Regina Airport Authority President and CEO James Bogusz says one of his main priorities is to return flights to major U.S. hubs such as Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis through American carriers.
He made the comments during a Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce event at the Heritage Inn on Wednesday.
Bogusz said Regina used to have service to those centres until they were dropped around 2013-2014 by the airlines due to a number of issues including a slumping Canadian dollar that made the flights less profitable.
Add in the fact that during the pandemic there were vaccine mandates and the mandates in the United States hadn’t been lifted until about a month ago.
He said, while the Canadian dollar still struggles against the US Dollar, the appetite has changed and the airport can offer incentives to reduce the financial barriers for a period to time so the airlines can try the routes.
He said they are currently talking with United and American Airlines as they are the two carriers that have shown the most interest in returning to mid-sized airports in Canada. He added that United looks more promising between the two.
“United is finally looking at Canada more seriously. Assuming you're not Toronto, they already fly to these big cities. It's the mid-sized ones. That's why Saskatoon does not have a flight to Minneapolis with Delta,” he said.
Bogusz explained that major American hubs open the door to hundreds of other U.S. cities. Canadian carriers do go to those locations but share in the profits with the American carriers meaning connecting flights are limited. For instance, a WestJet flight from Saskatoon to Minneapolis can connect to 28 U.S. cities with a codeshare with Delta. Having a flight directly through Delta directly would open up connections to 110 cities.
He said they have a willing and receptive audience when it comes to the American airlines, it just comes down to finances. He was also thankful for the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce's support in the past.
“By the previous advocacy you've done, none of that's been forgotten. United, in fact, didn't ice our deal. They've been talking with us through the pandemic. They couldn't do anything, couldn't even legally fly to Saskatchewan for about a year and a half. Then there are mandates I can give you the long list,” Bogusz said.
He also addressed the situation with domestic flights. Around Christmas time, Air Canada announced it was removing flights from Saskatchewan to Calgary. Bogusz said this is only part of the story.
Air Canada has also reduced flights to Calgary from other locations including Victoria and San Fransisco. It was a strategic move with their global hub being located in Vancouver.
That being said, with WestJet announcing their global hub at the Calgary airport, Bogusz said it expanded WestJet’s capacity in the region and added more flights between Calgary and Regina.
As for WestJet’s recent announcement that they have acquired Sunwing, Bogusz said it will likely affect non-stop flights to sunny destinations due to Regina’s proximity to Calgary. But, with more larger aircraft in their fleet, Bogusz believes it could open up more opportunities in other destinations.
The airport is also in talks with two new Canadian Airlines and another smaller carrier that is looking to expand into Western Canada.
Lynx Air and Canada Jetlines are upstart airlines that could pick up routes to Toronto and Calgary. Bogusz said he expected Lynx could be flying out of Regina in the next couple of years.
Meanwhile, Porter Airlines has been flying regionally out of Toronto Island but wants to compete with Air Canada and WestJet to become the third major Canadian airline. Porter recently made large investments in Ottawa. Air Canada stop flying from Regina to Ottawa during the pandemic and switched to Montreal.
Bogusz feels Porter could make up for that gap with flights to Ottawa and Toronto. Bogusz did warn that they are a premium carrier, so they will likely be more expensive compared to Air Canada or WestJet.