Edmonton Doesn’t Want You to Fly Calgary (Really Badly)

I never knew this, but 750,000 Edmontonians either drive (288km!) or fly South to utilize Calgary's airport for their journey. The biggest reason for this is most likely Calgary's larger route map. Look at the long-haul side, for example. Edmonton has a London nonstop from Air Canada, and that's about it. Calgary gets nonstops to London and Frankfurt, and service to Tokyo will be starting soon, too.

But whatever the reason this phenomenon occurs, the folks over at Edmonton International want it to stop, so this week they announced the new "Stop the Calgary Habit" ad campiagn to convince residents that flying out of EIA is a better option. The group even stage a rally about it! (Click here for photos.) The goal of the campaign is to have passengers fly out of Edmonton all the time, and those on connecting itineraries are recommended to connect in the US or London instead of Calgary. The hope is that such behavior would help the airport by convincing airlines to add new routes.

The campaign's website does offer a few interesting tools for travelers. A travel calculator is used to compare the costs of Edmonton and Calgary, and "tools to quit" like a "support sphere" and parking coupons are also provided.

The airport's goal of using this campaign to attract new air service is certainly lofty, but it certainly does make sense. Kudos to them for making such a creative campaign!

You can beat your Calgary habit here.