Here two hours before my flight and this is the busiest I've ever seen customs. This is why I fly early damn it, to avoid the lines!
Umm, first thing in the morning you have pretty much ALL the US bound flights departing right away. It may in fact be the single busiest time to fly out to the USA.
A quick check shows:
-Dallas
-Houston (United)
-Denver
-Seattle (Alaskan)
-Kahului
-Salt Lake City
-Phoenix (WestJet)
-Seattle (Delta)
-Chicago
-Las Vegas (WestJet)
-Los Angeles
-Minneapolis
-San Francisco
-Houston (Air Canada)
-Newark
-Las Vegas (Air Canada)
-Phoenix (WestJet)
-San Diego
That is just flights that departed from 6am onward and scheduled to depart up to around 9am. So yeah, transborder to the US is a zoo in the morning.
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Is it true that Nexus holders don't have expedited security screening in the new terminal and have to go through the same lineups as everyone else?
It's not true, Nexus has a separate line. But when I was there it seemed like they were reshuffling the line at the end and nexus didn't give you much of an advantage.
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"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is" — Jan Van De Snepscheu
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Umm, first thing in the morning you have pretty much ALL the US bound flights departing right away. It may in fact be the single busiest time to fly out to the USA.
A quick check shows:
-Dallas
-Houston (United)
-Denver
-Seattle (Alaskan)
-Kahului
-Salt Lake City
-Phoenix (WestJet)
-Seattle (Delta)
-Chicago
-Las Vegas (WestJet)
-Los Angeles
-Minneapolis
-San Francisco
-Houston (Air Canada)
-Newark
-Las Vegas (Air Canada)
-Phoenix (WestJet)
-San Diego
That is just flights that departed from 6am onward and scheduled to depart up to around 9am. So yeah, transborder to the US is a zoo in the morning.
Then I must have always gotten luck, because I've never had to wait in line before and I always try to fly out early.
It's not true, Nexus has a separate line. But when I was there it seemed like they were reshuffling the line at the end and nexus didn't give you much of an advantage.
The last time I went through U.S customs/security at the new terminal Brian Burke was right behind in line at the first checkpoint. He was a nexus user and I wasn't. I got through before he did.
The last time I went through U.S customs/security at the new terminal Brian Burke was right behind in line at the first checkpoint. He was a nexus user and I wasn't. I got through before he did.
Brian set off the truculence alarm
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They are permaskeptical about ones they see in their home countries, unless it comes from a corporate store.
Wasn't there an article a long time ago about an Apple store (yes, the store itself) in China that was completely fake? I think even the employees had no idea that they weren't working for Apple.
That is just flights that departed from 6am onward and scheduled to depart up to around 9am. So yeah, transborder to the US is a zoo in the morning.
I've seen some issues at the WestJet ~10 am transborder bank. Probably related to staffing at that time as there's definitely more flights between 6 and 8.
Nexus is non-existant. There is a lane that says "trusted travelers" but it just funnels into the regular security check AND regular security line. It doesn't do anything for you.
So I've kept forgetting to post about our experience with the new terminal. Just before Christmas, we took a trip to the States, and obviously flew through the international terminal.
Long essay ahead...
Spoiler!
- Terminal entrance and check-in area reminded me of T1 at Toronto Pearson...I already knew that from pictures, but this was my first time seeing it in person.
- Kiosks would not scan my wife's passport; we managed to get everyone else's done, but we had to stand in the super long line.
- I like the new bag drop...for those who haven't seen it, you put your bag down on this machine, and scan your boarding pass. The computer weighs it, while scanning the entire bag with lasers for the airline's tag. If the weight is all good and it finds the tag, the machine activates the belt, and your bag is sent through.
- Security went fairly smoothly, and the line was short. The automated bins look cool, and we didn't get separated from our bags, but I could see it happening if there's a huge crowd and if a struggler is taking super long to get through ahead of you.
- I noticed that the Nexus line does indeed merge with the normal one; again, the line was short, and we don't have Nexus. But some guy in his 50's travelling with his wife got all huffy about it. While putting his socks on (they said take off your shoes, not socks), he was ranting about how it was "absolutely ridiculous", that he was going to "get all the Nexus card holders together" and that the "Minister of Transport was definitely going to hear from" him. I found his rant hilarious...chill the F out dude, you're going on vacation. SMILE!
- Customs was fairly smooth, no complaints there
- I really don't get the idea of this duty free shop at the top of the escalators. Being an avgeek, I know how to find my way around in an airport. This store felt like a god damn maze...we had no idea which way to go to get out, and there was no signage.
