Air Canada will inagurate non-stop service from Montreal to both Fort Myers and West Palm Beach for the winter season. Both services will operate on Saturdays, with an A320 to PBI and an A319 to Montreal. These are the second and third new transborder routes that Air Canada will add to Montreal this winter, joining San Juan. Seasonal service to Las Vegas (ThSa), Orlando (Saturday), and Tampa (Saturday) will also resume this winter. Also, seasonal service to Fort Lauderdale (3x daily) which resumes on Halloween, is expected to go year-round again.

Eff. 18Dec04
AC 932 YUL 1600-1920 PBI
AC 933 PBI 2010-2333 YUL

AC 1222 YUL 0645-1012 RSW
AC 1223 RSW 1110-1430 YUL

Good news...but will this affect the pax loads to TPA, MCO, FLL and MIA from YUL?

Florida is a big state so I don't think it's much of an issue in its own right. Two better questions are how much of this business was being flowed over Toronto - and how do these new services stack up with what other carriers are doing in the Montreal-Florida market, particularly for nonstops. It might be harder for WJ to sell a one-stop via Toronto to Florida if AC has a nonstop, but if there is ample nonstop capacity from Montreal to a particular destination on a slew of carriers, then AC's only advantage is brand ID/frequent flyer points and the power of the properties marketed by Air Canada Vacations and other tour operators using its flights.

Another issue which may have just as great an impact is the year's devastating hurricane season in Florida. Will this scare Canadians away from travelling to Florida this winter?

There are no hurricanes during the winter. Anyone who is afraid of travelling to Florida during the winter becuase of hurricanes is quite ignorant and ill-informed.

After living 14 years in the Caribbean, one thing I learned:

June - Too Soon
July - Stand By
August - It Must
September - Remember
October - All Over


(No hurricanes in the winter!)

Noise,

I am well aware that hurricanes rarely ocurr much past the end of October. But given how long the cleanup and rebuilding process will take, especially if Ivan strikes Florida next week, then will this cause people to choose other destinations?

But given how long the cleanup and rebuilding process will take, especially if Ivan strikes Florida next week, then will this cause people to choose other destinations?

Clean up process isn't that long. As long as a city is prepared, the clean up process is done within two weeks. South Florida is extremely well prepared for storms. Most of the debris has already been cleared from Frances, and things are already pretty much back to normal in Miami-Dade. Honestly, with proper preperation, hurricanes aren't that big of a deal. They sure beat having a tornado, flood, or earthquake.

Now, when you have a case like Punta Gorda, where the hurricane hit unexpectedly, it can be a long and ardous process.

Does AC also have a seasonal YYZ-PBI?

YOW, I understand your concern, but where else would people go? The Bahamas? The Lesser Antilles? They've been hit just as hard as Florida.

We are about 3 months away from snowbird season...3 months is usually more than enough time for cleanup and repairs. Florida will be ready for the tourist season. It usually takes a little less then a month for areas hit in Florida to go back to normal.