9924 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 NewLeaf has beaten the others to the starting line and starting service on February 12th. The website just went live ... http://flynewleaf.ca I'm just watching the livestream of their announcement, It'll be very interesting to see if this flies in Canada (pun intended). The focus cities are Kelowna, Winnipeg and Hamilton and aircraft will be operated by Flair Air (Kelowna FlightCraft/Kelowna Aerospace) using their B737-400s. The first announcement was made in Winnipeg and they are now on their way to Kelowna for their announcement this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL1892 Posted January 7, 2016 Report Share Posted January 7, 2016 Flight schedule can be found here http://flynewleaf.ca/site/assets/files/1126/winter-2016_media-schedule.pdf Start dates are staggered, and operate 1-2 times weekly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Having looked much closer at their route network and schedule, unless they do some drastic changes - I give them until Summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 lol agreed! Connecting nowhere to nowhere, with a stop in-between! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roeco Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Yeah they should operate more frequency even to start than they are proposing...cant make $$ and build a airline with 2-3 flights a week between major centres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbdb Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 A paper airline. I give them 6-8 months before Flair cuts them off for unpaid bills. I also agree, their routing and schedule is kind of dumb the make Via Rail look convenient. They might have a fighting chance with better routing. I can sort of see for example Saskatoon to Hamilton as a popular route but why not make a stop in Winnipeg as it stands now, Saskatoon to Winnipeg would mean a trip to one of Hamilton, Kelowna or Abbotsford with at least a day layover. The reverse direction could continue on to one or both of Kelowna and Abbotsford. Then bump up the frequency. I think bargain hunters would be more tolerant of a stop or two than having a day layover. While Saskatoon only has flights 2 days a week, Regina is cut back to one day a week in March, even more useless. 3rd rate service to 2nd tier airports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL1892 Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 I think the idea will fly, there seems to be real demand for "change" in the Canadian market. Looking at NewLeaf, I see a child of Allegiant. Using smaller airports and providing point to point service, and not all services are daily. While I wouldn't have chosen YLW for a western hub, I'm sure they see some form of opporitunity or benefit to Kelowna. Bear in mind that there's only 2 aircraft in the fleet right now, plans to bring that to 7. The schedule released is only until May 1, prior to that, they'll have the chance to re-evaluate services and examine new markets. I foresee them servicing St. Petes/Orlando-Sanford/Phoenix-Mesa next winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted January 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 I think the idea will fly, there seems to be real demand for "change" in the Canadian market. Looking at NewLeaf, I see a child of Allegiant. Using smaller airports and providing point to point service, and not all services are daily. While I wouldn't have chosen YLW for a western hub, I'm sure they see some form of opporitunity or benefit to Kelowna. Bear in mind that there's only 2 aircraft in the fleet right now, plans to bring that to 7. The schedule released is only until May 1, prior to that, they'll have the chance to re-evaluate services and examine new markets. I foresee them servicing St. Petes/Orlando-Sanford/Phoenix-Mesa next winter. Well, the aircraft are based in YLW but the market for Winnipeg and Regina from there (or anywhere else on their map) is pretty slim pickings. Allegiant is very similar to Ryanair, and they are fantastic ideas - if the market is there - Canada is quite different the the US or Europe in that regards. If they focus on sun destinations and really start to offer amazing prices on flights, then it could work. But saving a little bit of money (their fares are really nothing special) isn't worth the extra hassle to many travellers. If you travel with Ryanair, you can literally travel anywhere in Europe for 20 Euros, even into Northern Africa. The same with the US, you can get some killer deals from the Pacific to the Atlantic with Allegiant. $89 "introductory" fare from Kelowna to Regina? Nothing special. If they were going to go head to head with AC and WS and offer good deals, they'd have a better chance in the Canadian market. And don't forget that WS started out with 3 aircraft but they managed to serve a daily and well designed schedule serving YLW, YEG, YYC, YVR and YWG. But we'll see how their schedule adapts and hope for the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 They are looking at being able to get 8-9 aircraft after a year. I do not see this happening. I see Westjet start flying the same routes and putting them out of business in less then a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 I see Westjet start flying the same routes and putting them out of business in less then a year. I highly doubt that, neither WestJet nor Air Canada have the time or resources to go after such a minuscule market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbdb Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 I agree, Regina and Saskatoon are probably slim pickings. Between WJ and AC there are a ton of flights to YYC and frequent connections to just about anywhere from YYC. By they time you pay for a bag (checked or carry-on) on NewLeaf, you're getting in the same territory as a seat sale on AC or WJ if you're booking a month or two or three in advance. There's definitely room for an ultra low cost carrier but I think they'd have been smarter to pick a city pair or a couple of city pairs and focus on daily or near daily service first and expand as demand grows and (good) brand reputation builds. Of course a ULCC in Canada