YYC Direct Flights Shakeup 2023 - AC Out, WJ In

[2Legit2Quit]

Security seems lax with shoes now if they're regular sneakers and not above the ankle

[haggis88]

Got off my flight from Grande Prairie this morning, went to the baggage carousel and my bags had beaten me there... must have been due to my stop at the pisser

Air Canada +rep

[flipstah]

WestJet looks to be expanding flights to Asia with NRT as the hub via codesharing

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230417-wsjl

WestJet operated by JAL
Tokyo Narita – Hanoi
Tokyo Narita – Ho Chi Minh City
Tokyo Narita – Manila

[davidI]

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WestJet looks to be expanding flights to Asia with NRT as the hub via codesharing

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230417-wsjl

I was excited about their direct flights to Barcelona until I looked and discovered they're double the cost of Air Transat.

[hurrdurr]

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I was excited about their direct flights to Barcelona until I looked and discovered they're double the cost of Air Transat.

Double the comfort/service of Transat too lol.

I booked into Bracelona out of Paris for the middle of summer for $1400RT. I thought that was pretty reasonable given the seasonality.

As far as the strike goes - I can't imagine this gets dragged out too long - Pilot strikes rarely do.

[killramos]

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I was excited about their direct flights to Barcelona until I looked and discovered they're double the cost of Air Transat.

Worth every penny

[davidI]

Interesting to compare the additional charges between my recent flights booked from Spain to Canada:

Canada - Goods and Services - 1.18€
Canada - Airport Improvement - 23.66€
Canada - Security - 17.51€
GST - 2.36€
Canada TOTAL - 44.71€

Spain - Exit Tax - 20.20€
Spain - Security - 3.27€
Spain - Aviation Safety - 0.63€
Spain TOTAL - 24.10€

Canada's fees are basically double, before even accounting for the lack of competitive airlines.

[ExtraSlow]

What communist province charges a goods and services fee and GST?

[bjstare]

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What communist province charges a goods and services fee and GST?

You should see what it's like buying liquor in SK. 5% GST, 6% PST, 10% liquor tax. Good thing work pays my bills.

[benyl]

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Interesting to compare the additional charges between my recent flights booked from Spain to Canada:

Canada - Goods and Services - 1.18€
Canada - Airport Improvement - 23.66€
Canada - Security - 17.51€
GST - 2.36€
Canada TOTAL - 44.71€

Spain - Exit Tax - 20.20€
Spain - Security - 3.27€
Spain - Aviation Safety - 0.63€
Spain TOTAL - 24.10€

Canada's fees are basically double, before even accounting for the lack of competitive airlines.

Every jurisdiction is different. Have a look at the APD from the UK. Then add the Passenger Service Charge. Flying our of LHR or LGW is expensive.

[davidI]

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Every jurisdiction is different. Have a look at the APD from the UK. Then add the Passenger Service Charge. Flying our of LHR or LGW is expensive.

Yea, fees certainly vary, but I could book a return flight from LGW to Milan for less than the taxes charged for my flight into/out of YYC...

[haggis88]

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50k status before the end of the year...double status 2024 baby!

Got to 25K Air Canada Status so far...chose the 750 qualifying miles per flight as one of my benefits so even a flight to Edmonton would guarantee me 750 miles

I should hit 50K, so that double status will be nice next year

[bjstare]

I lost my WJ gold last year, and had to call to book a flight today and talk to one of the "normal" CSRs (not the gold support line) for the first time in many years. It was friggin awful. It took 1h21min to book flights for my family. 40min of that was spent on hold because I was redeeming a voucher.

[Gainsbarre]

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I lost my WJ gold last year, and had to call to book a flight today and talk to one of the "normal" CSRs (not the gold support line) for the first time in many years. It was friggin awful. It took 1h21min to book flights for my family. 40min of that was spent on hold because I was redeeming a voucher.

Is WestJet strict on calling the gold support line if you're not gold? I can only speak to Star Alliance, but when I had gold through United, the live representative answering the phone always started off by thanking me for being a gold member - as such, now that my United MileagePlus gold status has lapsed, I don't dare call that number anymore.

However, while stuck overnight at YVR in December, somebody gave me the Air Canada phone number for the 75k line. The recorded message at the start says that you've called the "exclusive line for 75k members", but the live agent who takes your call never asks for or mentions Aeroplan status. Makes a huge difference, as 1-2 hour hold times for Air Canada on the regular line were all too common. Never had to wait more than 3 minutes on the 75k line.

[max_boost]

Moderate budget 1-2 weeks in July
What would beyond do, focused on value, don’t wanna overpay, deals deals deals

July normally peak travel ya? But somewhere where it’s seasonally cheaper in July for whatever reason ahha

[Manhattan]

Only reasonable place to vacation on the continent in July/Aug is PNW. Way too hot everywhere else. For good value I find Whidbey Island just north of Seattle is a gem and very reasonably priced even during peak summer season. Similar to Vancouver Island but less crowds and better value. I'd also stay on the east side of Seattle for a few days (Bellevue/Redmond). Some of the best Asian restaurants outside of Vancouver and an actual DTF, Dolar hot pot, etc.

Since you're a bball fan something I enjoyed was NBA summer league in Vegas the first few weeks of July. Great opportunity to watch rookies from courtside seats without paying thousands of $$$ during regular season. Seen Giannis, Dame, KAT in the past and it was a great experience. Crazy hot of course but you can do a lot of stuff indoors in Vegas.

[davidI]

This week Air Canada® made some schedule changes, which included several adjustments and targeted reductions to our Calgary‑based routes. While these changes will help improve operational reliability across our system, we recognize that they may hit home for you.

As an Aeroplan member, we want you to know that earning and redeeming opportunities remain abundant. Air Canada is committed to Calgary, and by far will still be YYC’s second largest airline, offering as many as 10,000 seats daily, in addition to the thousands of seats offered by our partners United and Lufthansa. Together, every day, Air Canada continues to connect you to its Canadian, U.S., and international network.

Calgary-based customers are some of our most engaged Aeroplan members and Aeroplan credit cardholders, and our commitment to being your favourite travel loyalty program remains unchanged. Earning your business and delivering on the unparalleled value that Air Canada and Aeroplan combined has to offer is what you can continue to count on from us.

Thank you for your Loyalty.

I don't know what changes they made but I do think they should consider a renaming to Air Liberal Party since those are the only jurisdictions they truly serve.

Edit: No more direct flights to Ottawa, Halifax, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Cancun and Frankfurt.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Can Air Canada fly non-stop Calgary to Edmonton? They can't make it "all the way" to Victoria without stopping in Vancouver, so... Just checking.

[Maxx Mazda]

Direct flights axed out of Calgary include Ottawa, Halifax, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Cancun, and Honolulu.

[Team_Mclaren]

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Direct flights axed out of Calgary include Ottawa, Halifax, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Cancun, and Honolulu.

Friend booked HNL for NOV during that $400 round trip seat sale. Got switched to a 15 hr connecting flight via YVR.... fucking rough...