[YEG imagineer]

This seems to be an over reach. We already have a private operator who provided the service pre COVID and likely would start it up again with a small subsidy. https://edmontonskyshuttle.com/. Instead we are going to look at spending money on buses and staff that won’t even bring guests directly to hotels. So welcome to Edmonton, walk through our downtown to get to your hotel after we drop you off at a depot.

 

[TAS]

This seems to be an over reach. We already have a private operator who provided the service pre COVID and likely would start it up again with a small subsidy. https://edmontonskyshuttle.com/. Instead we are going to look at spending money on buses and staff that won’t even bring guests directly to hotels. So welcome to Edmonton, walk through our downtown to get to your hotel after we drop you off at a depot.

Last week I flew to Vancouver and took the skytrain to downtown which was great. It's a great service. But I still had to walk to my hotel from the skytrain station. I didn't think that was unreasonable given the cost savings to take public transit.

 

[YEG imagineer]

I’m taking the Sky Train tomorrow. Unfortunately YEG doesn’t yet have LRT to the airport. And unless the city builds the bus lanes on Calgary Trail and Gateway (which is now being talked about) it will be slow whereas smaller vans going on a more frequent basis than every half hour in peak and every hour otherwise (current 747 service) Downtown Vancouver has a large concentration of hotels whereas in Edmonton we have South, west and downtown clusters.

 

[TAS]

I’m taking the Sky Train tomorrow. Unfortunately YEG doesn’t yet have LRT to the airport. And unless the city builds the bus lanes on Calgary Trail and Gateway (which is now being talked about) it will be slow whereas smaller vans going on a more frequent basis than every half hour in peak and every hour otherwise (current 747 service) Downtown Vancouver has a large concentration of hotels whereas in Edmonton we have South, west and downtown clusters.

Bottom line, the business community and downtown hotels in Edmonton are asking for this and are supportive and it could help city attract more convention type events.

 

[YEG imagineer]

I agree TAS. It is important to offer this service.

 

[The_Cat]

I think something like the bus rapid transit way along Calgary Trail could be extended south. Perhaps alternate between express routes to downtown and routes from YEG-Century Park-Downtown. Perhaps the downtown loop could include the Ice District and Churchill Square.

 

[IanO]

I vote yes for this service with an improved receiving station next to the library on 101st/102ave next to Churchill LRT, ECC, Westin, Sandman, even Lacombe, RHW etc. and then have it loop around to 105st with a top at Jasper/105st for the Coast, HI, Quality Inn etc. before it heads back.

You could even have a quick stop just north of Whyte to tie into buses going E/W (to the UofA) and or simply a nice connection for backpackers.

I hereby decree that we call this service the 'DTX'.

 

[archited]

Puh!

 

[occidentalcapital]

These are my thoughts on the current situation and most recent events with YEG (or those that affect YEG):

1) WestJet is not the WestJet of 15-20 years ago. Historically WestJet grew with YEG when it started because it was the second biggest city it served starting out (YYC being the other, of course). Because of that, WestJet grew adding more flights within western Canada and especially with YEG. Recently since the acquisition and privatization by Onex, WestJet is so far from its old roots its not even close. WestJet is effectively a Toronto airline based in Calgary. It is run entirely on profit by Onex out of Toronto. Onex, which has absolutely no connection or concern of providing Edmonton its fair share of flights, instilled a profit driven CEO out of Austria, again, who has absolutely no connection to WestJet's history or any connection to Edmonton. What we see now is anything else you see in the private equity industry when a financial buyer buys a corp with the intention of squeezing every bit of return out of the company, regardless of what the company's history with Edmonton may be

2) What has YEG management done about this, and the ever-declining air service over the past 5-10 years? Well in my opinion, not very much. Under Tom Ruth's leadership, air service, routes and providers have all but disappeared and YEG has effectively degraded to a feeder airport. Under Tom Ruth's leadership, we have seen bips and gadgets and drones and autonomous vehicles and all sorts of other initiatives that I will classify as "peripheral at best". Are some of them important? Sure. But many have absolutely nothing to do with the airport's primary duty - provide the best possible quality for air service to move its passengers. If you don't believe me, take a look at the EIA annual report and see how many times they discuss improving passenger air service as a priority in their mission.

