YVR | Vancouver International Airport

[deasine]

YVR will be North America's first airport with direct service to Shenyang and Chengdu. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how sustainable this route is, but if Sichuan Airlines, and its partner owner, China Southern, can feed additional traffic from other areas in Mainland China, this may work well in the long run.

YVR Welcomes North America’s First Flight to Interior China
May 18, 2012

Sichuan Airlines to provide new Chengdu-Shenyang-Vancouver service



Richmond, B.C. (May 18, 2012): Vancouver Airport Authority today announced the upcoming arrival to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) of Sichuan Airlines, offering North America’s first and only direct flight to China’s interior. Beginning June 22, Sichuan Airlines will offer service three times per week between Vancouver and Chengdu, via Shenyang

“The service to Sichuan Province marks not only a new destination, but a new airline for YVR. This means more options for passengers and greater opportunities for business and for tourism,” said Larry Berg, President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “We are extremely pleased that Sichuan Airlines has chosen YVR as its first entry point into North America. It is a testament to YVR’s position as a premier global gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, and to Sichuan Airlines’ confidence in the market.”

Chengdu and Shenyang are both important economic, transportation and commercial hubs. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, is home to 14 million people and the famous Giant Panda. Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, has a population of 8.1 million and is one of the ten largest cities in China.

“Opening this new route will further expand Vancouver International Airport’s reach into China’s domestic network,” said Zhang Huiyu, Vice President of Sichuan Airlines. “This will accelerate deep and multi-scope cooperation between Canada and China’s western and northeast regions in agriculture, technology, commerce, trade, tourism and education.”

Sichuan Airlines’ service to and from YVR will use an Airbus 330 aircraft with capacity for 245 passengers. Flights will operate on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at YVR at 8:20 AM and departing at 10:20 AM.

“The new service being offered by Sichuan Airlines will boost tourism, provide more choice for Canadian travellers, and have a significant impact on our economy,” said The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. “We welcome Sichuan Airlines to Vancouver and look forward to further building our ties with China.”

Sichuan Airlines’ service is estimated to generate 56 person-years of employment, $2.6 million in wages and contribute $5 million to British Columbia’s gross domestic product annually. With more than 23,600 people working on Sea Island, YVR is one of British Columbia’s key economic and employment generators. And as the closest major North American airport to Asia, it has more frequencies to China than any other airport on the continent.

“This new service from China further strengthens our already excellent air connections to Asia and will add more jobs at the airport and in the community,” said British Columbia’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Blair Lekstrom. “Attracting new air passenger and cargo routes is part of our Pacific Gateway strategy, and this new connection to central and northeast China gives us access to a growing new market.”

Given Canada’s recent Approved Destination Status from China, the new service also supports British Columbia’s Pacific Gateway Transportation Strategy targeting an increase in the number of passengers and cargo travelling through YVR.

About Vancouver Airport Authority
Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that operates Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Canada's second busiest airport, YVR served approximately 17 million passengers in 2011 and handled more than 258,000 aircraft landings and take-offs on its runways. Sixty-three airlines serve YVR, connecting people and businesses to more than 100 destinations in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. The Airport Authority is committed to creating an airport that British Columbia can be proud of: a premier global gateway, local economic generator and community contributor.

For further information:
YVR Media Relations
604.880.9815
media_relations@yvr.ca
www.yvr.ca Twitter: @yvrairport

(via YVR)

[ACT7]

Originally Posted by deasine

YVR will be North America's first airport with direct service to Shenyang and Chengdu. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how sustainable this route is, but if Sichuan Airlines, and its partner owner, China Southern, can feed additional traffic from other areas in Mainland China, this may work well in the long run.

I agree with you - I think this is a bit of a crap shoot of a route. I personally think this route will either not survive or it will canabalize other Asian traffic at YVR. It will be almost exclusively O&D traffic so passengers flying via PEK now, for example, will no longer need to. The question is whether or not some of those routes will suffer as a result.

[deasine]

Given the amount of capacity flying from PEK and PVG, I don't think this will greatly affect other Asian routes. However, this may put some of YVR's future rumored Mainland China routes in question: CZ hinted of a PEK-YVR to directly compete with the Star Alliance monopoly earlier before. PEK is one of CZs hubs, and definitely a route like that will really undermine the viability of Sichuan Airlines route. Still, if they want to give it a try, bias aside , YVR is the perfect North American gateway to test it out.

In other news, VS inaugural flight took down today:

(From Virgin Atlantic Facebook Page)

[deasine]

Originally Posted by ACT7

I agree with you - I think this is a bit of a crap shoot of a route. I personally think this route will either not survive or it will canabalize other Asian traffic at YVR. It will be almost exclusively O&D traffic so passengers flying via PEK now, for example, will no longer need to. The question is whether or not some of those routes will suffer as a result.

Just to follow-up on this routing, originally going to end in October, Sichuan seems so confident of the route that it will go to extend it to year-round.

[ACT7]

Originally Posted by deasine

Just to follow-up on this routing, originally going to end in October, Sichuan seems so confident of the route that it will go to extend it to year-round.

