While Canada’s total domestic passenger numbers now hover at around pre-COVID levels, air travel to smaller communities and even medium-sized cities has withered, pushing up fares and leaving parts of the country less connected.
MONTREAL — From his office overlooking the runway at Gander International Airport, Reg Wright can see all flights in and out of his corner of Newfoundland.“In Newfoundland, we have a saying called the fisherman’s widow, which is typically anyone that keeps eyes to the sea to see that their husband will return. During the pandemic, I did spend a lot of time in the posture of looking out the window, counting numbers and wondering when recovery was coming,” Wright said.
Driving the travel rebound is a surge along big-city routes. Flight volumes rose 19 per cent for Vancouver-Montreal, 12 per cent for Toronto-Vancouver, 10 per cent for Calgary-Vancouver and a whopping 51 per cent for Ottawa-Calgary over the past five years, according to figures provided to The Canadian Press by aviation data firm Cirium.
The dearth of departures has prompted some travellers to look south for flights — out of Detroit, Plattsburgh, New York, and Bellingham, Washington, for example — draining revenues from Canadian airlines and airports.During the pandemic, carriers took the opportunity to streamline their fleet by ditching older planes in favour of newer, bigger ones. The fresher aircraft are more efficient, as are business models that operate fewer flights and carry more passengers over longer distances.
In Cape Breton, residents now have to go through Montreal or Toronto if they want to fly to Halifax after both airlines cut back from a combined 240 flights per month to zero. Other experts say more direct support for regional flights is needed, pointing south of the border. The U.S. Essential Air Service program ensures scheduled flights to hundreds of small communities by subsidizing air service that would otherwise not be profitable enough for carriers, which bid on the contracts.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines extend review period of deal amid antitrust scrutiny'Our airlines have mutually agreed with the DOJ on a brief extension of the formal review period until August 15,' Alaska Air Group said. The deal...
Read more »
'On the brink': Airlines flee small cities, cutting key links to rest of the countryMONTREAL — From his office overlooking the runway at Gander International Airport, Reg Wright can see all flights in and out of his corner of Newfoundland.
Read more »
'On the brink': Airlines flee small cities, cutting key links to rest of the countryMONTREAL — From his office overlooking the runway at Gander International Airport, Reg Wright can see all flights in and out of his corner of Newfoundland. But in recent years, those plane spottings have been fewer and farther between.
Read more »
‘On the brink’: Airlines flee small cities, cutting key links to rest of the countryAir travel to smaller communities and even medium-sized cities has withered, pushing up fares and leaving parts of the country less connected
Read more »
‘On the brink’: Airlines flee small cities, cutting key links to rest of the countryWhile Canada’s total domestic passenger numbers now hover at around pre-COVID levels, air travel to smaller communities and even medium-sized cities has withered.
Read more »
WestJet and mechanics' union ratify contract in aftermath of strikeCALGARY — WestJet Airlines says the tentative contract between the company and its mechanics has been ratified.
Read more »