe it or not, yes Calgary has eaten our lunch and we are second rate in comparison.

They've always had a geographical advantage for flights and tourism due to the Rockies, it's one of those unfortunate situations. Maybe we look at HSR as a way around it? A one hour train trip to YYC would be the equivalent of driving from St Albert to YEG. YYC could kind of be used as Edmonton's airport? It's not ideal, but I see YEG doing okay for domestic with slow steady increases, and maybe some trans-border increases but not much more.

 

[David A]

That's kind of what I was saying. They don't have to be wide-bodies, but anything with enough range to do London. I'm confident we'll get a London flight at some point, it could be AC or WS, I don't know but there's enough demand to get one, it's a matter of some spare frames.

WestJet seems like an abusive partner that vacillates between occasionally giving us more service and cutting it back. To some extent I get that they favour where they are based, almost every company does pay more attention to where they are headquartered.

I realize it is discouraging now for Edmonton, between our provincial government and the airline both are trying to boost or prop up what I feel is a somewhat artificial hub at our expense, but I do remain hopeful we will get better service. It may even be from WestJet, but probably it will be some other airline. Heck maybe even Air Canada will wake up and realize we exist. There is increasing competition in Canada now with newer airlines, even though the duopoly still dominates.

 

[The_Cat]

We had some flights like Nashville and Phoenix, and those are all gone? What about the Canadian flights?

 

[Yeggy]

I have to disagree. While the hub-and-spoke model is real, the idea that Edmonton has 'nothing to offer' is more of a local myth than a business reality.

We actually have a massive advantage right now: we’re a high-income, low-tax option for Canadians who are currently avoiding US travel. What feels 'routine' to a local is actually a huge draw for tourists looking for something new. Add in the essential travel from local industry and the business case for more seats is actually quite strong. The biggest thing holding YEG back isn't our geography, it’s our own habit of underestimating the city’s value.

and federally regulated airspace. The game is rigged. I cant stress enough the affect this has.

 

[Yeggy]

I know its shitty that these flights are going through Calgary but I still think of it is an overall win. The amount of direct flights that are through Calgary is a pretty big win. It's unfortunate we don't get the same in Edmonton but at the end of the day we can easily take advantage of Calgary's wins.

It is a win for Alberta.

 

[Glenco]

That's kind of what I was saying. They don't have to be wide-bodies, but anything with enough range to do London. I'm confident we'll get a London flight at some point, it could be AC or WS, I don't know but there's enough demand to get one, it's a matter of some spare frames.

If we get new European flights it won’t be one from our domestic carriers.

 

[yeggator]

If we get new European flights it won’t be one from our domestic carriers.

Lufthansa or Condor are likely candidates to revive YEG-FRA, but I wonder which European carrier would step up to bring a route to London? British Airways? Virgin Atlantic?

 

[Yeggy]

I really want people to understand this isnt YEG lazyness, there are legislative hurdles put infron of us. Here is a link to the ATA’s we have with other countries. https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/transport-agreements

Look at Japan when we moved origin destinations from Edmonton to Calgary. Why was this done. The canada side did it. Why are some agreements limited to specific carriers but not to others. You cant blame YEG when the system is rotten, a system designed to protect AC and now WJ primarily. 2 companies who fet 75% of domestic travel.

We really need to open up our skies and allow for actual competition as our own competition bureau has found.

Competition Bureau makes recommendations to improve competition in Canada’s airline industry - Canada.ca

Increased competition would improve affordability, service, and choice for Canadians.

www.canada.ca

please also note they highlight the operating structure of our airports, how they are funded and associated fees as a barrier as well.

 

[ABAviationFan]

You're siding with the brand new poster from YYC over me? Haha!!!! Ok.....go for it

Stop making assumptions and being rude. I’ve been reading these pages for a very long time. I made on login id today to give a bit of my input. You don’t like it then shove off. You’re old man own this site??

 

[blue12]

....between our provincial government and the airline both are trying to boost or prop up what I feel is a somewhat artificial hub at our expense....

This is the self victimization I mentioned earlier - it seems to be about the fact that Calgary is doing well more so than the fact that Edmonton isn't.
YYC is a newer hub but it's no more artificial than the others. Westjet picked a city that didn't have crazy market dominance by Air Canada and it worked. Sometimes I feel like hating on Westjet's strategy that goes on here (and on other corners of the internet) is not rooted in the fact that it's a bad strategy, but just sourness that "my city" wasn't picked as said hub.

