TORONTO-based airline Canada 3000 is boosting capacity on its ex-UK charter flights this summer with increased use of larger Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
The privately owned carrier is upgrading further services by replacing 226-seat Boeing 757s with its growing 340-seat Airbus fleet. A fourth A330 is delivered on May 31.
Director UK and Ireland Roxanne Schumacher said: “With the summer 2000 schedule, we will have an all wide-bodied operation out of Gatwick.
“The only B757s remaining will be those used for the weekly Toronto services from Birmingham and Belfast and from Dublin/Shannon.”
She said the new aircraft will provide a capacity rise of around 3.4% for the summer peak season which begins a few days earlier this year on April 17 in order to include the Easter period.
This has been achieved solely through the introduction of larger aircraft rather than increased frequencies, particularly with the scarcity of new slots available at Gatwick – Canada 3000’s largest business base.
She added: “Although the charter market from the UK to Canada grew by 4.5% in 1999, the overall increase in UK travel to Canada has slowed down tremendously. But this is more to do with a decline in traditional visiting friends and relatives traffic and an upturn in inbound tourism business.
“Therefore, tour operators are responding by featuring more variety of product in their programmes as people start to see Canada as more than a seat-only destination.”
Schumacher said the airline is getting good customer feedback about the increased comfort and space levels of the A330.
Canada 3000’s version features a slightly above average seat pitch of 32 inches, video screens positioned every seven rows and a continuous in-flight entertainment programme that includes three full-length feature films.
Unlike other A330 operators, Canada 3000 is yet to be convinced that passengers are prepared to pay extra for a premium cabin in the aircraft and offers a one-class economy product.
Schumacher said: “People might be prepared to pay £50 extra for a seat in a premium cabin but not an extra 50% of the fare.
“This could be the true ratio an airline would have to charge in order to get the same revenue per seat mile of an all-economy cabin.
“When we offered a premium cabin on the B757, people were being upgraded to fill it. I’m not convinced that the market is prepared to pay for it.”
While Canada 3000 is seen mostly as a charter airline, nearly 60% of its operations are schedule-based, with international services covering the US, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, the South Pacific and Australasia.
Schumacher said: “We are going to start marketing our extensive domestic service network in Canada to the UK market.”
We have already seen a big growth in bookings from UK travel agents since we launched a ticketing arrangement through British Midland about a year ago. Fares are also available through the global distribution systems.”
canada 3000
Canada 3000: privately owned Canadian company. Apple Vacation, the second largest US tour operator has invested a large undisclosed sum in the airline.
Winter schedule: two flights weekly from Gatwick to Toronto, one via Montreal; weekly from Manchester and Glasgow to Toronto; weekly from Gatwick to Calgary and Vancouver.
Summer schedule: from Gatwick seven flights weekly to Toronto, three to Calgary, four to Vancouver, two to Montreal and one to Edmonton, Ottawa and Halifax. From Manchester, three weekly to Toronto in the peak and two weekly to both Calgary and Vancouver; from Glasgow, three weekly to Toronto, weekly to Calgary, Vancouver and Halifax. Weekly to Toronto from Birmingham, Belfast, Dublin and Shannon.
Winter 2000/2001: the airline is looking to add a second weekly Montreal service from Gatwick.
Major domestic scheduled destinations: Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Moncton, St John’s.
Major international scheduled routes: Florida, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the South Pacific, Sydney and Auckland.
Aircraft: B757, Airbus A320, A330.
Ticketing: domestic scheduled flights through British Midland; ex-UK and Ireland charter services to Canada through operators including Bluebird Holidays, Canadian Affair, Flying Colours, Pioneer Tours, Anglo Scottish American Travel, and Maple Leaf Tours for Belfast, Dublin and Shannon flights. Sales: Canada 3000 UK call centre on 01293 813000.