YYZ/YTZ | Toronto Area Airports

[ACT7]

http://www.thestar.com/travel/northa...apple-business

Air Canada, WestJet and Porter battle for Big Apple business
Published On Fri Jan 27 2012

The fight for the Big Apple is on.

The smackdown started Wednesday when Air Canada announced it was launching three-times daily, non-stop folights between Toronto Pearson and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, starting May 3. It also said it was increasing to every hour (14 in all, actually) its flights from YYZ to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Friday morning, WestJet upped the ante - big time - when it announced that all eight of the landing/takeoff slots it won late last year at LaGuardia (and paid dearly for) would be used for flights in and out of Toronto Pearson. They’ll start with seven flights a day on June 4 and add an eighth non-stop on July 12.

A few hours after that missive came a “watch this” note from Porter Airlines, saying they were adding two more flights a day between the Toronto Island Airport and Newark International in New Jersey, a short Metro/tram/train ride from Manhattan. That brings the number of daily flights from the island to Newark to 13. Porter also said it’s providing more convenient morning, afternoon and evening departure times, although I haven’t seen details.

The first new Porter flight starts March 26, with a second flight beginning April 16. They also said they’ll have additional weekend options as of March 25 but, again, no details were provided.

New York, of course, is a huge business market. As is Toronto. And WestJet has been carefully cultivating business travelers. In addition to the New York flights, they’ve increased service between Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa. Air Canada, of course, now flies to Montreal out of the island airport in Toronto and has been offering some of the same freebies that made Porter’s name, including free alcoholic drinks on board those flights.

It’s terribly fun to watch. And certainly it’s going to make New York even more attractive and convenient. Hotwire.com did a study (see Saturday’s Travel section for details) recently and found that Canadians were searching for great Family Day deals for New York more than they were for any other city. New YOrk City’s tourism folks just announced this week that they exceeded expectations and drew 50.5 million visitors last year; the highest mark ever.

As I said, these extra flights certainly make it even easier to get to the New York area. Air Canada’s peak schedule (as of May 3) will have 14 flights a day from Toronto to LaGuardia, six a day to Newark and three daily to JFK for 23 in all. WestJet is adding eight Toronto-LaGuardia flights, while Porter announced 13 daily flights are coming soon.

That means a total of 44 flights a day from the Big Smoke to the Big Apple, or nearby airports. And that’s just on the Canadian-based airlines. You also can use the likes of United, Continental, American and Delta to get to the New York area from Toronto.

It’s amusing to read how the three Canadian airlines try to distinguish themselves pat themselves on the back.

Air Canada says it’s “strengthening (its) leading position in New York City” and points out that its hourly New York flights are “ideally-suited for business travelers.” They also point out folks can access Maple Leaf or Star Alliance lounges and note that the flights from Toronto to LaGuardia and Newark feature Executive Class “the only Canadian airline offering business class service.”

WestJet isn’t letting the challenge go unheeded. They call themselves “Canada’s favourite airline” and says the new Toronto-New York flights “will offer business and leisure travelers alike the convenience, comfort and affordability they’ve been looking for.”

WestJet says fares starting at $49 (plus taxes and fees) will be available starting Monday, Jan. 30 at www.westjet.com or by calling 1-888-WESTJET or talking to your travel agent. I don’t know what the taxes and fees will be, but they’re about $100 on a WestJet flight to Ft. Lauderdale, which MIGHT mean a total round-trip of about $300. Which is pretty good if not incredible.

For its part, Porter trumpets that it has “the fastest available travel time between downtown Toronto and downtown Manhattan.” They also say their service from Toronto Island to Newark “provides the most convenient access to New York’s financial district,” which I’m not quite sure about. Then again, it’s vague enough that it would be hard to dispute.

Porter also brags about its “luxurious airport lounges” (they ARE quite nice), Starbucks coffee, premium snacks (the shortbreads and oatmeal cookies are quite good at the Island Airport) and wine or beer on board.