Every hub naturally takes traffic from other non-hub cities and reduces their chances of getting substantial services. That's how the hub and spoke model works and it's not going away any time soon. YEG's slow growth is not just the fault of WS or YYC but rather the entire Canadian airline industry which picked cities other than Edmonton to base their operations. I can say with confidence that if Westjet didn't exist, Edmonton would be no better off in terms of global connectivity than it is today. In fact it would probably be worse, as WS has Edmonton as a focus city and has given us a lot despite YEG not being a "hub". So when some of you blame WS and YYC for all of this, it's a nudging reminder that you have no idea how the industry actually operates and are just speaking from your hearts.

Not every airport is treated equal, that's the nature of the industry.... and unless one is willing to accept that, then you'll be stuck with "Calgary Derangement Syndrome" as yeggator said a few messages up.

I've said it before but I'll say it again, we'd all be doing ourselves a favour but not blowing up the YEG thread with outrage every time YYC gets good news. It feels desperate to say the least, and is frankly just not the point of this thread.

 

[yeggator]

YEG's slow growth is not just the fault of WS or YYC but rather the entire Canadian airline industry which picked cities other than Edmonton to base their operations. I can say with confidence that if Westjet didn't exist, Edmonton would be no better off in terms of global connectivity than it is today. In fact it would probably be worse, as WS has Edmonton as a focus city and has given us a lot despite YEG not being a "hub". So when some of you blame WS and YYC for all of this, it's a nudging reminder that you have no idea how the industry actually operates and are just speaking from your hearts.

I mean, I don’t blame WestJet for doubling down on the airport hub where they were founded. Nor do I blame them for basing all their intercontinental flights out of YYC - their 7 Dreamliners that they deployed in 2016, barely 20 years after they were founded, are doing some heavy lifting. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that once their next order comes in, they’ll give us at least one (ideally two) intercontinental flights and I’ll be satisfied. Plus, more US connections when US politics turn around. But it stings that the airline industry is so uncompetitive in Canada that other major airlines have mostly abandoned us (namely AC).

I won’t defend WS to death either. When United added new routes to YEG, WS immediately launched flights to defend their turf that they no longer offer now. And most egregiously, they spawned a ULCC (also gone) when Flair expanded to undercut them and litigated them over foreign ownership rules. Everyone knew what they were doing in both cases. WestJet giveth, Westjet taketh away…

 

[The_Cat]

How much is enough for Edmonton? We’re approaching 5th place for population in Canada. We’re welcoming interprovincial and International migrants, who are growing our economy.

 

[Whatup]

Edmonton has generally been run by socialists and unionists for the past 50 years who are not the most business friendly - Edmonton is generally a union town with "progressives" - Calgary has generally been run for the past 50 years by dynamic business focused people who embrace capitalism and corporate culture. This means Calgary has become a wealthier, more famous, more organized, more pragmatic business city with a real airport. Edmonton has people like Andrew Knack and Heather "Hamas" McPherson representing it - and therefore we get a bush league airport and a drug riddled downtown and massive socialist housing complexes destroying our legacy neighborhoods - or "areas of white privelage" as the progressive set call them. Same as it ever was.

 

[Oilers99]

Edmonton has generally been run by socialists and unionists for the past 50 years who are not the most business friendly - Edmonton is generally a union town with "progressives" - Calgary has generally been run for the past 50 years by dynamic business focused people who embrace capitalism and corporate culture. This means Calgary has become a wealthier, more famous, more organized, more pragmatic business city with a real airport. Edmonton has people like Andrew Knack and Heather "Hamas" McPherson representing it - and therefore we get a bush league airport and a drug riddled downtown and massive socialist housing complexes destroying our legacy neighborhoods - or "areas of white privelage" as the progressive set call them. Same as it ever was.

This x1000. Great post! Even though you’re going to get ripped to shreds by people who refuse to believe it’s true.

 

[IanO]

It's another important option for Alberta and so a net positive and we should not be lamenting the fact that we are getting out-hustled.

What continues to impress me about Calgary is their business-minded, go gettr' attitude versus an improving, but still very much government town attitude here.

When you are comfortable, you sit back.