Region of Waterloo International Airport - YKF

[SammyOES]

You can play around with the raw arrival/departure information with this url: https://www.waterlooairport.ca/Common/Se...vals=false

Doesn't really tell us anything though. There are some "missing" flights (consider West Jet shows flights up until the 22nd) but it's possible that there's something to do with when flight information gets updated/added.

[panamaniac]

Yea I'm not seeing much either. Only flight I see on ykf site is the westjet flight (don't I wish they had one that went to Halifax), and on Billy bishop all I see are Porter and ac flights. Looks like though they don't use the main terminal there.

Any search of their callsign (according to Wikipedia is hrn, or homerun) comes up empty.

Edit: all their registered aircraft is here. The few I searched for kept saying either Toronto or St Catherine's

https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/c...c&m=%7c%7c

And don't I wish it were YKF-YOW-YHZ.

[urbd]

I emailed flyGTA and asked if they were, in fact, sold out or if there were other issues.  They responded: "Unfortunately, all flights to Kitchener are not available."   That answer is not very helpful.  So at this stage I have no idea what is going on with flyGTA.  

I would guess this simply means there is no demand for those flights so they are simply not running them?

[darts]

pilot wants some time off if it is owner/operator

[jgsz]

Every time there is a shakeup in the Canadian airline industry I keep hoping that an airline will start using YKF.

The current shakeup is in Hamilton where Flair Airlines announced that it will stop serving Hamilton.  They made their decision shortly after Swoop announced that it will fly out of Hamilton.  Flair has been around for a while but they are not ready to take on Swoop's parent company, WestJet.   Yet, foolishly, Jetlines is still planning on using Hamilton with just one jet.  And they plan on offering the same flights as Swoop.  

I'm hoping that Chris Wood, General Manager at YKF, is in contact with Flair to promote our underserviced airport.

[Canard]

I'd never even heard of Flair! Flair Air, lol.

Looks like they have a flight direct from Toronto to Edmonton. That'd be nice once Valley Line is up and running, and for some rides on the Mindbender!

[Coke6pk]

Flair Air has been in contact with YKF (over a year ago), but I guess it wasn't enough....

I find it so frustrating that a discount airline could use YKF with no competition, yet they choose the airport that is constantly complaining about not having any space at the gates....

Coke

[panamaniac]

Every time there is a shakeup in the Canadian airline industry I keep hoping that an airline will start using YKF.

The current shakeup is in Hamilton where Flair Airlines announced that it will stop serving Hamilton.  They made their decision shortly after Swoop announced that it will fly out of Hamilton.  Flair has been around for a while but they are not ready to take on Swoop's parent company, WestJet.   Yet, foolishly, Jetlines is still planning on using Hamilton with just one jet.  And they plan on offering the same flights as Swoop.  

I'm hoping that Chris Wood, General Manager at YKF, is in contact with Flair to promote our underserviced airport.

Flair is shifting the domestic flights from YHM to YYZ.  I agree that JetLines, if it ever flies, will have no chance to succeed at YHM if it is in direct competition with Swoop.

[taylortbb]

I think this is the same thing WestJet went through originally, trying to use YHM as a Toronto airport, before realizing that people just aren't willing to travel that far and switching to YYZ.

As much as I'd like to see service out of YKF, any person I've ever mentioned it to in Toronto has thought the idea of coming out to YKF (or YHM) for a flight was insane. At least until we have significantly better transit service.

[Canard]

Well that makes sense, if you lived in Toronto, why would you want to drive an hour+, fighting awful 401 traffic, to fly out here?

For us here in Waterloo of course we want flights out of YKF, for the exact same reasons but in the opposite direction.

[danbrotherston]

Well that makes sense, if you lived in Toronto, why would you want to drive an hour+, fighting awful 401 traffic, to fly out here?

For us here in Waterloo of course we want flights out of YKF, for the exact same reasons but in the opposite direction.

And it's not just Waterloo Region, there's probably 1.5 - 2 million people who are on this side of Toronto, who for that same reason be willing to choose YKF.