I’m not sure Air Canada or Porter will match the WestJet $49 fare. I got a note shortly before noon from Peter Fitzpatrick at Air Canada and was rather vague, which makes me think they’re not going to try to match the fare, at least not at this point.

“As you know our policy is to be competitive in every market we serve but I cannot get into details about possible future pricing,” he wrote in an email. “It is worth noting that price is not the only consideration, for example, for a business traveler schedule is very important, and we have the best schedule with the most flights and options for NYC. There are other factors too, such as the availability of executive class and related services, lounges, flight passes, Aeroplan and our Star Alliance partners for connections etc....”

[ACT7]

http://www.torontopearson.com/upload.../12-DecPax.pdf

Year end numbers are in for Pearson and all in all a pretty good year. U.S. pax traffic dipped a bit in December but international pax traffic was the biggest growth leader all year long. Will be nice to see ET, MS, and maybe UL begin service this year.

[YU-AMC]

I heard the gate numbers at the T1 are getting renumbered.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by YU-AMC

I heard the gate numbers at the T1 are getting renumbered.

http://www.aircanada.com/en/news/trav_adv/120126.html

[Toronto_41]

Ethopian is one step closer

Link:
http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/eng/ruling/2012-a-35

Details:
Order No. 2012-A-35
January 27, 2012
APPLICATION by Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise carrying on business as Ethiopian Airlines for an exemption from the application of section 59 of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C., 1996, c. 10, as amended.
File No.:*M4212/E362-4
BACKGROUND

Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise carrying on business as Ethiopian Airlines (applicant) has applied to the Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) for an exemption to permit it to sell, cause to be sold or publicly offer for sale in Canada a scheduled international air service between Ethiopia and Canada, in the absence of a licence.

Section 59 of the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) states that no person shall sell, cause to be sold or publicly offer for sale in Canada an air service unless, if required under Part II of the CTA, the person holds a licence under that part in respect of that service and that licence is not suspended.

The applicant has applied for a scheduled international licence to operate a service between Ethiopia and Canada. However, as the application is not yet complete, an exemption from the application of section 59 of the CTA is necessary in order to allow the applicant to sell, cause to be sold or publicly offer for sale in Canada the proposed air service prior to obtaining the applied for licence.

On September 14, 2011, the applicant indicated that it intended to commence commercial activities in Canada on December 15, 2011 and that it was in the process of obtaining a Canadian foreign air operator certificate (CFAOC) issued by Transport Canada, which document is required to complete the licence application. The applicant stated that the exemption was necessary to commercialize the proposed service sufficiently in advance to achieve viability. The applicant also stated that it was likely that the CFAOC would not issue until November 2011.

The applicant subsequently confirmed delays, on several occasions, with respect to the dates of the base inspection, which is required to be undertaken by Transport Canada prior to the issuance of the CFAOC. The base inspection is now anticipated to take place during the month of April 2012, but no specific date has been set. The proposed starting date for operations is in June 2012.

ANALYSIS

The Agency deals with applications for exemptions from the application of section*59 of the CTA on a case by case basis. The Agency recognizes that section*59 is a consumer protection measure. It is intended to prevent situations in which consumers in Canada pay for a service to an entity that does not hold an Agency licence and are left out of pocket or experience any manner of inconvenience or hardship that may result if that entity does not commence operations on schedule.

Accordingly, prior to granting an exemption from the application of section 59 of the CTA, the Agency must be satisfied that the applicant is taking all the necessary steps to meet all licence issuance requirements and that a licence may be issued prior to the proposed start of operations.

Considering the intent of section 59 of the CTA, the previous delays in this application and the fact that a confirmed base inspection date has not yet been provided, the Agency finds that a time limited exemption from the application of section 59 of the CTA is appropriate in the circumstances.