- Made it out of the maze, and the Call to Gate board said "Wait, Relax, Enjoy" next to our flight. This was in the early morning, and I sort of knew this already, but I was dumbfounded as to why there was no Tim Hortons past security. Really, guys?!
- Not many of the food places were open; understandable, as it was early, but still.
- The Call to Gate board would not change at all from "Wait and relax". Eventually, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 20 minutes to departure, the board still hadn't changed, and the flight was still on-time. I made the executive decision that we should ignore the system and go to the gate.
- As we're halfway there, WestJet announced the final boarding call for our flight. Gee, thanks guys...really scoring points for the CTG system. We get to the gate, and I told the agents that the board still said 'wait and relax', and she gives me a dumbfounded look and says, "Really? I pushed the button to change it!" before thanking me for telling her.
And fast forward to the return flight...
Spoiler!
- Landing and deboarding went fairly quickly...we were disappointed to see the sign in the terminal that Canada Customs was a 10 minute walk or whatever it said.
- Huge terminal, long corridor, and not a single moving walkway in sight. We walk for a few minutes, find a moving walkway that...doesn't work. We walk some more, and find a second moving walkway that...also, surprise, isn't moving. These guys have built this big ass hallway, with a total of two moving walkways, which not only are broken, but there's such a big gap between them. If you're going to have such a long distance to walk, virtually the entire distance should have moving walkways.
- For such a large arrival area, there was like, one guy in a red vest driving a golf cart for passengers with limited mobility.
- On either trip through the terminal, we did not see a single YYC Link contraption, but I guess those are only for transferring between the domestic and international terminals?
- Experience with Canada Customs was smooth...the machines worked, we got our declaration, spoke with the officers at the front of the line for a few seconds, and we were waved through. Bags came almost immediately, and we were out.
- I don't get the purpose of that really long half-wall outside the Customs exit...it was there in the old terminal, and they've built it into this one too, but whatever.
TL;DR -- Overall, the terminal looks nice, but the CTG system seriously needs improvement, among various other things. They've done well in some areas while building this terminal, and utterly failed in others. With all the testing they did, this terminal should have been close to perfect on day 1, and now they're going back and making changes. It is far from being world class.
Last edited by Stealth22; 01-20-2017 at 12:05 PM.
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The YYC Link follows a fixed path from stations at Concourse A, B, C, and D/E. It's helpful if you are transferring in Calgary and have to go from one to another, but it you are just leaving or arriving from here, it doesn't make much difference.
The last time I went through U.S customs/security at the new terminal Brian Burke was right behind in line at the first checkpoint. He was a nexus user and I wasn't. I got through before he did.
Same here. Beat my buddy out who has a nexus card.
Same here. Beat my buddy out who has a nexus card.
The nexus/priority lane this morning was atrocious, even for Calgary's new low standards. There was a guard at the entrance of the lane barking at anyone who approached to go stand in a makeshift line in no man's land (before any of the lanes start) and wait for another guard to scan your boarding pass and she'll direct you to your designated lane. Meanwhile, he just stood there guarding the priority lane and barking. Shouldn't one of them stand at the priority lane and one at the regular lane scanning people's passes? The incompetence bottles the mind.
Of course the trusted traveler lane is not a trusted traveler lane at all anyway, and you get merged with the rest of the travelers in the regular security line. Remind me again why we gave up so much of our privacy to have trusted traveler status?
It's amusing watching veteran travelers grumble and moan under their breath though.
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I really hope the Airport Authority is working behind the scenes with CATSA and the CBSA to get this mess sorted out. Publicly they are deflecting these issues as being in the realm of those two groups and out of their hands. However this is having a negative impact on the experience at YYC and is quickly eroding the purported benefits of the new terminal to airlines and passengers.
I'd certainly suggest complaining to them, or twitter whining or something. They'll probably just ignore you since they don't really care about customer service, but it's worth a shot.
If more folks start vocalizing directly to those two groups it could help them make changes that the Airport Authority may be trying to get them to do. I haven't flown out of the new terminal yet, so I can't complain.
If more folks start vocalizing directly to those two groups it could help them make changes that the Airport Authority may be trying to get them to do. I haven't flown out of the new terminal yet, so I can't complain.
Nonsense. This site is a bastion of bitching and moaning. No credentials necessary.
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NRT going to a 787-9 daily for 1 July - 30 Sept
FRA going to a 77L daily for 10 June - 29 Oct
AC will replace the 3 x weekly rouge with a daily Jazz CRA to PHX.
YYC-EWR upgauge to a 319
YYC-SEA down to one daily only DH4
YYC-LAX remains two daily but now 1 320 and 1 319 (previously both 320s)
YYC-SFO as previously mentioned goes to twice daily CRAs.