Calgary International Airport - New Terminal, Runway, Control Tower

[CedarMeter]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Speeds things up? Hardly. In the wretched area known as YVR US customs transfers (how can an otherwise nice airport mark off such a small area for something so critical) those 8 machines repeatedly crashed and were so slow that they started waving people through straight to the staffed kiosks to make the flight. With toddlers, it's rather comical to hold your kids up one by one to image them. And slow given you have to buckle them back into strollers.

Vancouver use to be a disaster at customs. Now, when I come back from Seattle for a football game I just breeze right by. I never wait anymore. Do you live in Vancouver?

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

wait, so we're going to have to refer to our former Prime Minister as YYC Calgary International Airport?

That just seems cumbersome

• Brian Mulroney
• Kim Campbell
• Jean Chrétien
• Paul Martin
• YYC Calgary International Airport
• Justin Trudeau

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...tion-1.3299702

Just in case people didn't click this gold link

CBC Calgary ✔ @CBCCalgary
Should Calgary's airport be named after Stephen Harper or vice versa? Latest petition: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...tion-1.3299702 …
8:11 AM - 2 Nov 2015 · Canada, Canada
13%Rename the airport
87%Rename Harper

[getbak]

There are a lot of those kiosks at Customs. The Herald story says 25 at US Customs, and I would guess at least twice that many at Canadian Customs.

Originally Posted by Table 5

Oh man, half the time it takes the photo right as I'm bending down to pick up the kid, because its on a counter and you dont have time to get the kids out. They really need to add a button so it takes it when your ready, or the ability to retake. Half the time it just gets a shot of the the top of people's backs as they scramble.

From what I remember from the trial, they've addressed both those issues. These kiosks do have both a button you push when you're ready to take the photo and they give you the ability to retake the photo if it didn't turn out.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by getbak

From what I remember from the trial, they've addressed both those issues. These kiosks do have both a button you push when you're ready to take the photo and they give you the ability to retake the photo if it didn't turn out.

I'm really glad to hear that. It was one of those things that just put you over the top in an already stressful situation.

[OffsideSpecialist]

I've been through the ones in Toronto, and I don't recall them taking a picture. At least not one I got to see afterwards.

[Madman]

So how early do you have to be for a US flight now then?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I say we offer JG $6.5 mil x 8 years AND we rename it to Gaudreau International Airport.

Thinking outside the box. Interesting.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by CedarMeter

Vancouver use to be a disaster at customs. Now, when I come back from Seattle for a football game I just breeze right by. I never wait anymore. Do you live in Vancouver?

No I don't live there. I'm talking about arriving in YVR from a domestic flight and then clearing US CBP for a US bound flight. The little area they have designated this is ridiculously small, like it was an afterthought or something.

Originally Posted by Table 5

Oh man, half the time it takes the photo right as I'm bending down to pick up the kid, because its on a counter and you dont have time to get the kids out. They really need to add a button so it takes it when your ready, or the ability to retake. Half the time it just gets a shot of the the top of people's backs as they scramble.

Throw in a sleeping child in an umbrella stroller. I briefly thought about lifting the entire stroller up to take a photo of him so I didn't wake them. Then I thought the CBP officer would really hate that. Then the machine snaps my pictures.... Fail.

[Bigtime]

New international terminal to serve as Calgary's gateway to the world

http://calgaryherald.com/business/lo...medium=twitter

“I’m convinced you’ll see a few more Asian points,” Garth Atkinson, CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, said in an interview. “Hong Kong, as well as Seoul, South Korea, are great connecting points and hubs we’ll want to tie into.

“I also see more in Europe — Paris would be great, we may start to see that on a seasonal basis in a couple of years, and probably another point in Germany as well.”

Bill Devlin, senior director of airport development with Air Canada, said his airline has been growing aggressively across its entire network in recent years, launching its low-cost leisure carrier Rouge as well as taking on new wide-body aircraft and adding new international destinations.

“We’re always looking at how we may be able to expand our reach from Calgary,” said Devlin. “That’s an ongoing process, and we’re in constant dialogue with the Calgary Airport Authority.

