Canadian Airport Thread II

[JakeLRS]

A cool little tidbit of Flair's role in the Canadian airline sector.
They are the 3rd most searched airline, not super far off from WS.

Should flair go under, it will be a HUGE blow with very heavy consequences. There would not be enough seats in the market to help recover all the stranded passengers.



Canada Airlines Search Trend_MAR25_2024 by freerealms454, on Flickr

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

Unfortunately, I think its a matter of having to base aircraft there.

A smart short term pickup for Porter would be YKF-YOW/YHM-YOW 2x daily to feed the flights to the west and east, just like what WS does with YYC, AC with YYZ. They have the spare Q400 capabilities, its just a matter of pulling the trigger.

If Flair goes under, I'd hope Porter would want to expedite the start of a YVR base. Flair has over a hundred crew based in YVR that will be out of a job (unfortunately), in this pilot shortage, it might not hurt for Porter to pick them up.

The PD YVR base has already been announced, along with YUL/YHU and an upgrade to a full YOW base from the current DH4 F/A base that’s existed for years. They’ll all be up and running in the next few months. PD also have F/A bases at YQT & YHZ.

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by Dominion301

The PD YVR base has already been announced, along with YUL/YHU and an upgrade to a full YOW base from the current DH4 F/A base that’s existed for years. They’ll all be up and running in the next few months. PD also have F/A bases at YQT & YHZ.

YVR base isnt scheduled until September. They might wanna expedite it lol!

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

YVR base isnt scheduled until September. They might wanna expedite it lol!

LOL true but I doubt PD can staff any faster than they already are at present.

[Justanothermember]

Looks like everything is back to business on the Flair website as of a few hours ago. Hopefully just over three days of lost revenue won't hurt them too bad in the long run.

I really want Flair to be successful as this country needs as much competition for flights as possible.

So for now at least, Flair remains in the air.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Justanothermember

Looks like everything is back to business on the Flair website as of a few hours ago. Hopefully just over three days of lost revenue won't hurt them too bad in the long run.

I really want Flair to be successful as this country needs as much competition for flights as possible.

So for now at least, Flair remains in the air.

Nobody should blindly wish for competition if one of the players is not playing by the legal rules the others are. How exactly is Flair funding their continued operation? Is 777 Partners in Miami still getting paid lease fees for the planes while Canadian suppliers are being stiffed?

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Nobody should blindly wish for competition if one of the players is not playing by the legal rules the others are. How exactly is Flair funding their continued operation? Is 777 Partners in Miami still getting paid lease fees for the planes while Canadian suppliers are being stiffed?

I can't possibly answer any of that, but will add the caveat that of course I want airlines to operate ethically and legally to ensure fairness in the industry for all stakeholders alike.

[JakeLRS]

I swear whenever flair has a massive mess up, this forum and a.net get so much testosterone built up its like madness.

Honestly, happy Flair will see another day, but man any mention of Flair's downfall makes all these forums go haywire.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

I swear whenever flair has a massive mess up, this forum and a.net get so much testosterone built up its like madness.

Honestly, happy Flair will see another day, but man any mention of Flair's downfall makes all these forums go haywire.

Probably because people who follow aviation have a better idea than the average Joe on what goes into running a successful airline. They tend to see through bullshit, like the Flair CEO blew on this recent interview with Bloomberg. The guy bobs, weaves and evades giving a direct answer like a politician!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5YWV0...YWlybGluZXM%3D

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

I swear whenever flair has a massive mess up, this forum and a.net get so much testosterone built up its like madness.

Honestly, happy Flair will see another day, but man any mention of Flair's downfall makes all these forums go haywire.

A business that operates in such a way as Flair is not a particularly beneficial addition to the Canadian aviation market.

Yes, the flights are cheap. Probably too cheap, given the economics of the business in this country. Unsustainable businesses underwritten by sketchy backers that seem primed to collapse are a disservice to the customers who get the rotten end of the stick when it happens. Same for employees.

The slow motion drama of Flair and its various self-inflicted travails does not inspire confidence in being a safe operator. Allegiant Air used to use worn out MD80s that regularly had to make emergency landings; the Tampa Bay Times called them on it. They retired those planes and got newer ones. They operate a much safer fleet today.

