According to the Japanese travel weekly magazine, Air Canada recently received 17 flight slots a day into Tokyo-Narita. They will continue to operate the current daily flights for Vancouver and Toronto in 2010. They seems to fly to the third city in Canada from Tokyo by summer schedule. Calgary will be one of the possible destinations.

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This is potential great news for Canadians in the mid-western provinces of Canada who must now either transfer at the Vancouver bottleneck or backtrack from Toronto.

However, why Air Canada would even consider flying into Alberta's second city, Calgary from Narita instead of Edmonton, the provincial capital and largest city is a decision that boggles the mind.

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What aircraft are they using on this service?

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We have used the service a few times, mostly YYZ-NRT-YYZ but in Oct'08 returned to YYZ from NRT via YVR.

One outbound flight YYZ-NRT was B777-200 but all other segments were B777-300s.

AC usually uses only 777-300s for YYZ-NRT-YYZ (AC001/002) and A330-300s on the YVR-NRT-YVR service (AC003/004)

Winter 2008-9 AC-003/004 was suspended and AC-001/002 YYZ-NRT was rerouted via YVR. A nightmare for YYZ pax!

FYI, AC normally uses the 777-200s for the YYZ-HKG service and they are a rare sight at NRT.

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Here is some further clarification regarding Air Canada's new YYC-NRT service, using refurbished B767-300ER.

Flights actually operate VIA Calgary and neither originate nor terminate there.

The exact schedule is:

AC-009 dep YYZ 0800, arr YYC 1010, dep YYC 1220 arr NRT 1400+1

Return flights operate:

AC-010 dep NRT 1600, arr YYC 1045, dep YYC 1230 arr YYZ 1808.

Flights dep YYZ & YYC on TUE THU SAT and dep NRT on WED FRI SUN.

Both AC-009/AC-010 operate as domestic flights between YYZ and YYC.

An additional observation of the price structure shows that passengers travelling from YEG (Edmonton) to Tokyo pay at least $100 more per round trip to travel via YYC than YVR.

There are other even more significant costs to this routing YYC.

A round trip YYZ-NRT-(YVR)-YEG-YYZ which we are planning for next year will actually cost about $500 more each if we connect via YYC instead of YVR!

Buyer beware!

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You're wrong. Calgary actually has a higher population. The argument of capital superiority is pathetic: Edmonton was chosen because the governing liberals at the time had more people supporting them there (also wonder why UofA was put in Edmonton?), not because it is somehow more virtuous or a superior city. Not to mention that there is way more of a business and travel market in YYC. YYC is also AC's focus city. I know Edmontonians like trying to manipulate other ignorant people into believing that they are important, but the city 153 miles south is clearly the best place to base their business. Oh, and it's WestJet's base not to mention that YYC has a huge advantage of being located in the city that they serve. And the mismanagement of YEG is another topic, good lord. I actually find it mInD bOgGlIng that someone would argue for YEG. It's kinda pathetically funny, actually.

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I would have thought the Calgary choice obvious - think Japanese tourists, Banff and Lake Louise and you have the answer!!

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exactly, just take a look at the number of coaches filled with japanese tourists everyday in the summer!! staggering. Calgary is the gateway to the rockies, as well as home to Canada's lucrative oil and gas industry, and highly relevant to the japanese and chinese markets, it is also the hub for Canada's beef industry. Truth be told Edmonton has very little going for it.

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just realized im commenting on a thread that died in 2009!! oops

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YVR bottle neck ....................... if the management at YVR where serious about promoting the airport as a transit / connection the YEG versus YYC debate would be irrelevant .....They need to look at European models Aka Schipol as a template.... reducing costs to airlines is one thing, making the customer experiance better is the key..................

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Well folks, while everyone has made very valid points there are some other comments I feel questionable.

We returned to Canada via YVR from NRT in the fall of 2008 and again in 2010. On both occasions the connections in YVR (2008 to YYZ, 2010 to YEG) were fast and efficient. AC in YVR has well organised with staff in baggage claim actively seeking out and assisting connecting passengers.

Regarding the comments about YYC, both as a city and airport, we can but offer our own experiences from a single visit.

When planning to make a second visit to Japan we decided to use Air Canada's AC9 from YYZ to NRT on Sept 30th last. Partially because we were less than impressed with 13+hours in the B777-300 in 2008 and because we wanted the shorter flight segment YYC-NRT in AC's B767 with it's 2-3-2 seating in economy.

Being unable to use the duty free in YYZ we were forced to use YYC's duty free. While YYC is undoubtably a beautiful ultra-modern city it's airport leaves something to be desired. The duty free is abysmally pathetic, both as to product selection, service and staff knowledge. There is no Inniskillin Ice Wine available in the duty free.

Now lest anyone feel that we are "against" YYC and pro YEG, let me say that on arrival in YEG from NRT at the end of October it was a shock, both climate wise and to be faced with what could only be called a third-world surface transport service.

To all you Calgarians, we have some amazing aerial photos along the AB-BC border taken from AC9 on Sept 30th available free to anyone interested. Sorry there's no way to post any here!

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