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As for competition with other west coast airport, the flight time difference and thus lower or higher fuel costs also play an important role.
Vancouver has the shortest flight times between the west coast of North American and Asia.
For fun here is flight time to Beijing.
Flights from Los Angeles, USA (LAX) to Beijing, China (all airports)
Non-stop
Air China Air China 12h 20m
United United 12h 20m
All flights
Flights from San Francisco, USA (SFO) to Beijing, China (all airports)
Non-stop
Air China Air China 12h 5m from $2,277
United United 11h 50m from $2,898
Flights from Seattle, USA (SEA) to Beijing, China (all airports)
Non-stop
Delta Delta 11h 35m from $2,144
China Eastern China Eastern 11h 35m from $2,562
China Southern China Southern 11h 35m from
Flights from Vancouver, BC (YVR) to Beijing, China (all airports)
Non-stop
Air China Air China 10h 40m from $1,316
Air Canada Air Canada 10h 40m from $1,417
From I can find, a large jet uses about 36,000 US gallons in a 10 hour flight. The current cost of fuel is $2.73 per US gallon. Which makes the cost to an airline $9,828 of fuel costs per hour. So in YVR's case an airline can save $19,656 or more on a return flight if they choose Vancouver over another west coast city.
Of course there are other factors at play and this is most like more advantageous for cargo flights.
Of course. Vancouver is different, and Canada is different and unique.
Not sure which dates you are looking at, but for the upcoming October 1 National Day holiday in China, departing from September 26 and returning on October 2, the prices are very comparable between the cities you listed (all departing and returning on the same dates):
SEA to Beijing Roundtrip: $948.85 USD tax included YVR to Beijing Roundtrip: $955.42 USD tax included (only on Air China, the next airline immediately charges $1200+)
LAX to Beijing Roundtrip: $1127.75 USD tax included
SFO to Beijing Roundtrip: $1217 .25 USD tax included
And if I live in Toronto or the Northeast U.S., it really doesn't matter whether I use YVR or SEA/SFO/LAX. Keep in mind that flying domestic from YYZ to YVR is a lot more expensive than making the same journey across continental U.S. The moment Air Canada starts putting up their huge tab of surcharges, airport fees, airspace usage fees, etc etc it instantly negates the benefit of transiting via Vancouver if you are flying from the East Coast to Asia.
Of course. Vancouver is different, and Canada is different and unique.
Not sure which dates you are looking at, but for the upcoming October 1 National Day holiday in China, departing from September 26 and returning on October 2, the prices are very comparable between the cities you listed (all departing and returning on the same dates):
SEA to Beijing Roundtrip: $948.85 USD tax included YVR to Beijing Roundtrip: $955.42 USD tax included (only on Air China, the next airline immediately charges $1200+)
LAX to Beijing Roundtrip: $1127.75 USD tax included
SFO to Beijing Roundtrip: $1217 .25 USD tax included
And if I live in Toronto or the Northeast U.S., it really doesn't matter whether I use YVR or SEA/SFO/LAX. Keep in mind that flying domestic from YYZ to YVR is a lot more expensive than making the same journey across continental U.S. The moment Air Canada starts putting up their huge tab of surcharges, airport fees, airspace usage fees, etc etc it instantly negates the benefit of transiting via Vancouver if you are flying from the East Coast to Asia.
I wasn't doing a search on prices of tickets. I should of removed them as my point was about flying times and costs to the airline regarding fuel. Also if you read my last line of the post, it states clearly that it is most beneficial for cargo and the airlines themselves.
I wasn't doing a search on prices of tickets. I should of removed them as my point was about flying times and costs to the airline regarding fuel. Also if you read my last line of the post, it states clearly that it is most beneficial for cargo and the airlines themselves.
I mean of course, why would Air Canada ever want to benefit paying customers and their most loyal frequent flyers? No no, it always has to be in this order:
1. Government/affiliated regulatory agencies cuz they set the rules, set arbitrarily high fees, and they are da boss.
2. Airlines
3. Unions
4. Actual paying customers who are the only reason why the above 3 still have jobs
That's got to be the sacred order of things that must not be disturbed.
So I guess my $30 T-Mobile plan doesn't count? It includes Unlimited Data and Unlimited Text and 100 Minutes talk time (if you go over, you can easily make free calls with Google Voice via unlimited data). T-Mobile $30 Wireless Airtime Card - Walmart.com. Oh, and $30 is tax inclusive.
No it doesn't count. This $30 plan gives only 100 minutes of talktime (including incoming) which doesn't work for MOST people. I have been using Google Voice for many years ... it uses minutes not data. So please try again ...
Quote:
When you use Google Voice on your mobile phone, domestic calls will use the standard minutes from your cell phone plan.
And none of the above plans require any permanent contract. You can cancel or switch carriers at anytime.
lol. And you proved my point. I use T-mobile and pay $60 for the worst service imaginable.
