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Edmonton International Airport (EIA/YEG)
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
ABAviationFan
New Member
Air Canada is much bigger airline than Westjet and make more than one city their primary. Westjet can’t and so chose to be Cgy. You whine a lot you know. Lot of airlines consolidate their flight to one or few airports depending on their circumstances. Show some positive attitude pls.
Glenco
Senior Member
Thank you captain obvious. We will do all the whining we need to relieve our frustrations you don't have to read it.
David A
Senior Member
Sorry, I call bs here. They can, but choose not to. At times, they sometimes they seem talk about more service here, sometimes after someone else brings in a new route here, followed by cutting it back after.
In part, this is the classic noncompetitive behaviour you would expect of an oligopoly. A city our size deserves better and you can see this in particular by looking at international service here vs. elsewhere in Canada.
Glenco
Senior Member
I liken it to the boy who licks all the cookies not because can eat them all he just doesn’t want anyone else to have them.
MakeYEGGreatAgain
New Member
I think that in the case of YEG, it has been a real struggle to get things going. Go back 30 years and you will see that international flights exist - Calgary had more, but not to the same extent that you are seeing now. The argument was our market was too small (700k) so our population more than doubles and we have less flights. Travel Alberta (or as I call it Travel Calgary/Banff) + GoA incentives to build out YYC are to blame - but let's not kid ourselves: YEG management is useless. Edmonton region fails to create attractions. YEG area businesses continue to produce blue collar jobs rather than high paying corporate jobs that require business travel.
A quick search at schedules and everyone will get the picture here:
- 2 weekly flights to Chicago vs 5 per day at YYC
- 5 or 6 weekly flights to Europe vs 9 or 10 per day at YYC
A quick search at schedules and everyone will get the picture here:
- 2 weekly flights to Chicago vs 5 per day at YYC
- 5 or 6 weekly flights to Europe vs 9 or 10 per day at YYC
ABAviationFan
New Member
Well doing it here hasn’t helped you so can I suggest another form of therapy?
Glenco
Senior Member
And may I add 7 flights a day to Grande Prairie vs 1.
Why do new members on this forum start by stating the bleedin obvious thinking it is some kind of great revelation? It is really annoying to say the least.
Yeggy
Active Member
Been wondering how a market full of the new xlr narrow bodies will change edmonton connections. I understand these planes can be half full and still be profitable.
Glenco
Senior Member
Both TS and AC have them in their fleet but neither have any intention of flying them out of YEG at this time. If we are to get any new intercontinental flights it will have to be a foreign airline.
yeggator
Active Member
Which will unfortunately require heavy scrutiny and negotiations involving the federal aviation regulators…
David A
Senior Member
It does seem very odd that while we have doubled in size our service has not improved. We are not so much a small market now as an overlooked one.
I feel the blame is not just YEG, but the city and our business community also needs to stand up for our city more and suck up to the corporate crowd in the city to our south less.
Oilers99
Active Member
but people aren’t using the limited flights we do have so it’s not the airlines’ fault.
The business crowd in Edmonton can only do so much to influence how flights work.
The business crowd in Edmonton can only do so much to influence how flights work.
Glenco
Senior Member
Met a woman the other day who was going to Grande Prairie via YYC Asked why she said it was way cheaper.
Oilguy
Active Member
Yeah look there’s lots of reasons. Some of it is consumer behaviour for sure. Met a guy the other day flying via yyc to Houston. Said he doesn’t like the direct flight because he’s not a united/ac guy, What can you do when guys make that choice?
For sure some of it is the airlines, as I’ve said before it’s not that routes can’t be profitable here it’s just that with limited airframes it may not be profitable enough. I think what should be and is upsetting is the predatory work of WestJet like had been mentioned who will compete on a route just to chase the competition away only to cancel the service once they have won the war and send people to yyc. Or price so that it’s cheaper to fly yyc then direct.
Business do need to step up, the Houston route is a result of a few key players stepping up to the airport authority and giving them some ammunition to go for it.
For sure some of it is the airlines, as I’ve said before it’s not that routes can’t be profitable here it’s just that with limited airframes it may not be profitable enough. I think what should be and is upsetting is the predatory work of WestJet like had been mentioned who will compete on a route just to chase the competition away only to cancel the service once they have won the war and send people to yyc. Or price so that it’s cheaper to fly yyc then direct.
Business do need to step up, the Houston route is a result of a few key players stepping up to the airport authority and giving them some ammunition to go for it.