P.G. Airport Hopes to Land Direct Flights to Calgary
Monday, July 16, 2012 @ 4:01 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Discussions continue between the Prince George Airport Authority and West Jet about adding some new flights to the schedule.
YXS President and CEO, John Gibson says YXS has been talking with WestJet since the airline let it be known it is looking to add more regional services “There are advantages for us to have more frequency of flights and getting access to Calgary and Edmonton and so we’ve been talking to them about those opportunities”
Fort St. John and Terrace have also been talking with WestJet, trying to get the airline to land in their respective communities, but Gibson says the plan would not see P.G. as the hub for that regional service, “I would see the flights hubbing back into Vancouver, Calgary or Edmonton from those B.C. points. From our own stand point, we see service with WestJet to Vancouver (an existing service) , Calgary and even potentially Edmonton but we have no indication of timelines.” The best guess on timelines would suggest WestJet may have a plan that would see decisions on flights sometime late next year with service possibly as early as 2014, but there is nothing set in stone.
Gibson says he is optimistic about the increased service levels “I think it is inevitable that we’ll end up with regional props, the Q-400’s, in Prince George.” Bombardier’s Q-400 is a prop aircraft that can seat 70-80 passengers. It is designed for short haul routes.
The resource boom in regions in and around Prince George is one key reason for increased air traffic “We’ve taken all the numbers to them (WestJet) showing the growth and the billions of dollars being spent here, so they have the economic development data to back our situation.”
The team from YXS has another round of discussions with West Jet in October.
But WestJet is not the only airline being pursued by the PG Airport “We’re talking to lots of different carriers” says Gibson, “We’re still talking to Air Canada, and we’re still talking to some carriers about Las Vegas, as early as this fall as well.”
Comments
I miss the Calgary–PG—Victoria flight.
It offered travelers options of direct flights to both Calgary and Victoria.
I wish they’d do a Prince George – Edmonton flight, I think it might get more use then PG – Calgary.
I wish they would bring back the flights of the late 1970s. 737 service to Edmonton via Dawson Creek as well as to Whitehorse via Ft. St. John, Fort Nelson, Watson Lake. Those routes existed for many years.
AND, they served food.
gus, as I recall, Air Canada charged big money for those flights.
But back to the original topic, PG to Calgary would be nice. I know that Ft. St. John has been wanting Westjet to come their way for a long time now.
Seems to me that it was just after City Council subsidized the Horizen Air flights to Seattle to the tune of $400,000.00 that Air Canada had a meeting with Mayor Colin Kinsley, and shortly after that meeting the Air Canada flight from Pr George to Calgary was terminated. If we were to reveiw the reasons for termination it might help in resurecting this service.
In addition. YXS is putting on a brave face, but the truth of the matter is Prince George is being downgraded from a Jet Service between Vancouver and PG to a Turbo Prop service.
Rumour has it that the Puerto Vallarta Mexico flights next year will start in Grande Prairie, to Prince George to Mexico and reverse.
I would love to see a direct flight to either Cowtown or Edmonton also it would be nice to have a seasonal Direct flights to points south from here. It also makes a lot of business sense to make the PG airport a regional hub.
As things slowly begin to align for the airport it becomes more and more attractive to investors and becomes more viable for other ventures. I for one really do hope that the weekly seasonal flight direct from Germany to here takes off you would be amazed at how heavily PG and surrounding area is promoted in Germany.
If it becomes successful as I expect it will then it opens the possibility of more direct flights from other locations in Asia notably Japan and China.
Too many people believe this city offers nothing and feel that there is no economic benefit to having PG. as a tourist hub.
If there was money to be made I am sure flights would be offered. Even a smaller outfit like Central Mountain does not fly direct flights. One can get to Calgary via Ft. Nelson:)
When we had the flight to Calgary a few years ago, it connected to a direct flight to Ottawa. It was the shortest time I ever flew PG>Ottawa since I moved here. Saved about 2 hours if I recall correctly.
A lot of people from here fly to Ottawa to watch the Senators play …. in the House by the river …… LOL
AC has already largley abandoned jets for turbo props and now ot looks like westjet will too. When was the last time PG did not have schheduled jet service. My guess is atleast 30 years.
Jazz uses jets – Bombardier.
I actually like that plane better than the 737. A bit less room, for sure, but much more convenient with carry, on, low to the ground making it easier to get into. The actual flight time is a touch shorter.
I do not like the Dash series of planes. It is a 30 minute longer flight and noisier.
Air service in PG was at its prime when we had Air BC… its to bad Air Canada killed the brand after their takeover. They had the quietest regional jets in the world and had one stop to Edmonton. I use to get the family passes for $5 return anywhere they flew via standby ($100 anywhere Air Canada flew). I sometimes had to miss three or four planes before a spot would become available…
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