Accordingly, pursuant to paragraphs 80(1)(c) and 28(1)(b) of the CTA, the Agency exempts the applicant from the application of section 59 of the CTA, effective from the date Transport Canada staff commence the applicant’s base inspection until June 30, 2012, permitting it, during this period, to sell, cause to be sold or publicly offer for sale in Canada a scheduled international air service between Ethiopia and Canada, without holding the required licence, subject to the following conditions:

The applicant shall advise the Agency in writing on the date the base inspection takes place.
All passengers shall be notified, before a reservation is made, that the scheduled international service is subject to government approval. All future advertising in any media, whether in writing, electronic or by telecommunication, shall also include this information, unless and until the section 59 exemption expires following the issuance of a licence.
The applicant shall apply its published tariffs, on file with the Agency and in effect, to sales of transportation.
The exemption does not relieve the applicant from the requirement to hold a licence in respect of the service to be provided and, accordingly, no flights shall be operated until the appropriate licence authority has been granted
Should the scheduled international licence not be issued, the applicant shall arrange to provide alternative air transportation by an appropriately licensed air carrier, at no additional cost for all passengers who have made reservations with the applicant. If such arrangements are not possible or acceptable to the passenger, the applicant shall arrange to provide a full refund of all monies paid by the passenger.

[YU-AMC]

^ BRING IT ON! yAY.

[YU-AMC]

Btw I just looked at their B777 - LR, and it looks amazing. Lets hope I snap some images of it.

[noir-dresses]

Originally Posted by YU-AMC

Btw I just looked at their B777 - LR, and it looks amazing. Lets hope I snap some images of it.

Have you ever flown on the 77L yet ? I did AC from Vancouver to Toronto during the winter Olympics.

[YU-AMC]

^No. So far B777-200 from BA and CX B773. Very unlucky to miss the 77L.

[ACT7]

Originally Posted by YU-AMC

^No. So far B777-200 from BA and CX B773. Very unlucky to miss the 77L.

AC's 77L is quite nice. Quiet and sleek - I find anyway. Been on it probably 10 times between YYZ and YVR and once to FRA.

[YU-AMC]

I could not resist to not to get some decent shots.
AC A330 from ZRH?

[YU-AMC]

Originally Posted by ACT7

AC's 77L is quite nice. Quiet and sleek - I find anyway. Been on it probably 10 times between YYZ and YVR and once to FRA.

I guess so.

[YU-AMC]

Ahhh They made me sign up for imagehack... Here we go (4-45PM landing) That was two hour delay for unknown reason. Enjoy!

[ACT7]

Egyptair looking poised to start YYZ in 2012...

http://www.eturbonews.com/27818/egyp...ansfer-traffic

Exerpt...

Egypt Air: recovery coming from regional and transfer traffic

Plans are well underway to also strengthen the long-haul network. “We [are] currently study[ing] the opening of new routes to Asia. We will resume flights to Tokyo from April, while we also study services to Guangzhou and Delhi. In North America, we were forced to delay last year the launching of flights to Toronto and Washington. We are now finalizing our arrival in Toronto,” said Captain Kamal.

[yyzer]

Great news about MS!

[YU-AMC]

So what would be an average cost of a single landing at YYZ? Lets say B777-200LR with two hours layover. I am guessing around $5000? Maybe more with layover fee?

[yyzer]

local rumours by reliable sources at YYZ that Boeing will be sending a 787 here for a visit, I believe on March 2nd....after arrival, should be on static display in one of the AC hangars for a day or so......

edit: posted at flyertalk.com, looks like this event will be open to Elite Aeroplan members...

Top Tier Event
EXCLUSIVE INVITATION
On March 2, Air Canada is hosting a special day in Toronto as part of Air Canada's 75th anniversary celebrations. If you happen to be in Toronto, we invite you to join us at this exclusive event where guests will have the opportunity to tour a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on display. Please RSVP by February 24, 2012.

[YU-AMC]

wHAT TIME is coming in? I may get some pictures.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by yyzer

edit: posted at flyertalk.com, looks like this event will be open to Elite Aeroplan members...

Actually, only Super Elite.

[YU-AMC]

wHEN I look at the old T2 and the new T1, it looks as it's a different airport. Here is the blast from the past.