That's not even counting Windsor who could prefer DTW, and Niagara, who could choose BUF, but even folks in those areas, might prefer YKF (or YHM) if they were traveling to Canadian destinations (or if they had a particular aversion to traveling to the US--which right now, I can understand).

Which is why I'm disappointed that our airport (and Hamilton's) hasn't had more success, but I think it's lack of awareness, higher costs, and limited destinations.  Which are kinda chicken and egg problems. Possibly, we could have done better if London, KW, and Hamilton had all worked together to make one airport this side of Toronto successful, but I doubt such options were even discussed.

One thing is certain though, YYZ is filling up, airlines are already looking to expand.  Our airport has advantages given it's proximity to YYZ, and especially to the train line that also serves YYZ.  Still, it will be a long way off, there are many other options that could materialize.

[jgsz]

And it's not just Waterloo Region, there's probably 1.5 - 2 million people who are on this side of Toronto, who for that same reason be willing to choose YKF.

.....

According to this 2016 article in The Record, "people living within 35 kilometres of the airport (YKF) make two million air trips every year." 

It is insane that so many passengers have to travel to Toronto to catch a flight.  

[panamaniac]

Anybody good with drawing lines on maps and doing distance calculations? It would be interesting to see a map showing what chunk of SOntario is closer to YKF than it is to YYZ, YHM, or YXU. Guelph and points to the north and west would be included, but I suspect Stratford is closer to YXU, and Brantford closer to YHM.

[tomh009]

One thing is certain though, YYZ is filling up, airlines are already looking to expand.  Our airport has advantages given it's proximity to YYZ, and especially to the train line that also serves YYZ.  Still, it will be a long way off, there are many other options that could materialize.

Well, yes and no. GTAA is certainly planning for the future, and the master plan has been updated to reach out to 2037. Now, their expectation is that in addition to the YYZ capacity expansion, the regional airports like YKF will also play a role. To wit:

Regional Collaboration. We project that 94 million passengers and close to one million tonnes of cargo will flow through Southern Ontario’s airports in 2037 – up substantially from the 49 million passengers and 470,000 tonnes of cargo we collectively accommodate today. The best way to meet this forecast increase in demand is to harness the collective resources and capabilities of all airports across the region.

In other large metropolitan areas around the world, airports coordinate to offer complementary services that benefit an entire region. For example, Los Angeles International Airport is a primary hub and international
gateway for the region it serves, while nearby Orange County Airport focuses on origin-and-destination travel (as opposed to connecting passengers) from the southern part of the region, and Van Nuys Airport accommodates general aviation.

We envision a future in which Toronto Pearson will continue to be the main hub for air connectivity in Southern Ontario – and indeed will evolve into a top-tier international airport – while accommodating less regional passenger traffic. In this scenario, other airports will offer more non-stop service to smaller centres across Southern Ontario and the U.S. Northeast, offering travellers more choice and shortening air passengers’ ground journeys.

As a step toward that vision, since our last Master Plan, Toronto Pearson and 10 other airports – Hamilton, Niagara, Windsor, downtown Toronto (Billy Bishop), London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Lake Simcoe, Oshawa, Peterborough and Kingston – have formed the Southern Ontario Airport Network. (Other airports, including Burlington and Downsview, also play a role.) Our shared goal is to provide more options and deliver superior service to air travellers, carriers, cargo shippers and aircraft owners, while collaborating on improved ground access, effective policy advocacy and the sharing of best practices.

More here:
https://torontopearson.com/uploadedFiles...037_EN.pdf

[Coke6pk]

Well that makes sense, if you lived in Toronto, why would you want to drive an hour+, fighting awful 401 traffic, to fly out here?

For us here in Waterloo of course we want flights out of YKF, for the exact same reasons but in the opposite direction.

When American Airlines flew from YKF, approx. 25% of the passengers travelled from Toronto for the flight.  They chose it because the travel time was less than the wait at Customs in YYZ, and flights and parking were both cheaper.

Coke