Did Flair’s various aircraft repossessions inspire them to get their financial act together? Promise Canadians a viable value airline that worked? Nope. It’s a never ending festival of public spats with various creditors. It’s hard to root for the underdog if the underdog is so sleazy in its dealings.

Unless Flair is sold to an adequately financed entity that wants to make value travel legitimately work in this country, I won’t recommend or fly them, because people are going to grouse at me when they’re stuck wherever and have to pay full-fare on AC or Westjet to get home.

[LO 044]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

I swear whenever flair has a massive mess up, this forum and a.net get so much testosterone built up its like madness.

Honestly, happy Flair will see another day, but man any mention of Flair's downfall makes all these forums go haywire.

It's not specific to Flair, it's specific to airlines that many people in the industry feel don't know what they're doing and/or provide something that is unsustainable. Have you read all the comments on a.net regarding Porter? Porter constantly gets called out about poor on time performance, poor utilization of aircraft, poor choice of aircraft for the routes they are trying to compete on, prices that are higher than AC or WS and inept leadership. Porter is another company that is trying to get into competition with AC and WS based on bleeding cash on certain routes to try and attract a premium customer. Most think it won't work based on many factors.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by q12

If you try to book a flight on Flair Airlines website right now it redirects to another website that then will show you flight options on Air Canada/Porter/WestJet if it's a route served by airlines other than Flair.

I kid you not.

Which is probably the smartest thing a Flair customer could do right (Book with a financial stable airline) if they actually want to arrive at their destination.

Trying to make a call like this right now. We're eyeing up Play's sub-$500 flights to Dublin, but with Lynx and now maybe Flair, a bit leery of booking something with a low-cost airline.

[Nashe]

"Fly Air Canada! We're terrible, but it could be worse!"

[q12]

Air Canada Issues Annual Report Highlighting its Achievements in 2023

NEWS PROVIDED BY
Air Canada
Mar 26, 2024, 10:00 ET

Airline had record operating revenue, advanced strategic initiatives

MONTREAL, March 26, 2024 /CNW/ - Air Canada today issued its 2023 Annual Report highlighting the carrier's achievements for the year. In addition to its strong financial results, including record annual revenue, the airline made progress on key strategic initiatives. The report is available in the Investor Relations section of www.aircanada.com.


Air Canada Logo (CNW Group/Air Canada)

"Air Canada delivered very strong results in 2023. We met key financial objectives and advanced or exceeded most of our strategic and operational goals for the year, demonstrating our ability to perform consistently," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.

"We continued to renew our fleet with more fuel-efficient and comfortable aircraft, and we expanded our network and products to offer more choice and convenience to our customers. We also advanced our Environmental, Social and Governance programs through our sustainability, equity and accessibility activities and supported the communities we serve, including by providing thousands of employment opportunities.

"Air Canada has a solid foundation to build upon and a clear vision for the future as a leader in the global aviation industry, connecting Canada to the world, and as a trusted partner for all our stakeholders. I thank our customers for their loyalty, our 39,000 employees for their hard work and dedication to safe operations and our investors for their support throughout the year."

Among its key accomplishments, in 2023 Air Canada:

• Safely carried 46 million passengers and earned full year operating income of $2.3 billion on record operating revenue of $21.8 billion. Adjusted EBITDA* more than doubled, reaching nearly $4 billion, and the airline generated cash from operating activities of approximately $4.3 billion and free cash flow* of nearly $2.8 billion.
• Reduced its leverage ratio* to 1.1 times adjusted EBITDA from 5.1 times adjusted EBITDA at December 31, 2022, and ended the year with total liquidity of $10.3 billion.
• Launched 14 new routes to serve 188 direct destinations. In support of its ongoing fleet renewal and network expansion it sourced 18 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and five Boeing 737 MAX-8 fuel-efficient aircraft for future delivery.
• Hired 8,000 people during the year, bringing the total employee count to approximately 39,000 and, through $1.6 billion in capital expenditures during the year, including within Canada, invested in such things as new aircraft, technology and customer service improvements.
• Furthered its business diversification, with Aeroplan reaching eight million members, Air Canada Cargo deploying its seven cargo freighters to more than 12 destinations, and Air Canada Vacations materially increasing its revenues.
• Completed 41 initiatives under its Elevating the Customer Experience service plan and improved key operating metrics, such as on-time performance and baggage handling. In addition, it accelerated its three-year accessibility plan to better accommodate customers with disabilities.
• Worked toward our climate action plan through various initiatives, including with the addition of modern and efficient aircraft and ground support equipment (e-GSE vehicles) to the fleet, sourcing additional SAF and continuing to engage with our corporate customers through our Leave Less Travel Program.
• Implemented four structural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) pillars: DEI Executive Council, DEI Steering Committee, DEI Champions Program, and the formalization of employee resource groups (ERGs).
• Supported, with the Air Canada Foundation, 360 Canadian charitable organizations dedicated to the health and well-being of children. The Foundation raised more than $1.7 million, and the Dreams Take Flight program resumed flying, allowing more than 1,000 children to create treasured experiences.

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...828731674.html

[JakeLRS]

Originally Posted by jonny24

Trying to make a call like this right now. We're eyeing up Play's sub-$500 flights to Dublin, but with Lynx and now maybe Flair, a bit leery of booking something with a low-cost airline.

I would be okay purchasing with PLAY. They continue to be able to raise money and were profitable last summer (although net they were negative for the year). Luckily for the consumer, they are publicly traded company, so you can view all their financials on their website.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by LO 044

It's not specific to Flair, it's specific to airlines that many people in the industry feel don't know what they're doing and/or provide something that is unsustainable. Have you read all the comments on a.net regarding Porter? Porter constantly gets called out about poor on time performance, poor utilization of aircraft, poor choice of aircraft for the routes they are trying to compete on, prices that are higher than AC or WS and inept leadership. Porter is another company that is trying to get into competition with AC and WS based on bleeding cash on certain routes to try and attract a premium customer. Most think it won't work based on many factors.

Big difference with Porter though is they have 17 years of 'street cred' in the east. They also made sure to capitalize themselves to close to a billion dollars to weather the losses during the couple of years of torrid expansion. I fully expect PD will still be around 2 years from now with zero aircraft repossessed in that time.

Interesting PD article in Wings: https://www.wingsmagazine.com/party-...001D3490978J5J

Highlights:
-YHU will see both jets and turboprops (no surprise there - at the very least to YTZ);
-No DH4s at YYZ for the foreseeable future and definitely none in 2024, but they plan to have them there eventually;
-60,000 pax transferred since the PD-TS interline agreement. Now with the full JV and codesharing, they're targeting 15-18% of TS pax transferring to/fom PD;
-They claim their Dash 8 wages are now the highest in Canada to help with pilot retention and internal promotions; and
-Are definitely eyeing acquiring more Dash 8s:

The jet fleet will eclipse the Dash-8s in 2024, and Porter has not ruled out adding turboprops. “As we build up the hubs in eastern Canada, the Dash-8 fleet gives us opportunities to create more feed and build connectivity across eastern Canada,”

[whatnext]

One thing that definitely surprised me about the latest Flair Fiasco is how little media coverage there was of it. The G&M and CTV had small articles but nothing on CBC or BNN-BLoomberg. There was more coverage of Flair's Cancun screw-up. If Air Canada's ticketing had failed in such spectacular fashion it would be a lead story!

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by whatnext

One thing that definitely surprised me about the latest Flair Fiasco is how little media coverage there was of it. The G&M and CTV had small articles but nothing on CBC or BNN-BLoomberg. There was more coverage of Flair's Cancun screw-up. If Air Canada's ticketing had failed in such spectacular fashion it would be a lead story!

Global BC mentioned it in their morning news ticker - today though, as if the website was still down.

Didn't see anything from CityNews either, though I could have missed it.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Nashe

"Fly Air Canada! We're terrible, but it could be worse!"

Indeed, you might be flying Air Transat...

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Indeed, you might be flying Air Transat...

I guess we'll see in a few weeks. First time flying with them in several years. (At least it's direct)