Saskatoon and Regina Air Service

[casper]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

I'm trying to think why a developer would want to be at Regina's airport.

There are no amenities there and downtown is 5-min away without traffic. I fully understand it for large centers but Regina seems like an unnecessary feature.

I used to live in YXE (now in Victoria) but still come in to Saskatoon fairly frequently. I think both Saskatoon and Regina airports have the same dynamics. I would use the service.

Both airports have either early morning flights or late evening (10:00 pm to midnight arivals). You arrive walkt to the hotel, pickup the rental care in the morning. do what you are doing in town. If you are catching a 5:00 to 8:00 am departure droping off the rental the night before and staying attached to the terminal is a nice option.

[trunk]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

I'm trying to think why a developer would want to be at Regina's airport.

There are no amenities there and downtown is 5-min away without traffic. I fully understand it for large centers but Regina seems like an unnecessary feature.

Consider the number of people from out of town that use the airport; I'm sure many of them already stay in hotels the night before an early morning departure or after a late night arrival - an airport hotel would just be slightly more convenient for them.

[BrutallyDishonest2]

Originally Posted by trunk

Consider the number of people from out of town that use the airport; I'm sure many of them already stay in hotels the night before an early morning departure or after a late night arrival - an airport hotel would just be slightly more convenient for them.

I agree that it would be slightly more convenient. Just not enough to warrant a developer doing it.

I mean if you already have to go downtown to to do anything interesting or find good you might as well stay there and taxi in the morning. There's no traffic anyway.

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

I agree that it would be slightly more convenient. Just not enough to warrant a developer doing it.

I mean if you already have to go downtown to to do anything interesting or find good you might as well stay there and taxi in the morning. There's no traffic anyway.

It would certainly work well. The proposed hotel will be across from the terminal. So, it would be very pleasing for 5:00-6:00 a.m. departures --- especially when one needs to check-in 1+ hours before departure.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

It would certainly work well. The proposed hotel will be across from the terminal. So, it would be very pleasing for 5:00-6:00 a.m. departures --- especially when one needs to check-in 1+ hours before departure.

I agree. I know business people on one day trips that will use this.

[Mike328]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

It would certainly work well. The proposed hotel will be across from the terminal. So, it would be very pleasing for 5:00-6:00 a.m. departures --- especially when one needs to check-in 1+ hours before departure.

Curious about where they would put it. Can you speak on that at all?

[Davidson]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

I agree that it would be slightly more convenient. Just not enough to warrant a developer doing it.

I mean if you already have to go downtown to to do anything interesting or find good you might as well stay there and taxi in the morning. There's no traffic anyway.

There are three fairly new hotels that opened on Airport Dr. in Saskatoon that seem fairly well-occupied (at least the parking lots look full) whenever I go to the airport. And believe me there is nothing in the way of amenties or entertainment on Airport Dr. -

Saskatoon airport is a bit larger and has more passenger traffic than Regina but it's no more of a hub than Regina is, so there must be a market for out-of-towners flying to/from Saskatoon, or business travellers. I know in my job I've flown into other cities where we literally fly in that morning, meet at an airport hotel for the day, the fly out that night. Must be a developer that thinks there's a market for this in Regina.

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by Mike328

Curious about where they would put it. Can you speak on that at all?

Oh, for sure! I reckon that the hotel will be located roughly where the old Air Canada Cargo building's parking lot is presently located. The grounds at YQR have essentially endless developmental potential, and that is good!

I'm predicting a seven-storey-tall hotel.

[BrutallyDishonest2]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

Oh, for sure! I reckon that the hotel will be located roughly where the old Air Canada Cargo building's parking lot is presently located. The grounds at YQR have essentially endless developmental potential, and that is good!

I'm predicting a seven-storey-tall hotel.

If it goes ahead, I'll bet 3 stories.

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by Davidson

There are three fairly new hotels that opened on Airport Dr. in Saskatoon that seem fairly well-occupied (at least the parking lots look full) whenever I go to the airport. And believe me there is nothing in the way of amenties or entertainment on Airport Dr. -

Saskatoon airport is a bit larger and has more passenger traffic than Regina but it's no more of a hub than Regina is, so there must be a market for out-of-towners flying to/from Saskatoon, or business travellers. I know in my job I've flown into other cities where we literally fly in that morning, meet at an airport hotel for the day, the fly out that night. Must be a developer that thinks there's a market for this in Regina.

Yeah, there are a few developers that want to build at the Regina terminal building --- we'll see who in due course.

I will bet that Saskatoon's airport authority kinda screwed themselves out of the ability about a possible construction of a hotel across from the terminal; there just isn't space. (Unless they build a parkade.) But there are about 5 hotels south on Airport Drive though. Regrettably, there is MORE misery down the road for YXE. I am referring to another faux pas akin to the severing of Wayne Hicks Drive. WTF?!!

