Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
Inter-prairie city flights that don't involve Calgary have really diminished in recent years... back in the 2000s, Winnipeg-Edmonton service on AC dropped in a hurry from larger jets to regional service, and as I recall WS even dropped Winnipeg-Regina/Saskatoon service altogether for a while until Encore was created. It has bounced back a bit in recent years but it's still pretty minimal considering the connections between the 5 major prairie cities... I guess people are just driving more now? The key highways are certainly better than they were 20 years ago.
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I just don't think that airlines will tolerate 1/2 full flights anymore. Why use a 737/A320 that only will fill to half capacity regularly? Sure, it might be (marginally) profitable, but a completely full CRJ or Q400 will look a heck of a lot better to the accountants.
The only flight I've flown in recent years that was <80% full was an Ottawa-Calgary flight on Westjet.
As for direct flights to Ottawa - there is seasonal service in the summer from Saskatoon. Not sure about Regina though. I think the biggest knock against Saskatchewan flights is that the population is dispersed among 2 smaller cities, so that there is not enough 'critical mass' to justify daily direct flights, unlike Winnipeg.