Air Canada makes quiet departure from Iqaluit

Air Canada ended its daily Montreal-Ottawa-Iqaluit service on July 31. (FILE PHOTO)

Air Canada Jazz touched down in Iqaluit July 31 for the last time after a 16-month stint that saw the airline fly out of Montreal every morning and stop in Ottawa en route to Iqaluit before heading back south.

Air Canada said in early July it planned to cancel daily jet service to Iqaluit, explaining the route did not meet the airline’s “profitability targets.”

“Customers that were booked [on flights after July 31] were contacted and re-accommodated on Canadian North,” said Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur.

Canadian North agreed to carry Air Canada’s passengers between Iqaluit and Ottawa starting Aug. 1, including customers travelling on Aeroplan-issued tickets.

The two airlines had already established an agreement where Canadian North provided Air Canada Jazz with ground services, such as ticket processing and baggage handling after the carrier launched its Iqaluit service in March 2010.

Arthur could not say how many customers or seats required re-booking, although the airline allowed customers to book up to 350 days in advance.

Regardless of the number, the influx of Air Canada customers wouldn’t have an impact on Canadian North’s operations, said airline spokeswoman Lisa Hicks.

“It has not required additional aircraft as our 737-200 plane has the ability to flex between cargo and passengers, so we increase our passenger capacity when needed,” she told Nunatsiaq News in an Aug. 1 email.

Canadian North does not anticipate any staffing changes due to the Air Canada pull-out, she said.

To help attract new customers, the airline announced July 15 that it had reduced the lowest year-round fares on its Iqaluit-Ottawa link by 14 per cent.

That low ticket price has now risen.

Canadian North and First Air – the two remaining Iqaluit-Ottawa carriers – posted a lowest fare of $824 for a one-way ticket between Iqaluit and Ottawa, before taxes.

As for Air Canada, the airline hasn’t ruled out a return to the Iqaluit market at some point in the future.

An airline spokesperson said last month that it would “look to potentially resume service to Iqaluit at another time, depending on demand, other economic factors such as fuel prices, and aircraft availability.”