is not going to be the same low price as the US where the infrastructure is largely paid for by government. A stable, profitable ULCC can keep WJ and AC in check and every passenger wins. Jetsgo did a great job of that until they ran out of cash. I doubt WJ and AC will pay any attention to what NewLeaf does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 I doubt WJ and AC will pay any attention to what NewLeaf does. That will change when/if NewLeaf starts hitting holiday destinations such as Orlando and Vegas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Any chance that we can change the subject of this thread by adding "NewLeaf Travel" to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Royal Posted January 15, 2016 Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 I agree with Dane - this airline will be pretty useless for us out in the Pacific. Would be nice if we could go a bit further East from Abbotsford. Charging for carry on luggage? That's just plain ridiculous. "A seat and a seatbelt" doesn't sound attractive to me. Life saving equipment not included? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Not off to a good start, sales have been suspended and refunds are being issued ... A new, low-cost travel company based partly out of Kelowna is temporarily postponing service. NewLeaf Travel Company says it is suspending sales of airline tickets while the Canadian Transportation Agency reviews licensing regulation for Indirect Air Service Providers. The company says it will refund all credit card transactions for reservations scheduled to begin February 12. “During this uncertain time, we didn’t want to put anyone with existing bookings at risk, and we wanted to give customers time to make other travel arrangements” said NewLeaf CEO Jim Young. According to a news release issued by the company, the CTA is reviewing whether persons who do not operate any aircraft, but market and sell air services to the public, should be required to hold agency licenses. The release goes on to say, "the review applies to all persons operating in this manner and is not limited to NewLeaf's proposed business venture with Flair Airlines Ltd". As part of its review, the Agency is consulting with, and seeking comments from, stakeholders before finalizing its approach. The consultations end this Friday, January 22. NewLeaf says it plans to resume taking reservations in the spring. “Canadians have clearly spoken that they want this type of low-cost service. The overwhelming demand for tickets shows the need for affordable travel in Canada. Hundreds of thousands of people visited the NewLeaf website when ticket sales began. Thousands made bookings,” said Young. Young says NewLeaf welcomes a regulatory system in which businesses like theirs can thrive in Canada as they do in other countries. NewLeaf announced its new service Jan. 6. with hubs in Kelowna, Winnipeg and Hamilton. http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/156447/NewLeaf-grounded Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL1892 Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 newleaf got the go ahead from the Canadian Transportation Authority. http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/newleaf-airline-clearance-winnipeg-1.3511888 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted March 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 newleaf got the go ahead from the Canadian Transportation Authority. http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/newleaf-airline-clearance-winnipeg-1.3511888 Well, lets see if Flair is still interested and if not, see if they find another carrier willing to take the plunge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 We still need this thread to be renamed "NewLeaf Travel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted April 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 Adding to the rumour that Flair is no longer interested in providing the lift - Flair Air is providing some of their B734s to Air Transat for the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted April 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 On March 31, 2016 at 4:09 PM, Michel said: We still need this thread to be renamed "NewLeaf Travel" More like NoLeaf Travel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted June 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 Here we go with round two ... http://gonewleaf.ca ... they changed their route network to include Edmonton and Kamloops but still have a restrictive schedule. Just tried booking a ticket from Kelowna to Hamilton and it costs $20 more than both WS and AC on the same dates plus an extra $60 for a carry on. Good luck, I gave the original plan until Summer, seeing that they haven't even taken off yet - I give it till the new year. Just tried some YKA-YEG flights - $79 plus $30 for a carry-on - $1 more than with AC or WS on their cheapest fares. Also, I noticed that those flights have an "EG" designator so I'm guessing Enerjet is doing some of their flights as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Posted June 24, 2016 Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 Another request to change this thread title to "NewLeaf Travel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 Not looking good, they've already received lawsuits for monies owed to contractors ... http://globalnews.ca/news/2837827/newleaf-faced-with-lawsuit-dire-predictions-ahead-of-take-off/ Enerjet has supposedly also bailed out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michel Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Inaugural flight for NewLeaf is still scheduled to leave Hamilton tomorrow. Flair Airlines has not "bailed". Enerjet is not booking passengers yet but are still looking for approval from Transport Canada. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9924 Posted September 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2016 NewLeaf is suspending service to Kamloops, Victoria, Regina and Saskatoon "temporarily" due to lack of aircraft http://www.castanet.net/news/Kamloops/176074/NewLeaf-drops-4-cities Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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