Just a bigger crap shoot now

[deasine]

Whilst not directly related, it's a pretty funny story:

Christy Clark takes on Richard Branson over 'naked' blog post
Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver Sun : Tuesday, May 29, 2012 7:03 PM




Photo posted on Richard Branson's blog.
VICTORIA - Premier Christy Clark lashed out at British billionaire Richard Branson Tuesday for a blog post where he suggested Clark should take off her clothes and kite surf on his back.

"I didn't think it was very respectful," Clark told reporters in Victoria Tuesday.

"Lots of young women I hope want to run for politics," she added.

"I think when you meet with the CEO of a billion dollar company who wants to do business with your province, you can get a little bit more respectful treatment than that."

Branson was in Vancouver last week to mark the launch of his Virgin Atlantic Airlines non-stop service between Vancouver and London Heathrow Airport.

While in town, he held a media event at Vancouver International Airport alongside Clark and other VIPs.

Branson posted a blog item after his departure, where he said Clark had "accepted my invite to come for a kitesurf ride on my back."

Branson included the picture of a naked woman on his back while he kite surfed in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, adding he'd "forgot to tell [Clark] about the dress code."

While Clark was mostly serious in her response Tuesday, she also took a parting jab at the rogue billionaire.

"Somebody said to me as a joke that if that's his best pick-up line then maybe there's a reason he called his company Virgin," she said.

© Shaw Media Inc., 2012. All rights reserved.

(via Global TV BC)

[iheartcities]

ooooooo the jab is amazing coming from Clark

[everywhere]

Sichuan Airlines launches inaugural flight to Vancouver, enters N. American market
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua, June 23)

VANCOUVER, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Sichuan Airlines flew into the Vancouver market, on its inaugural flight Friday, becoming the first carrier to link western China with Canada.

For the Chengdu-based carrier, the Vancouver line designed to be three times a week, which includes a stopover in Shenyang, is its eighth international route and first foray into the North American market.

The carrier's entry into the Canadian market comes at an opportune time as Chinese visitors to the country have increased dramatically after it received Approved Destination Status (ADS) from China in June 2010.

Last year, its first full year of the ADS, 242,000 Chinese travelers visited Canada. The Canadian Tourism Commission is forecasting the number of Chinese arrivals to jump 21.3 percent this year and 25.2 percent in 2013.

With Sichuan Airlines entering a crowded Vancouver market that is already serviced by Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, in addition to Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific and Air Canada, the availability of more flights would only foster greater tourism and business travel, said Canadian International Trade Minister Ed Fast.

"For me as trade minister, it's really important that we allow business between Canada and China to take place in a more expedited manner," said Fast, who is also the Asia-Pacific Gateway minister.

"We want to make sure that people who are doing business between Canada and China can do so efficiently with convenient flights to and from our respective countries, and I think in the future it bodes very well for deepening our trade and investment relationship, as well as our people-to-people ties."

China is now Canada's second largest trading partner after the United States as the two countries recorded a two-way merchandise trade of 65 billion Canadian dollars (65 billion U.S. dollars) in 2011, partly fuelled by a 27 percent rise in Canadian exports to China.

"This route has real opportunity for both China and Canada," said Lan Xinguo, chairman of Sichuan Airlines, who arrived on the inaugural flight carrying 245 passengers aboard an Airbus 330 jet. The total flight time, with the Shenyang stopover, was 12 hours and 50 minutes.

"We can provide opportunities for each other in agriculture, education and tourism areas in the future," Lan said.

A report said the Vancouver airport was losing 950,000 passengers annually to airports in Seattle and Bellingham in the bordering Washington State, mainly for cheaper airfares to American destinations such as Hawaii, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, among others.

But according to the British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, arrivals of Chinese nationals were up 24.9 percent to 25,598 in the first quarter of 2012 compared to a year earlier. In addition, the arrivals of Chinese nationals have increased 40 percent at the Vancouver airport since the 2010 ADS approval.

"Certainly to the economy of the airport, it (the Sichuan Airlines arrival) is very important, because there's landing fees and other shopping experience that go with this," Larry Berg, president and chief executive officer of Vancouver Airport Authority, told Xinhua.

"We have 61 flights a week now between Vancouver and China, including Hong Kong, so that's probably about the most of any airport in North America."

The international trade minister also said he had been in discussion with Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney about making it easier for Chinese visitors to get visas to ensure there is a "plan going forward to leverage these new flights" into significant economic growth.

He added there had also been talks of encouraging more Canadians to visit China with the increased flights.

"It should be a two-way street and so we're going to continue to work hard, especially through the Canadian Tourism Commission, to also let the public know about the opportunity to visit an incredible country, and a very diverse country that offers so much for tourists," he said.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=78815

[deasine]

From YVR

See more of the new YVR-MUC route on YVR's website:
http://yvr.ca/en/blog/PhotoGallery.a...0from%20Munich

[GTR66]

How long should we hope for the new route to work?