“But without these enhancements, it would be almost impossible to look at growing the network . . . We now have the foundation for building the network in Calgary … once we evaluate the market.”

“The gem of this airport is it makes the transfer of international passengers and trans-border passengers so much easier,” said Louis Saint-Cyr, WestJet’s vice-president of airports and guest experience. “We saw this year, with our 767 traffic, guests coming from all over the place . . . So the potential is fabulous, and it really opens the door.”

[Drummer]

We had a Pairs flight this summer and it didn't get put back on the schedule for next year. 2015 we had a Seoul flight that didn't get rescheduled this year with the exception of a double charter. And the Beijing flight decreased service going forward (it was supposed to increase). I'd LOVE to see more international flights but don't think a new airport will do the trick.

[Bigtime]

Yeah Transat has axed the Paris flight, but they've also been slashing western Canada transatlantic flights in general.

The Korean flights have always been charter deals, never anything approaching a scheduled flight so you can't treat them as such.

But yes, Hainan reducing already for the winter versus the original plan is an issue. Perhaps a Star Alliance flight to PEK would fair better with its ability to draw on more connecting traffic. I do think HKG could work with the A350 in maybe a 3x weekly capacity.

[Bigtime]

Looks like NewLeaf will be operating some flights to YXX and YHM around the holiday season in December/January. Could be some really cheap fares from them and I'd guess WestJet is going to slash on those dates to put the screws to them.

Flights are bookable on the NewLeaf website right now.

[Fuzz]

How risky is it? If you were an odds maker, what do you think the chances are if you booked now, a flight would exist in December?

[Stealth22]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

How risky is it? If you were an odds maker, what do you think the chances are if you booked now, a flight would exist in December?

I would be hesitant to risk it...AC and WS have such a stranglehold on the market, and both have the fleet and money power to choke a newcomer out of business.

[puffnstuff]

Two questions.
For an early flight to the US, 645 am, how early does the US customs open? Whats the timing like that early?
The travellers are elderly and one hasmobility issues, are there wheelchairs available somewhere to help them along? How do you get one? Is it a YYC thing or does each airline deal with it differently?

tia

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Two questions.
For an early flight to the US, 645 am, how early does the US customs open? Whats the timing like that early?
The travellers are elderly and one hasmobility issues, are there wheelchairs available somewhere to help them along? How do you get one? Is it a YYC thing or does each airline deal with it differently?

tia

US customs last time I was there didn't open until 4:30 am. Usually if there are mobility issues the person tends to get prioritized. The standard 2 hours should be fine.

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Two questions.
For an early flight to the US, 645 am, how early does the US customs open? Whats the timing like that early?
The travellers are elderly and one hasmobility issues, are there wheelchairs available somewhere to help them along? How do you get one? Is it a YYC thing or does each airline deal with it differently?

tia

Are we talking before or after the new terminal opens next week?

Either way, the standard 2 hours will be plenty at that time of the morning. In my experience, it will be really quiet at 5:00 am. The airport supports mobility impaired people really well with wheelchairs and carts. Just ask when they get there. To help things along, have them check-in to their flight online 24 hours before hand. That way, they can skip the longer line and just print out their bag tags and proceed to the Westjet bag drop. Make sure they have their blue customs card filled out beforehand as well. (Assuming that is still a thing after the new terminal goes online).

It might be worth a call to Westjet and double check what time their check-in folks get to work.

[TheAlpineOracle]

I was at the airport about 2 hours and 10 minutes before my flight to Vegas about a month ago and I damn near missed our flight. We had to run to the gate before which I've never had to do in my life.

[Fuzz]

Ya, I've been there at 5 before when customs opens and barely made flights. I think you tell the airline you need assistance ahead of time, and they will arrange a wheelchair from the airport.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Actually, the last 4 times i've been to the Calgary Airport it has been an absolute #### show. All of these flights were early morning flights between 8 and 10 am. Last time I was so pissed off I emailed Westjet and their response to "If I show up to the airport 2 hours before a domestic flight, I don't feel I should be in jeopardy of missing my flight", was that the Calgary airport is very busy in the morning and maybe I should try and avoid peak flying times if possible.