Calgary International Airport - New Terminal, Runway, Control Tower

[Acey]

They're trying. It's hard for the girls when they have to hike a kilometer from the A gates to setup, then have a stupendous stack of paperwork greeting them for int'l flights at the podium. You'd think they'd just keep girls down at the IFP end, but I'm told the movement was highly inefficient for the first little bit till they optimize the skeds for the agents. So that particular issue will get better for WestJet, and should already not be terrible for AC as their main gates are closer.

YYC is also working on "optimizing" the CTG post times. It's in their best interest for people to spend more time in central and therefore potentially spend more money, so it's safe to believe that they are in fact working on it.

[CroFlames]

Things I like so far: general appearance of the terminal. Plug-ins everywhere. Comfy seats everywhere.

Things I don't like so far: the nexus machines were giving myself and other travelers error msgs this morning. I don't like the automated bins because I like to walk thru the same time as my stuff. I don't trust people. The actual customs area is not as nice as the old one, but it looks to be fairly organized with the lanes.

EDIT: I also don't like being forced to walk through the duty free gift shop.

EDIT2: Lack of seats at the actual gate is dumb. There is tons of space.

EDIT3: would it kill them to add a Tim's or something at the far end of the terminal? Literally nothing there.

General gear grinder about Canadian airports: lack of a TSA Precheck equivalent.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Acey

They're trying. It's hard for the girls when they have to hike a kilometer from the A gates to setup, then have a stupendous stack of paperwork greeting them for int'l flights at the podium. You'd think they'd just keep girls down at the IFP end, but I'm told the movement was highly inefficient for the first little bit till they optimize the skeds for the agents. So that particular issue will get better for WestJet, and should already not be terrible for AC as their main gates are closer.

YYC is also working on "optimizing" the CTG post times. It's in their best interest for people to spend more time in central and therefore potentially spend more money, so it's safe to believe that they are in fact working on it.

I figured out what might help. The should have hired women or ladies instead of children.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Weitz

A lot of flights I board early so I don't risk have my carry on checked. I see tons of bags getting gate checked these days.

This exactly.

When I flew from SNA to SFO last weekend - on an A319 - they ran out of overhead bin space before half the plane had boarded because everyone was trying to sneak their suitcases in as carry-on. Airlines really need to re-think their bag fee strategy.

[Jimmy Stang]

I wonder if they'll end up giving in and just add more seating. I understand the merits of call to gate, but sometimes it is nice to retreat to a quiet area of the airport near an unused gate and sit there. I think that call to gate can exist with some extra seating. The key is not telling everyone their gate an hour or two in advance, but at the same time, some people like to spread out away from the central area. The problem is, for my cynical self, is that you're not buying anything when you're sitting in a quiet area.

The airport has already acknowledged on social media that the "experiment" of having no water bottle filling stations had failed, and they added a couple in. I asked if they had simply forgotten them, or deliberately excluded them to force retail water sales. No reply.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

This exactly.

When I flew from SNA to SFO last weekend - on an A319 - they ran out of overhead bin space before half the plane had boarded because everyone was trying to sneak their suitcases in as carry-on. Airlines really need to re-think their bag fee strategy.

It'd help if they started to enforce the rules of what actually constitutes a carry-on instead of letting people bring Harry Potter sized trunks and filling an entire overhead bin with one bag.

Originally Posted by Weitz

A lot of flights I board early so I don't risk have my carry on checked. I see tons of bags getting gate checked these days.

Helps to gate check as many early on as possible. Delays can happen when they run out of room late and then a bunch of bags get checked and weight and balance has to be recalculated. Doesn't really make sense cause the same bag is still on the plane, but that's how they do it.

[Weitz]

Couple questions if anyone can help me out?

When does USA customs open in the morning? In years gone by I know there was no need to show up early as you couldn't go through customs till a certain time anyway. I fly out at 6:15 am friday.

Will there be anything open between 5 and 6 that would be serving breakfast after Security/US customs?

[slots881]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Couple questions if anyone can help me out?

When does USA customs open in the morning? In years gone by I know there was no need to show up early as you couldn't go through customs till a certain time anyway. I fly out at 6:15 am friday.

Will there be anything open between 5 and 6 that would be serving breakfast after Security/US customs?

When I flew out last week, US customs opened at 4:30am.
There were some restaurants that opened at 5am. Starbucks was open earlier.

[Zarley]

I wish they would add a fee for carry-on baggage. Make it more expensive than checking luggage and it would solve a host of problems. Nothing is more irritating than being delayed by tightwads struggling to jam their crap into the overhead bin.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Zarley

I wish they would add a fee for carry-on baggage. Make it more expensive than checking luggage and it would solve a host of problems. Nothing is more irritating than being delayed by tightwads struggling to jam their crap into the overhead bin.

So the rest of us who travel light in a tiny bag to avoid the hassle of checking a bag have to pay now?

Why don't they just enforce their carry on standards?

[Fuzz]

Or they could go back to not charging for the first checked bag and roll it back into the ticket price. People get pissed off less when they don't "know" they are getting charged for it, and lots of people would check the bag for convenience while those who want the convenience of carry on would do that. You know, like how it used to work. It also means flights would board more quickly which saves airlines money and passengers suffering.

The whole idea was stupid in the first place as they desperately tried to grab more money. It's been a disaster. But hey, Airline's are gonna airline.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GGG

Call to gate is fantastic.

It's like traffic circles. The long term retraining of people will pay dividends. Went through customs and security in a half hour combined.