Quote:
Name one plan in Canada that can match pricing and level of service from above. I'd love to know, because I'm paying a lot more right now under Rogers and Bell for the same level of data/text/talk.
There are are many plans better than the typical $60 American plans. How about Wind Mobile's $35 and $40 plans with unlimited everything? Maybe someone who currently lives in Toronto can elaborate.
No it doesn't count. This $30 plan gives only 100 minutes of talktime (including incoming) which doesn't work for MOST people. I have been using Google Voice for many years ... it uses minutes not data. So please try again ...[/url]
Gawd of course google voice isn't a phone service, hence you use https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....gvphone&hl=en that comes hand in hand with Google Voice... You can make unlimited calls on this app with data or wifi, and the app allows you to make free calls anywhere in North America. Give it a try, the call quality is amazing.
You are welcome. And not sure about you, but for people of my generation, we really don't talk that much over the phone in the traditional sense. Even texting is a rarity most communication can be done via data. Hence 100 minutes per month is really more than enough than I can use.
By the way, thanks for the link. I'll look into that for sure - I've just wracked up $135 dollars with Rogers last month with less than 3 GB of data use. Total rip off. Can anybody provide some reference to their experiences with this company Plans It looks really cheap but I don't know how good the service/coverage will be.
Last edited by bostonkid123; 09-25-2014 at 10:01 AM..
Gawd of course google voice isn't a phone service, hence you use https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....gvphone&hl=en that comes hand in hand with Google Voice... You can make unlimited calls on this app with data or wifi, and the app allows you to make free calls anywhere in North America. Give it a try, the call quality is amazing.
You said Google Voice. This app is not Google Voice.
And by the way there are hundreds of apps out there that let you make phone calls over data .... including BBM.
If you don't need minutes - why have a phone at all? Just get a wifi enabled device like a tablet or ipod touch and use it as a phone over wifi. Cost will be $0 per month!
Quote:
You are welcome. And not sure about you, but for people of my generation, we really don't talk that much over the phone in the traditional sense. Even texting is a rarity most communication can be done via data. Hence 100 minutes per month is really more than enough than I can use.
Hah! What generation do you think I belong to?
You are right. Many people dont use the phone to call anymore. But sometimes you have to receive calls and those cost minutes. Like I said, 100 minutes doesn't work for most people.
Quote:
By the way, thanks for the link. I'll look into that for sure - I've just wracked up $135 dollars with Rogers last month with less than 3 GB of data use. Total rip off. Can anybody provide some reference to their experiences with this company Plans It looks really cheap but I don't know how good the service/coverage will be.
You are welcome. I am not sure why anyone would debate about American vs Canadian cell phone services especially when the facts are readily available online. Everyone knows that American cell phone services and cable, internet are one of the worst (cost/service) in the developed world. Even cell phone service in developing countries in Asia like India and China would put the USA cell phone services to shame.
You are welcome. I am not sure why anyone would debate about American vs Canadian cell phone services especially when the facts are readily available online. Everyone knows that American cell phone services and cable, internet are one of the worst (cost/service) in the developed world. Even cell phone service in developing countries in Asia like India and China would put the USA cell phone services to shame.
So I checked out Wind and online reviews. It seems that its coverage is very questionable outside GTA metro areas, and a lot of people have trouble getting signals inside buildings and homes. I think the low cost is great, its coverage/quality is a bit sketchy.
I also checked out other prepaid (no contract) plans by the likes of Virgin, Fido, Koodo. They all seem to be priced significantly higher than AT&T's $60 no contract plan (unlimited minutes, texting, and 2.5 GB) for a comparable level of minutes/data. Especially when it comes to data, a lot of these carriers charge anywhere between $20 to $30 for just 1 extra GB of data. Seems a little steep, especially when a lot of us now rely on our smartphones that use anywhere between 2-5 GB per month and heavy app usage (Google Music, Pandora, Spotify, Waze, Google Now, etc. that all require lots of data). It's not that I don't need any minutes - of course I do, but the way phones are designed these days, I think more and more phones now require heavy data usage. I just want to know if there's any carriers that provide minimal minutes and high data allowance for a decent price and no 2-yr contract restrictions (comparable to the above AT&T rate)
Gawd of course google voice isn't a phone service, hence you use https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....gvphone&hl=en that comes hand in hand with Google Voice... You can make unlimited calls on this app with data or wifi, and the app allows you to make free calls anywhere in North America. Give it a try, the call quality is amazing.
You are welcome. And not sure about you, but for people of my generation, we really don't talk that much over the phone in the traditional sense. Even texting is a rarity most communication can be done via data. Hence 100 minutes per month is really more than enough than I can use.
By the way, thanks for the link. I'll look into that for sure - I've just wracked up $135 dollars with Rogers last month with less than 3 GB of data use. Total rip off. Can anybody provide some reference to their experiences with this company Plans It looks really cheap but I don't know how good the service/coverage will be.
Yes exactly.
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