YYC gets top marks

[Widow]

Tue, March 18, 2008

Travellers won't take any air-port in a storm. While Canada's third-busiest, Calgary International has kept them satisfied
UPDATED: 2008-03-18 01:48:25 MST



By MICHAEL PLATT

It's quiet, it's clean -- and then there are the free baggage carts.

And that's what $805 million buys you, when you're in the airport industry: Satisfied travellers who, if not exactly falling out of their seats with excitement, say they are perfectly comfortable as they sit and wait for their call to board.

It's a subtle sort of victory for the Calgary Airport Authority, some 16 years after taking control of Calgary International from the federal government and nearly a billion dollars worth of improvements later.

Subtle, because statistics obtained from Transport Canada suggest Calgary should be the kind of airport that leaves grown-ups cursing and babies crying as they deal with the sort of overcrowding, stagnant lineups and poor service that curses countless air terminals around the globe.

Scorecards comparing 21 airports, obtained from Transport Canada, shows Calgary is one of the fastest-growing airline hubs in Canada, yet it manages, on a per-staff basis, to serve more passengers than any other airport in the country.

An analysis of the scorecards, by travel-lobby group Transport 2000, paints Toronto's Pearson airport as inefficient and overpriced for both airlines and passengers, while pushing Calgary to the front of the queue in terms of getting the job done.

"For all measures of cost efficiency ... Toronto was significantly poorer than either Vancouver or Calgary," said the report by the non-profit agency.

"Operating expense per passenger is significantly higher for Toronto than either Vancouver or Calgary."

Serving just 72 passengers daily for each airport employee in 2006, Pearson trails Vancouver, which serves 128 passengers per employee.

Vancouver and Toronto both lag behind Calgary, which served 192 passengers daily per employee.

"It's a good report card for Calgary," said David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000.

Montreal's Trudeau airport, with 12.5-million passengers passing through each year, is almost identical in size to Calgary, yet staff there served only 51 people per employee, even less than Toronto.

But what do such numbers really mean to the people for whom it really matters, those riding on the planes?

In Calgary's case, high-efficiency has paid off in an air of calm for passengers, many of whom seemed shocked to find out the airport is actually Canada's third busiest, behind Vancouver and Toronto.

New Zealanders Rachel Newton and William Harris, who were lounging in the main departure lobby yesterday, said the airport was remarkably quiet, and compared favourably to those in much smaller cities in terms of hustle and bustle.

"The service is good, the cleanliness is good -- it's not a bad little airport," said Newton.

Harris is a competitive snowboarder, and Newton is his coach; as a result, the two have been to airports around the world as they travel to races.

While Newton said Calgary can't compete with the exotic shopping and restaurants in Dubai's airport -- her favourite -- she said it easily surpasses well-known terminals such as Heathrow.

While neither found the airport exciting, they said little touches, such as free baggage carts and lounge seats where the armrest doesn't prevent lying down, is where Calgary really scores.

The free baggage carts are obviously a big deal -- other travellers mentioned them, as well.

"Definitely nice to see," said Jamie Brown, who was heading home to Ontario.

While he defended Pearson, saying the airport can't help being busy, he said Calgary does offer good service for its size.

"It's small, but there's lots of stuff here," said Laura Golbeck, of Toronto.

Websites where travellers rank airports also offer glowing reviews of Calgary, one calling it "a pleasure" to visit.

Calgary isn't perfect -- the scorecard ranks it as having some of Canada's highest parking fees per passenger, but overall, this city's airport is seen as a gem.

Airports are places where people want in and out -- with as little hassle as possible -- and Calgary offers exactly that.

Travellers may not come to a city because it has a great airport, but many will stay away when an air terminal is a major headache.

Calgary can boast of a stress-free terminal, and free baggage carts to boot.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/200 ... 6-sun.html

[Wacko]

It's been a while since my last trip to Europe... but if memory serves... carts were free pretty much everywhere... I am also pretty sure most of the Asian countries had free carts... in fact.. Toronto was the only place I can remember that actually charge for carts.. haven't been to England though...

[200hr Wonder]

I tend to travel a half dozen times per year out of YYC for business to exotic locals like Salt Lake City, Chicago, Kelowna and so on. Gotta say that YYC is a nice airport. Seems to be very efficient, even the the US pre-clearance and Canada Customs have never been more than a 30min wait even during the morning busy time. There is several Timmies to grab a coffee both air and ground side, as well as Starbucks. Places to get a decent meal like Chillis, Milestones and some fast food. Nothing spactcular but certainly not bad. Also because it is smaller it is not a 12 mile hike from gate to baggage claim to parking/taxi. All in all I quite like Calgary International Airport. Keep up the good work! With any luck it will be my flight out of this hell hole that leaves soon and on a one way ticket.

[wallypilot]

It's been a while since my last trip to Europe... but if memory serves... carts were free pretty much everywhere... I am also pretty sure most of the Asian countries had free carts... in fact.. Toronto was the only place I can remember that actually charge for carts.. haven't been to England though...

Yeah, I think you're right about Europe....none that I have been to charge for carts. Many US airports charge for carts, though. Actually, come to think of it, every major one I have been to as a pax does...LAX, DEN, SEA, EWR, SFO, BUF, among others. It's nice that many Canadian airports don't though.

[shankdown]

Its never bothered me that they charge for carts in some places. But what bothers me is that those places are usually in the states, and I never have the correct small cash on me to pay for them. There's already enough sheit to do while travelling... get off plane, wait in immigration line, clear immigration, collect bags, take shuttle to rental car place, stand in line, rent a car, find the car, drive to hotel, wait in line, check in... doing that day in/day out can get frustrating, and the last thing a guy needs is to stand in another bloody line just to break a 20. Sorry... just venting

Shankdown

[Scuba_Steve]

just wait till you get your next Toron/Vucan/Dally/Opale crossing time when the weather is severe clear. Or a Flow time 1.5 hrs after your planned depature time!

[Four1oh]

I went through YYC twice last night, and I'm still trying to figure out WTF is going on. Work to rule? Short staffed? Because it took almost a half an hour to get airborne in severe VFR conditions.

Yes, the controllers were busy, even too busy to explain the short gate vector they threw at us for landing runway 10. I love guessing when base turn is, it's the best, especially in a plane that hates to slow down.

[DA900]

I went through YYC twice last night, and I'm still trying to figure out WTF is going on. Work to rule? Short staffed? Because it took almost a half an hour to get airborne in severe VFR conditions.

Yes, the controllers were busy, even too busy to explain the short gate vector they threw at us for landing runway 10. I love guessing when base turn is, it's the best, especially in a plane that hates to slow down.

Yeah but thats Nav Canada for you. The airport has no control over that.