London International Airport - Page 5

K85 · #81 Posted: **Jul 21, 2011, 3:32 AM**

London International Airport can become a real alternative to the busier Toronto and Detroit airports after two new flight destinations were added to the London facility’s airport roster, aviation experts say.

WestJet Airlines has announced two new flights flying out of London to Las Vegas and Cancun, Mexico, starting Oct. 30 — a sign that London continues to be a “terrific market” for the Canadian airline, Richard Bartrem, a WestJet spokesperson, said Wednesday.

“WestJet is the largest international carrier in the world to Las Vegas. We looked for the most effective and efficient use of our fleets — we know the London market will be a hit,” Bartrem said.

Convenience is London’s selling point when it comes to competing with the larger Toronto and Detroit airports, said Mike Seabrook, London International Airport’s vice-president.

“Our strategy (in London) is to attract those travellers now driving to the bigger airports by providing that option of an easy airport to use. In time, if we stick to that strategy of being easy, we can become a destination airport.”

About 500,000 travellers fly out of the London airport every year, bringing in an annual revenue of $12 million.

The airport loses 75% of local travellers flying to the U.S., who drive to Detroit to catch a cheaper flight. Between 30% and 40% drive to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport for domestic flights.

Price is the reason for leakage of passengers to the bigger airports, said the president of Uniglobe Travel London.

“It’s a delicate balance, because people will absolutely seek out accessibility and London International Airport is more accessible than Toronto and Detroit. That being said, people will only go so far for convenience, until money becomes an issue,” said Mike Foster.

Being able to provide direct flights is where the potential lies for London International, according to a commercial pilot and former UWO aviation management professor.

“London’s airport is comparatively much better than the airports in Hamilton or Waterloo when it comes to size and infrastructure,” said Doug Glussich.

manny_santos · #82 Posted: **Jul 21, 2011, 2:16 PM**

Travel for me comes down purely to price, regardless of convenience, as long as I don't have to make too many transfers. I'm actually going to O'Hare in Chicago for my next international trip, as it turned out to be the cheapest even after factoring in bus fare to Chicago.

If the need ever arises to fly elsewhere in Canada from London, I would consider flying from London as domestic fares from there are competitive with Pearson after factoring in transportation to Toronto.

K85 · #83 Posted: **Jul 22, 2011, 2:36 AM**

If London had decent prices, I would actually travel more. Don't want to use Toronto or Detroit... though I do like Pearson.

Wharn · #84 Posted: **Jul 23, 2011, 3:30 AM**

500,000 people use that dinky little airport??

manny_santos · #85 Posted: **Jul 23, 2011, 5:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by K85

If London had decent prices, I would actually travel more. Don't want to use Toronto or Detroit... though I do like Pearson.

Detroit's newest terminal, the North Terminal, was just opened in 2008 but I found it disappointing compared to other airports. It is very limited in food services, particularly in the lobby before checking in. Some of the food services they do have are second-rate.

I've never been inside the older McNamara Terminal so I have no idea what kinds of services they have.

sparky212 · #86 Posted: **Jul 23, 2011, 6:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wharn

500,000 people use that dinky little airport??

well its not really that much it only ends up being around 1300 a day give or take a few and thats not factoring the seasonal differences

Snark · #87 Posted: **Jul 24, 2011, 4:04 AM**

Too bad that some of you are not older. You wouldn't slag it as such.

Prior to the airport becoming "dinky" (I guess that it was "super dinky" back then prior to becoming "dinky") and currently too commercially busy to hold an air show, I saw pretty much 70% of the high performance aircraft in the world there (as well as 30,000 others taking it all in). It was a sight to behold.

sparky212 · #88 Posted: **Jul 24, 2011, 6:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snark

Too bad that some of you are not older. You wouldn't slag it as such.

Prior to the airport becoming "dinky" (I guess that it was "super dinky" back then prior to becoming "dinky") and currently too commercially busy to hold an air show, I saw pretty much 70% of the high performance aircraft in the world there (as well as 30,000 others taking it all in). It was a sight to behold.

I remember the airshows quite well actualy and I always wondered why they canceled them. Now I know

Simpseatles · #89 Posted: **Jul 24, 2011, 1:20 PM**

This is great news about those WestJet flights from London!

