Air Canada Reaction to Westjet new route announcement or not

[Longtimer]

June 25, 2015 8:00 AM - Financial - New Products & Services - Airlines/Aviation - Leisure - Passenger Aviation - Travel

S
Air Canada Adds Lyon, London-Gatwick to its Growing Global Network
New mainline service between Montreal and Lyon will be only year-round flight between North America and France's second largest metropolitan area
New Air Canada rouge route to London-Gatwick complements and builds on the success of Air Canada flights to London Heathrow, Air Canada's largest international gateway
MONTREAL, June 25, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today further expanded its extensive global network with the announcement of new non-stop services to Lyon, France and London's Gatwick airport beginning in summer 2016. The two new routes will provide customers even more convenient options when travelling to Europe for business or leisure.

"Pursuing our ongoing strategy to expand internationally, Air Canada is pleased to offer customers non-stop, year-round service between Montreal and Lyon, heart of the second largest metropolitan area in France. Air Canada continues to serve Paris Charles de Gaulle and this new Air Canada mainline route will further increase convenience for customers travelling to France as well as provide the only year-round service between North America and Lyon. It also complements our Air Canada rouge Nice-Côte d'Azur service," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada.

"Our new seasonal Air Canada rouge service between Toronto and London's Gatwick airport will complement our extensive operation at London Heathrow, our largest gateway outside Canada with non-stop service from eight Canadian cities. Air Canada rouge is ideally-suited to serve London-Gatwick, with its focus on leisure travel and provide easy access to southern London. This new service will also make us the only Canadian carrier serving multiple airports in the London region and complements our Air Canada rouge service to Manchester and Edinburgh. Both new routes offer customers convenient connection times with our extensive domestic, U.S. transborder and international network."

James Cherry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aéroports de Montréal said: "This new scheduled service between Montreal and Lyon, France's second-largest urban area, is excellent news that further supports Montreal–Trudeau's positioning as a hub between North America and Europe, particularly French-speaking Europe."

Howard Eng, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority said: "As Canada's largest gateway hub airport, we welcome Air Canada's announcement of a new rouge service from Toronto Pearson to London's Gatwick airport starting next summer. This new service will offer our passengers even more choice and convenience when it comes to planning their travel schedule – and that's an important part of how we're working to put our passengers first."

Tickets for both routes will be available for purchase starting July 2, 2015 and service between Montreal and Lyon will begin June 16, 2016 and operate up to five-times weekly with an Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 37 International Business Class lie-flat suites and 228 Economy class seats. Air Canada rouge's summer seasonal service between Toronto and London-Gatwick will begin May 19, 2016 and operate up to seven-times weekly with a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 24 Premium rouge seats and 256 rouge seats. All flights are timed to optimize connectivity through Air Canada's Montreal and Toronto hubs respectively.

Air Canada Montreal-Lyon



Flight
From
To
Depart
Arrive
Frequency
AC828
Montreal
Lyon
21:10
10:20 (+1 day)
Up to five times a week
AC829
Lyon
Montreal
12:00
14:00
Up to five times a week


Air Canada rouge Toronto-London-Gatwick



Flight
From
To
Depart
Arrive
Frequency
AC1924
Toronto
Gatwick
22:10
10:15 (+1 day)
Up to seven times a week
AC1925
Gatwick
Toronto
12:00
15:00
Up to seven times a week

[The Raven]

I would think it's more of a coincidence than a reaction. It appears that Air Canada has the schedule, fins, slots, etc all firmed up. Those things take longer than a few days to organize.

Then again, Westjet's announcement was pretty amateurish (Hey everybody...we're going to fly to LGW, but we don't know from where, we don't know when, and we don't know how, but by golly we're going to do it) so maybe Air Canada expedited their announcement to recapture the spotlight.

Bottom line though, with all the details Air Canada has given I suspect this announcement had been in the cards for a while.

[Old fella]

YUL - Lyon you say........ well now. That's in good French wine country, south of Burgundy(Macon and Beaune) and just north of that famed upper part Cote du Rhone. Best of both worlds, always wanted to get there, now to start piling the Aeroplan points. Just the cock for the wine dolly!!!

[Fanblade]

Of course it is a response. It's called competing.

[chaster]

Of course it is a response. It's called competing.

Competing?Is that what AC calls it?Anyone who has the big picture knows CR picks his battles and when he can't compete /Emirates he lobbies YOW! It's a little sickening to be honest!

[DH772]

ouch. That was a painful sentence to read.

[Changes in Latitudes]

Just the cock for the wine dolly!!!

If that thing gets anywhere near the wine dolly, they'll have you thrown off the plane.

[Fanblade]

Of course it is a response. It's called competing.

Competing?Is that what AC calls it?Anyone who has the big picture knows CR picks his battles and when he can't compete /Emirates he lobbies YOW! It's a little sickening to be honest!

Nice first post chaster,

Competition implies an even playing field. You won't see a football match with one side playing uphill the whole time.

[chaster]

Of course it is a response. It's called competing.

Competing?Is that what AC calls it?Anyone who has the big picture knows CR picks his battles and when he can't compete /Emirates he lobbies YOW! It's a little sickening to be honest!

Nice first post chaster,

Competition implies an even playing field. You won't see a football match with one side playing uphill the whole time.

[Johnny#5]

[razorblade]

^ LOL.

[Counterpoint]

"Howard Eng, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority said: "As Canada's largest gateway hub airport, we welcome Air Canada's announcement of a new rouge service from Toronto Pearson to London's Gatwick airport starting next summer. This new service will offer our passengers even more choice and convenience when it comes to planning their travel schedule – and that's an important part of how we're working to put our passengers first."

This comment should not go unchallenged. They aren't GTAA passengers. They are the airline's passengers. His clients are the airlines that use his non-profit airport.

The artwork in his airport terminals is his, the passengers that get charged to look at it aren't.

[altiplano]

If they want to put pax first they need to:

- keep the escalators running
- keep the people movers running
- keep BOTH trains running
- more 2 bridge gates
- get duty free prices in line
- sort out CBSA, what a mess
- get rid of the pricks guarding the curb outside
- get a train service to connect to transit and communities other than Union Station and charge a realistic fare