Lloydminster airport sign, stock image - Dan Gray - The Border Pulse
Lloydminster-area residents want Calgary flights, but many say $600 round trip is too much, two recent Border Pulse Facebook questions show.
Calgary drew 42 per cent of the vote, or 273 votes, in an Oct. 9 poll on where people would fly if a reasonably priced airline served the city. Edmonton placed second with 23 per cent, or 147 votes. Saskatoon followed with seven per cent, or 52 votes.
Members added their own destinations. Victoria/Vancouver drew 10 per cent and Kamloops/Kelowna six per cent. Regina, Grande Prairie, Ottawa and the Yukon each drew two per cent.
Border Pulse followed up Oct. 13 in the first post of a new weekly series, The Pulse: Your Say. It asked how often people would fly to Calgary in a year at $600 round trip. It also asked how much air service matters to them.
Neither question is scientific. Respondents chose to take part.
Answers ranged from zero trips to about a dozen a year. Among commenters who gave a number, two to five trips was most common.
Price drew the sharpest split. Across both threads, fares people named ran from $200 to about $1,000. Many settled between $200 and $400.
Several said $400 is their line. At that fare, some said they would fly two or three times a year. One said she would go 10 to 12 times.
Others said $600 works, especially for a weekend away or if the fare is all-in. A smaller group said it would take $500 to $700 to keep an airline running.
Many called $600 too high. Larry Lewchuk said he checked fares before commenting.
“$600 is crazy expensive,” said Lewchuk.
He said flights from Edmonton or Calgary to Victoria cost less than $300 round trip. Another commenter noted the fare is per person, so the cost climbs fast for families.
For others, the issue is the drive. Many said they already travel through Calgary for family, work or international flights, and would rather fly than drive. Several said Edmonton is too far to be practical unless it offers a connecting flight.
Kate McDougall said she would fly at least a dozen times a year to visit family in Tennessee, connecting through Calgary.
“I’ve driven through snowstorms and wildfires, I’m done,” said McDougall.
Several recalled the WestJet service and said losing it hurt. One family said they sold property in B.C. because they expected to travel easily between Lloydminster and Calgary.
Not everyone wants the service. Several commenters said they would not fly at all. Others said driving is cheaper once parking, baggage and a rental car are counted.
Jon Jones said the airport should become a drag strip “instead of dumping tax dollars into an infrastructure destined to fail.”
Border Pulse will bring these concerns to [OFFICIAL OR BODY] and publish the response.
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