Quite happy with the new terminal

As soon as everyone learns how to use traffic circles let me know (especially signalling).

I liked the new terminal. I think they could use handicapped seating at the gates. As long as the announcements are clear everywhere and there are lots of screens, I'm OK with waiting at the bar.

[Jimmy Stang]

Personally, I'd go for a policy like allowing two carry-on sized items for free, whether it is checked or carried on. Anything larger or in excess of the two carry-on sized pieces would be charged for.

If I want to take my shoulder bag and carry-on sized roller with me, but check the roller, it could be free. They are essentially doing this anyway when they run out of overhead space and have to check the excess bags.

If I am checking a mid-sized or large suitcase, there is a fee, just as there is now. Or anything greater in quantity or size than the existing carry-on regulations permit.

This would free up cabin space, keep the revenue structure in place, and reward those who could bring their bag on the plane by giving them a free reason not to. When I travel, I obviously can't check my bag with my laptop, projector, etc. But I most certainly could check my roller with my clothes, shoes, and other bits and pieces. I'm often the first to volunteer to have it gate checked when they ask for volunteers, but why not just streamline that at check-in?

I'm just musing, and it is probably too complicated to implement and/or there is no motivation for airlines to do it.

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by Weitz

So the rest of us who travel light in a tiny bag to avoid the hassle of checking a bag have to pay now?

Why don't they just enforce their carry on standards?

Yes, that's the idea - you would pay extra for that convenience.

[Kerplunk]

So I used the international terminal this past few weeks, and thought I'd put some random ramblings about it up here.

New check-in area: large, clean, and new looking. Wasn't too many people there early in the morning, but seems like it can handle a good number of people.

Security: seemed about the same process as before, so can't really say anything good or bad. Looks like they still need to install some more equipment, as there was a large space for another scanner or two. Was fascinated by the bin return system.

Waiting area/food court: a couple of food options, which was ok. The others I was with seemed to like the breakfasts from a couple of the fast food joints. Didn't seem to be a whole lot of seating area though; there were not a lot of people around, but a good number of seats looked to be taken. Could have been more seats hidden around the shops that I didn't see, but that could indicate poor placement in the first place. Charging areas everywhere. The fact that there are no water fountains, even just by the washrooms, is a major downgrade. I tend to drink a lot of water, and while the sink is ok (just awkward when the cleaners are using it too), having multiple places to grab a drink would be nice.

Gate area: could probably use more seating. While I understand the call to gate idea, there was a large amount of people milling around waiting for the gates to finally start boarding. If they were all in the main area, I am not sure they would have found a seat there anyway. Probably didn't help that the gate in the same area was having technical issues.

Customs: once again, not a lot of people when we came back, but those that were there seemed to be processed pretty quickly. The number of automated terminals probably helped. Seemed a lot larger than the older area.

Overall, a decent upgrade over what was there before, in terms of processing capacity and function.

[Lanny's Stache]

We flew in an out of the new terminal this past week. Here are a random collection of thoughts:
- new check in area is large and no issues there.
- self bag drop wasn't working properly, and there was no signage to indicate that it wasn't working. There was just one poor WJ lady to deal with the issues. After she did a reboot, it seemed to solve the issues. But the whole thing felt strange, and unclear. We did get our bags in the end.
- you go through security prior to customs now, which makes sense. This area has plenty of room to grow, but the new set up is pretty efficient and they moved people through the line up really quickly. The bins are bigger, and it is just better organized.
- new US customs area is not as pretty, but very functional. I like that you don't have to take your bags with you into this area. They just show you pictures of your bags on the screen so that you can confirm they are your bags. I thought that was pretty cool.
- new food court was nice. Thankfully there are some options other than Burger King.
- we ended up in the new lounge area, as one of the people travelling with us had free passes. I will admit this was my first experience with an airport lounge, but it was terrible. The service was awful. Plenty of tables with dirty dishes, while the staff just sat around. The food options were bad pastries, breakfast sausage, and white rice. This was it. Just super strange. I would have been annoyed had we paid for this.
- the call to gate was a non-issue for us, as I hate waiting around the gate most of the time anyway.
- coming back was mostly smooth. The Canadian customs machines worked well. The line up was very short. Strangely, the line up to leave after collecting your luggage was huge.

Overall, I was really impressed with the new terminal. I think it is a good upgrade. It is built with plenty of capacity for future use, and as they work the kinks out I think it will just get better.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by Weitz

So the rest of us who travel light in a tiny bag to avoid the hassle of checking a bag have to pay now?

Why don't they just enforce their carry on standards?

Well, if someone is going to pay a fee, I think it makes more sense that you pay for added convenience instead of paying more for inconvenience. No wonder everyone carries on!

But, yes, enforcing rules would be a good start.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

The problem these days is if you have a carry on, you risk not having space for it if you wait to long.

This is it exactly.

However, the fundamental problem stems from the game changing decision where airlines started charging for checked luggage. The moment they did that, everyone wants to go with the carry-on. So now we have far too much carry-on bags being toted onto planes.

The obvious and predictable reaction to that is that people are racing to board as early/quickly as possible, in order to gain adequate over-head space.

And that turns boarding into a ####show.

Stop charging for checked luggage (well, one bag at least) and the problem goes away.

[Ducay]

Gate lurkers - As if we needed another reason to hate people in the airport

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Gate lurkers - As if we needed another reason to hate people in the airport

Gate lurkers probably vote NDP! No wait, they are probably Trump supporters!

Okay, I'm confused... I can't keep track of who I'm supposed to hate now.