3) This brings me to my next point. Out of all those peripheral initiatives and developments and fund raisings, we were told that revenue from all these things would go towards attracting airlines and routes. How has that worked out so far? Out of all the funds that were raised by the municipalities in the Edmonton region, how have those funds been used in attracting routes? Did they go towards attracting anything on UA because Houston is now officially cancelled?

5) The current Situation: This is the worst situation YEG has been in in as long as I can remember. Our transborder service (While Flair or Swoop are great, I am not counting them for a reason because those do little to drive traffic and connections and can be intermittent at best) is about on par with what we had in the 90s - a 1x daily SFO, 1x daily DEN and a 1x daily SEA with very little prospect of AA, Delta or other routes returning. AC has continued to demonstrate that it has little interest in serving YEG (our domestic service is effectively as bare as it will get), and WestJet and its Toronto owner have declared YYC as the center of the universe.

6) What needs to happen: In my opinion, the Board of YEG needs to wake the f**k up and create a strong action plan and start making some public noise. The first step is hiring a new CEO who has a strategic plan to dig YEG out of this hole and has the background, relationships and proper team to do this. This may mean it is a former exec at a large airline or a large global airport. With all do respect to Tom Ruth who is a nice fellow, he did very little for YEG in terms of building up the airport and his background out of Halifax didn’t provide any confidence he would. The next thing I would do is bring in a reputable global consultant such as a BCG of McKinsey. Someone who not only can help execute and refine a new strategy, but also can bring relationships with airlines.

If this isn’t a big deal now, then when will this be a big deal? YEG’s future is in danger of being a large feeder and ULCC airport and it will be hard to dig out. And this means less choices for you and me, and less choices for people looking to connect with YEG to visit or do business.

I agree that WestJet used to focus on Edmonton, and used to be more of an "Alberta" airline. That has clearly changed.

With respect to your criticism of YEG, the only thing I wholeheartedly agree with is improving the composition of the board of directors to make it more focused and driven.

In terms of expecting more air service - in the Canadian air market, WestJet is a lost cause for YEG at this point, Air Canada is not much better, and the US carriers all have a pilot shortage - that alone is 90% of the answer for YEG's lack of traditional legacy flight options. What you are missing is that YEG is capitalizing on the future with ULCC presence and a new major airline headquartered at YEG, which has not happened since... WardAir(?) I think? That is a very significant achievement and not to be overlooked. The legacies will come along for the ride, and continue to serve YEG here and there, but you are just fighting yesterday's battle if that is all you are focused on. You have to become the airport of choice for tomorrow's big players, and I see signs that YEG is doing that with the Flair headquarters. We also have finally seen some solid plans, plus a nice solid federal gov't grant, for a global cargo hub, which to me is a major achievement for YEG management - now they need to execute it well.

Calgary has some serious structural challenges including a new, expensive terminal that is actually functioning very poorly as a connection hub and is not efficient for airlines. The reality is that YEG does not control the government and if the provincial government wants to favour Calgary, they will find ways to do so. YEG needs to continue to advocate and maintain relationships with all levels of gov't. While I think it is healthy to apply some pressure to local management, let's not forget who the real competition is and keep eye on the ball/recognize good work when we see it, and continue to expect high standard of management, innovative route development, and inbound tourism development, from the airport management.

 

[Gronk!]

Express bus from airport to downtown seen as business boost

By Mack Male


An express bus from the Edmonton International Airport (YEG) to downtown could become a reality if city council approves the idea during the upcoming 2023-2026 budget deliberations.

“I’ve been hearing very strongly from the airport and the downtown business community that this service is needed,” Coun. Anne Stevenson told Taproot. She is expected to make a motion as early as Oct. 7 to request an unfunded service package for council’s consideration.

Stevenson said she had previously been skeptical of the need given the existence of the Route 747 service, which runs from Century Park to YEG seven days a week at either 30- or 60-minute intervals, depending on the time of day. “I felt the transfer to the LRT at Century Park was reasonable.”

But a couple of factors caused her to rethink that position. “I heard from the business community that it might be a barrier to having events come downtown,” Stevenson said. “And I learned that a majority of taxi rides from the airport are to downtown.”

In fact, about half of all taxi trips from YEG head to downtown, a spokesperson confirmed to Taproot.

Brett Bain, director of parking and ground transportation at YEG, said the airport is supportive of the idea, in part because it would benefit employees who need to get to the airport for work.

