Air Canada

[lbaspotter]

Hi

It looks like Air Canada maybe about to make a return operating a new Montreal-Toronto-Manchester 3 to 4 times weekly service from next March 2011.

This is due to the fact that one of the airlines Boeing 767-300's will be freed up from the Montreal to Brussels service and to that there is a short fall in supply from Manchester to Canada due to Zoom and Globespan dissapeing (Going bust) and leaving the market to the charter operations by Air Transat and Thomas Cook both on behalf of Canada Affair..

Hope they get it....

 

[User0001]

Air Canada to return to MAN in a low cost form:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... le1987669/

Whats interesting is, they have applied for winter slots at MAN for the first time, so should be good.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I've heard a rumour that Air Canada's new low cost service will be unveiled in coming weeks.

YYZ-MAN is listed here as starting from 1st May next year.

http://www.plane-mad.com/movements/manchester-airport/

 

[Aviador]

I this going to be the Air Canada version of Zoom?

 

[Ray Finkle]

Apparently it'll be two 767's moved from mainline to start with then more to follow in the future. No actual destinations but Europe has apparently been confirmed.

 

[User0001]

Aaaand its finally announced.

Starts next June and will be a 5 weekly B767.

Just need Saudia to start and Norwegian to set up a base and the current strongest rumours will be fulfilled.

(unless MAN have any other surprises up their sleeve like yesterdays Vienna route!).

 

[User0001]

Air Canada have confirmed Manchester will operate an extended season next year.

Changes are not bookable yet, however.

 

[User0001]

It looks like Air Canada may be going year round at MAN.

Currently, website taking bookings up until November 2015 (as far in advance as possible at the moment), and GDS showing flights in December too.

Still seems to be 5 weekly, on Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun.

 

[User0001]

Air Canada increasing MAN to daily ex-Tue for the summer. Was 5 weekly originally.

 

[Dobbo]

I assume this is not a new development?

 

[User001]

Air Canada will be sending in their own aircraft for July, instead of Rouge.

Aircraft will be mainline B767 with business class, and use flight numbers AC842/843.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Air Canada will be sending in their own aircraft for July, instead of Rouge.

Aircraft will be mainline B767 with business class, and use flight numbers AC842/843.

Thank you.

Any idea why? Demand? Aircraft availability? Testing the waters?

 

[User001]

I had heard it was to test demand to see if mainline can operate the flights next year.

Basically, AC rouge can only have so many aircraft and operate so many routes due to union agreements.

Therefore, to be able to open new lower cost rouge flights next summer, one or 2 current rouge routes need to be switched back to mainline. Therefore, they are testing Manchester to see if we have the demand for J class and thus operate as Mainline next summer.

 

[Dobbo]

That would be a nice development.

What service do they operate at present? Aside from being operated by AC Rouge, I seem to recall it is a seasonal and less than daily service....

 

[Aceshigh]

How would such an evaluation work ?

Are they relying on somebody happening to know or get lucky in terms of when AC happen to be on the route ?

They have a dozen flights daily into Heathrow, would they know the transfer rate from these services into the N West and would that be more scientific.

I have no idea how these things work.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I had heard it was to test demand to see if mainline can operate the flights next year.

Basically, AC rouge can only have so many aircraft and operate so many routes due to union agreements.

Therefore, to be able to open new lower cost rouge flights next summer, one or 2 current rouge routes need to be switched back to mainline. Therefore, they are testing Manchester to see if we have the demand for J class and thus operate as Mainline next summer.

Many thanks User001.

 

[Dobbo]

It is such a small sample size, you wonder what it will actually show. I doubt people's travel habits change overnight and I doubt the information on this will disseminate quickly enough to make a difference. In particular, has this been in booking engines for some time?

I wonder if it has been set up to show a predetermined conclusion. Who knows.

Personally, I think it is unusual that air Canada mainline don't have a year round service of some description from MAN...

 

[Dobbo]

Do we know how the AC mainline is faring? Has there been a decent bump in bookings?

 

[EGCC_MAN]

I'd expect exactly the same passenger profile / demand as for the Rouge service. There has been negligible public awareness of the temporary switch to Air Canada and I've seen no related marketing. Having said which, it wouldn't make sense to spend money advertising a change of three weeks duration. We F4A regulars weren't aware of this switch until a very late stage, so we can be sure that ordinary travellers didn't factor it into their planning. No meaningful market indicators can be drawn from this exercise. Nice for us to have something different to photograph though! If only we could disperse the morning permacloud ...

 

[Dobbo]

I agree it is very odd. If it is dipping the tie into the ocean it is very tentative. I'm surprised a year round Toronto service cannot be sustained. The connections across Canada and North America from there should be pretty good?

Does US pre-clearance have the same effect in Canada (I.e. Are they in a common travel area?)