Also, I went to the air show once when I was younger! But if moving it to St. Thomas so that the airport can serve more passengers is necessary then I have no complaints.

manny_santos · #90 Posted: **Jul 24, 2011, 3:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snark

Prior to the airport becoming "dinky" (I guess that it was "super dinky" back then prior to becoming "dinky") and currently too commercially busy to hold an air show, I saw pretty much 70% of the high performance aircraft in the world there (as well as 30,000 others taking it all in). It was a sight to behold.

I went to one of the very last air shows at YXU, in 2003. It was definitely awesome. I have photos somewhere of some of the planes there that I have never scanned.

go_leafs_go02 · #91 Posted: **Jul 25, 2011, 5:51 PM**

Westjet can pride themselves on adding those flights, but they removed the direct non-stop summer flights to both Halifax and Vancouver this year. Now that flight was awesome from Vancouver - I would sooner drive to Vancouver, fly to London than do the Abbotsford - Calgary - London route that is available now. Leaving Vancouver and landing right in London, and the mass confusion to passengers that you could get off the back of the plane (this was before the airport was upgraded this year).

Simpseatles · #92 Posted: **Jul 25, 2011, 6:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

Westjet can pride themselves on adding those flights, but they removed the direct non-stop summer flights to both Halifax and Vancouver this year. Now that flight was awesome from Vancouver - I would sooner drive to Vancouver, fly to London than do the Abbotsford - Calgary - London route that is available now. Leaving Vancouver and landing right in London, and the mass confusion to passengers that you could get off the back of the plane (this was before the airport was upgraded this year).

Ya, losing those seasonal direct flights is really a let down.

Lets hope they come back someday!

On a side note, does Air Canada Jazz still fly to Montreal? Because I don't see why that wouldn't be successful.

go_leafs_go02 · #93 Posted: **Jul 25, 2011, 6:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

On a side note, does Air Canada Jazz still fly to Montreal? Because I don't see why that wouldn't be successful.

Nope, you gotta go through Toronto to get there.

MrSlippery519 · #94 Posted: **Jul 26, 2011, 12:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

Nope, you gotta go through Toronto to get there.

Ya talk about a pain in the butt...we have an office in Montreal and a direct flight would be nice.

go_leafs_go02 · #95 Posted: **Jul 26, 2011, 4:40 PM**

Weird how you can get to Calgary and Winnipeg Direct, but not Montreal...

MolsonExport · #96 Posted: **Jul 30, 2011, 1:03 AM**

Love the expanded terminal lounge. Still really a quite airport. Just got back from France.

Simpseatles · #97 Posted: **Aug 5, 2012, 5:57 PM**

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2.../20017241.html

I know this is old news but it looks like Westjet has dropped it's flights to Winnipeg and Las Vegas while cutting down on the number of flights to Calgary. That, along with the dropped flights to Detroit and the fact that Porter still isn't flying here seems like a blow to the recent expansion and success of the airport. Seriously though, when are we going to get some Porter flights? They fly to practically every other city in Ontario!

go_leafs_go02 · #98 Posted: **Aug 8, 2012, 6:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2.../20017241.html

I know this is old news but it looks like Westjet has dropped it's flights to Winnipeg and Las Vegas while cutting down on the number of flights to Calgary. That, along with the dropped flights to Detroit and the fact that Porter still isn't flying here seems like a blow to the recent expansion and success of the airport. Seriously though, when are we going to get some Porter flights? They fly to practically every other city in Ontario!

It's quite sad actually - I thought you would see Westjet start cutting back flights into Kitchener and Hamilton, and putting more through London.

Heck, 3 years ago, you could fly direct non-stop in the summer to Vancouver and Halifax. Of course, Westjet offered the flight as Vancouver-Halifax flight with a layover in London instead of Toronto, but the few times I took that flight, it always seemed pretty close to being full on the plane.

Simpseatles · #99 Posted: **Aug 23, 2012, 1:13 PM**

Here's a nice picture of the expanded terminal. We may be losing flights right now, but at least we have a snazzy new terminal building that can (and hopefully will) handle more flights once the economy is doing better!

http://www.londonairport.on.ca/

You can't tell in that picture, but the superfluous jet bridges at either end of the tarmac level walkway have now been removed.

MolsonExport · #**100** Posted: **Aug 24, 2012, 2:44 PM**

And Via rail has cut train frequencies to London.

Anything other than highway-based transport is getting the shaft.