“As a regional partner in transit, creating a direct route to Edmonton’s downtown core will also help to strengthen business and tourism opportunities,” he said in a statement. “As we continue to grow as an airport and a region, more transit services will be needed and this direct route to downtown is a natural next step in our regional transit journey.”

Stevenson said she wasn’t sure where the downtown terminus of the service might be, but suggested locating it close to hotels and convention space would make sense. “My expectation is that it would be informed by input from downtown partners.”

Express bus from airport to downtown seen as business boost

An express bus from the Edmonton International Airport (YEG) to downtown could become a reality if city council approves the idea during the upcoming 2023-2026 budget deliberations.

edmonton.taproot.news

Councillor proposes direct bus route between Edmonton downtown and airport​

Social Sharing​

Coun. Anne Stevenson's motion for city to look into viability of the direct route passed Friday

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/councillor-proposes-direct-bus-route-between-edmonton-downtown-and-airport-1.6604572

An Edmonton city councillor wants a direct, express bus route between the city's downtown and the airport.

Ward O'day-min Coun. Anne Stevenson, whose ward includes downtown, made the motion at the city council meeting on Friday, asking administration to look into funding and viability of the project. The motion passed.

She had previously told CBC's Edmonton AM on Monday that she's heard from stakeholders who say Edmonton misses out on big conferences and events because there is no direct connection to the airport from the city's downtown core.

"Apparently it's a deal-breaker," she said.

"For people who are unfamiliar with the new city, a transfer point can be a bit intimidating and they're really looking for that direct connection."

Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the downtown business association, was one of the stakeholders who strongly advocated for the direct bus route during discussions around regional transit.

She said she had heard from conference organizers that "it's often a huge detractor and an obstacle for Edmonton when we are trying to attract those major events."

She said telling conference or event goers that they would either have to spend about $80 roundtrip to take a cab or have to change buses on a 90-minute trip to get to downtown does not go over well. And arranging shuttle service to match people's flights is often a logistical nightmare.

She said Edmonton was a contender to host the Rotary International Conference but lost out due to the lack of direct connection from the airport to downtown.

 

[trevorhayden]

Would support downtown to Airport BRT line as long as it is not just non-stop between downtown and airport. It should have limited stops at Old Strathcona, Argyle, Whitemud, and South Common to maximize revenues, along with a future option to extend north along the 101 Street/97 Street bus lanes. Remember that until the 747 started serving the Outlet Mall, it was not really viable.

 

[EdmTrekker]

Would support downtown to Airport BRT line as long as it is not just non-stop between downtown and airport. It should have limited stops at Old Strathcona, Argyle, Whitemud, and South Common to maximize revenues, along with a future option to extend north along the 101 Street/97 Street bus lanes. Remember that until the 747 started serving the Outlet Mall, it was not really viable.

Forget South Common - no way is the bus going to pull off to head up a ramp and get caught in traffic and kill 15 minutes and there is no easy route to get back southbound. As to Argylle I do not see that as revenue producing. Possibly stops on Whitemud but where? and I agree on Whyte Avenue @3rd Northbound and 4th Southbound. This bus is to be an express bus not a milk run. As to going up 97th - that is another matter and depend on bus type availability and times - generally I have no issue with serving 97th up to 137th IF this viable given costs. But downtown is the priority. Lets not forget the 747 has racks for luggage which is essential and there is nothing preventing people in the North part of the city to take the LRT and transfer to the 747 at Churchill. I assume the 747 will be stopping at Churchill as 2 LRT lines connect there.

 

[The_Cat]

I could see Strathcona, given it's a major hub for South Edmonton. The hotels in Ellerslie (Sandman, and others) and Whitemud (Delta by Marriott, Coast Terrace, and others) have some hotel shuttles that can service them, although they may be of interest. I have to agree that this route is in danger of becoming a milk run if too many stops are added. I think the best options are Strathcona/Gateway or Calgary Trail, and downtown (Ice District at 102 Street, proximity to Rogers Place/Marriott, Delta and Sutton Place), and 100 Street at Telus (Proximity to Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, Hilton, Edmonton Convention Centre and LRT, and boutique hotels like the Union Bank Inn).

 

[IanO]

No milk route please and thank you.

One stop at Whyte/Gateway and then onto Downtown, period.

 

[Gronk!]

When arriving or departing from the airport, the bus needs to avoid the cargo area and aim straight for the terminal. This bus needs to service passengers, not workers.