Probably sounding like a broken record when it comes to connections, but as much as Toronto is a fun city to spend a few days it's where you can go from Pearson that's make or break for me. I imagine for the airline it's purest profit when it's seen as a way to get to Toronto and back but I really hope the numbers can make sense for WJ if another primary purpose for the flight is as a feeder into connecting flights of theirs where they'd make their money.
Today I did a quick compare on 4 connections as far as best case round trips I could find over the next few weeks.
- Orlando
From YBR Brandon, $520
From YWG Winnipeg, $401
- New York
From YBR, $596
From YWG, $452
- Halifax
From YBR, $791
From YWG, $505
-London England
From YBR, $1005
From YWG, $718
I hope folks do their own comparisons on routes/dates that interest them and caution against drawing definitive conclusions based on these few searches when it isn't necessarily strictly apples to apples...... but the almost $280+ on Halifax or London England are to me a non starter as long as someone has the flexibility to make a Winnipeg flight/dates work except maybe some situations where it's a solo traveler.
Orlando and New York however are a small enough difference for 1 and maybe even 2 travelers where Brandon is very interesting by the time you consider round trip gas, car parking and of course time. If you're talking a family of 4 it's lights out for Brandon when you're looking at $450+ total difference.
I really hope the flight is well supported and that we get the chance to see what kind of winter holiday doors it could open, but the realist in me says that success is going to depend on how many routes they can offer that come up similar to the New York or Orlando scenarios and not the Halifax or London ones. There could be well meaning folks that want with every fibre of their being for this to succeed that just can't do a $280+ premium per traveler ($1000+ for a family of 4) on some routes. If anyone finds any gem connections that seem to have the lower premium, please share!