I am predicting that Regina's terminal expansion will double the footprint [and length] of the present-day terminal. (For sure 10 jetways --- conservative.) There will be a new Control Tower constructed at the north end of the newly expanded portion of the ATB as well. There will be numerous additional hangars both large and small which will be built by private developers. The Regina Airport is undergoing a complete renaissance as we speak, and to the tune of +$250,000,000!!!

[SkydivePilot]

Delete.

[The Bess]

wow 250,000,000 thats alot of money please provide links for all this development information

[TechnicalRecession]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

If it goes ahead, I'll bet 3 stories.

Witness! What are the stakes gentlemen??

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

If it goes ahead, I'll bet 3 stories.

Three floors would be a waste of space. Besides that, even though the hotel will be in a location that would not impede the sightlines of the airfield environment. The hotel would not be permitted to impede the sightlines 360-degrees around for air traffic in itself; the controllers still need to see air traffic in all quadrants. One would never see a building or hotel that's taller than a control tower within close proximity to a control tower..

I'm predicting a control tower floor height of approximately 100' AGL. (Due to the future development on the north side of the field.) The tower's completion date is slated for 2021. Saskatoon tower's floor height is 83' AGL. (In my opinion, YXE's should have been taller as well.)

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by The Bess

wow 250,000,000 thats alot of money please provide links for all this development information

I don't have links; however, I do attend meetings and the costs cover a timeline of approximately seven years, . and it's no big secret. Costs would be for: ATB expansion; new taxiway construction and enhancements; new control tower; water/sewer; power; gas; lighting; drainage; land grading; various demolitions, (such as the old AC cargo building); parking lots; recent buildings (that you now see); new baggage sorting system; apron expansion, . . . etc.

The costs don't include such projects such as future hangars and hotels; those are privately-financed. (Although, they need infrastructure in place ahead of time in order to build; that is one of the premises for all this work in the first place.)

Building airport infrastructure is not cheap.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by The Bess

wow 250,000,000 thats alot of money please provide links for all this development information

This may be an aggressive figure but not ridiculous if they are referring to public and privat investment over say 15 or 20 years.

[TechnicalRecession]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

Three floors would be a waste of space. Besides that, even though the hotel will be in a location that would not impede the sightlines of the airfield environment. The hotel would not be permitted to impede the sightlines 360-degrees around for air traffic in itself; the controllers still need to see air traffic in all quadrants. One would never see a building or hotel that's taller than a control tower within close proximity to a control tower..

I'm predicting a control tower floor height of approximately 100' AGL. (Due to the future development on the north side of the field.) The tower's completion date is slated for 2021. Saskatoon tower's floor height is 83' AGL. (In my opinion, YXE's should have been taller as well.)

I'm not sure I am following you, are you saying a hotel could not be taller than a control tower? This is Halifax's airport that has an Alt hotel on the airport grounds and it clearly looks taller than the control tower:

[Golks]

Originally Posted by TechnicalRecession

I'm not sure I am following you, are you saying a hotel could not be taller than a control tower? This is Halifax's airport that has an Alt hotel on the airport grounds and it clearly looks taller than the control tower:

I would think that Halifax has a new Control tower built somewhere else in the airfield. The one on the terminal is probably no longer in use.

**EDIT** Quick search brought this page up : http://rootarchitecture.ca/about/personal-experience

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by TechnicalRecession

I'm not sure I am following you, are you saying a hotel could not be taller than a control tower? This is Halifax's airport that has an Alt hotel on the airport grounds and it clearly looks taller than the control tower:

I guess you are not following me here; that's okay. Not everyone on here is "airport-inclined."

The air control tower at Halifax is far away from the terminal building. What you see is the ground/apron controllers in the old tower which used to be the old all-in-one tower. The sightlines of ground control there is not impeded by the hotel with regards to airside movements.

Some airports have two or more "towers." They are typically a combination of apron/ground controllers or ground/air controllers. (Halifax here; Calgary; Toronto.) Extreme cases like Atlanta or Denver have multiple apron "towers" along with the usual package. Regina/Saskatoon each has one tower that encompasses both Ground and Air Controllers. ("apron" controllers are not necessary here --- we're still too small.) Moreover, there are multiple comm frequencies for large airports with regards to aprons; ground control and tower, or, "AIR" control. We won't go into PALs, ACCs and Terminal Airspace here.

Okay, I should have stated [above] that buildings are not to be above the sightlines which would be in excess of the AIR controllers' point-of-view. It won't matter if the hotel impedes the GROUND controllers' point-of-view of the airport's non-airside environment.

I hope explanation clarifies this.

[SkydivePilot]

Hey, maybe YQR may get an ALT hotel aussi! (Not.)