YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[eduardo88]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

This is the domestic baggage claim (which looks nearly the same as the international baggage claim area)...one thing that shocks me is how this area is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:

It doesnt matter that it's open to the public...the reason the international one is closed off is because you have to pass customs control for you baggage (if you have to declare something and for random searches of undeclared baggage). when travelling domestically theres no customs control, hence no need to close off the baggage claim area

[deasine]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

you're a genius...problem solved. but what about the international baggage claim area?

That will be needing expensive renovations within the airport or placed somewhere else. I need to see the plans of the area or pictures before I can think of it =P

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

precisely. ideally, they should install a glass wall or something and have someone check tickets at the door so that they can get in and claim their baggage....this should be done, especially with the Canada Line arriving.

we're the only airport to not do that.

umm, no we arent (ottawa comes to mind). i have never noticed anything like that in other domestic baggage areas.
but i agree there should be someone there checking your baggage tickets. im always anxious waiting for my bag(s) and so yes im one of those people that waits right in front of where the bags shoot out from

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by deasine

Aren't there less costly ways in making the area larger...

Agreed - all you need to do is look at any supermarket and model it after the "express" checkouts where the line ups weave past a cashier to get to a second row of cashiers.

[deasine]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Agreed - all you need to do is look at any supermarket and model it after the "express" checkouts where the line ups weave past a cashier to get to a second row of cashiers.

Exactly. Make use of the long walls - like in my plan. But they can easily install like an express checkout type of thing... I dont' know if they have it now (and I haven't air traveled for at least four years now) but you have a lineup for Canadian Residents, which is also what they have in Hong Kong.

[clooless]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

umm, no we arent (ottawa comes to mind). i have never noticed anything like that in other domestic baggage areas.
but i agree there should be someone there checking your baggage tickets. im always anxious waiting for my bag(s) and so yes im one of those people that waits right in front of where the bags shoot out from

Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Victoria, Prince George, Edmonton and Calgary as well, among others. Anyone can walk up and claim baggage. When I was recently in Seattle I was required to show to my ticket to an attendant who controlled access to the baggage claim area. It was actually a pleasant surprise knowing that only ticketed passengers had access to the baggage claim.

Speaking of the condition of the airport carpets, I notice two or three visible stains in that picture of the domestic baggage claim area. I don't expect perfection, but cleanliness would be nice.

[deasine]

LOL yes it's really evident. Anyone have any pictures of both the international and domestic baggage claim areas?

[SpongeG]

only ticketed passengers can go in the international baggage claim as they need their bags to clear customs immigration etc

when i have flown into domestic i have had to wait a good while until the baggage finally arrives there so most passengers are already there to get it so its safe enough

unless you grab an identical suitcase - which i did once - d'oh

[excel]

Updates:

Cathay Pacific will operate 3 weekly A340-600 on the HKG-YVR route as CX836/835 between 31MAR08 and 12MAY08.

The flight will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The rest of the days is still operated with A340-300.

Air Canada: Current schedule showing YVR-HKG alternate day A343 and B777 for April 2008 only. Then A343 daily until Sept 2008.

YVR-NRT B777 starts Nov 2, 2008.

[hollywoodnorth]

Business in Vancouver January 29-February 4, 2008; issue 953

London Drugs’ $242m aviation vision

Subsidiary of retail giant to invest in new charter jets, aircraft hangar at YVR

Glen Korstrom

A dramatic five-year, $242 million aviation strategy is being rolled out by a subsidiary of retail giant London Drugs Ltd., expanding its fleet of jets and building a sizeable new hangar at Vancouver International Airport.

London Air Services (LAS), the executive air charter wing of the B.C.-based group, plans to invest $16 million of the fund in a new 84,000-square-foot hangar at YVR’s south terminal to house aircraft and office workers. Construction teams broke ground last week.

That investment is being coupled with a $213 million deal with Bombardier Aerospace, for the purchase of 10 jets, plus an additional $13 million for a helicopter from AgustaWestland.

London Air has either ordered or signed letters of intent with both aircraft manufacturers. “The business is not for the timid,” company president Wynne Powell told BIV in an exclusive interview. “It’s a tough business, a numbers business, but our ace in the hole is that we provide the best equipment, the best pilots and very competitive rates. We’ve enjoyed success.”

The spending spree includes agreements to pay Bombardier:

•$24 million for two Learjet 45XRs to carry nine people;

•$54 million for two Challenger 605 jets, which each carry 12 passengers; and

•$50 million for a long-range Global XRS jet, which can accommodate 15 passengers.

Bombardier (TSX:BBD) is perfecting its next Learjet model, provisionally named the Learjet NXT, and the company expects to unveil that plane later this year. Powell has signed letters of intent to pay the Montreal-based aviator $85 million for five Learjet NXTs for delivery in 2012.

Many of these acquisitions will replace existing planes.

Powell expects to bump his current fleet from four to five Learjet 45XRs when the first of those two new planes arrives in March. When the second new Learjet 45XR arrives a month later, Powell will put one of LAS’ current Learjets on the auction block, he said. Similarly, one of LAS’ two current Challenger 604s will be up for sale once the two new Challenger 605s arrive later this year.

“These planes hold their market value well. They’re great aircraft, but our policy is to run the best aircraft available,” he said. “We keep refreshing our aircraft every seven to 10 years. We get the best economy and the best carbon footprint because we get the newest technology.”

Powell plans to move LAS’ helicopter and jet fleet out of two current hangars near YVR’s south terminal by November. That’s when he expects Kitsilano-based Scott Construction to complete building the pre-engineered metal structure, which has sliding doors 185 feet wide and 44 feet tall.

Vic Donaldson, Scott’s business development manager, said London Drugs paid more than $100,000 extra for Scott to design and build the structure so that it did not require internal support beams.

The endeavour was a coup for Scott, which is seeking to diversify its project base further, while reaping success by building institutional, residential, commercial and other structures. Scott grew its revenue to more than $200 million in 2007, from $112 million the year before, Donaldson said.

LAS’ facility is the first airplane hangar that the 135-employee Scott has designed and built. “We know that one day the highrise business will probably have a turnaround or a slowdown. So, we’re looking at industrial, commercial-type projects,” said Donaldson.

London Air will share space at the new YVR hangar with InterDel Aviation Services Inc., a company in which London Drugs has a minority stake. InterDel will operate its Esso Avitat airline maintenance and passenger support business on-site. •

[email protected]

H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd.

Diverse holdings

The empire of B.C.-based H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd. is vast.

The 104-year-old company is reputed to be the province’s third largest private company, based on Business in Vancouver’s estimate that it generates $4.1 billion in annual revenue.

Among its leading brands:

• London Drugs Ltd., owner of London Air Services;

• Marketplace IGA; and

• Sonora Resort near Desolation Sound.

[excel]

Update:
EVA Air will add 2 flights per week during Jul and Aug 2008. B777-300ER on Monday and Saturdays. Regular B747-400 on Wed, Fri and Sunday.

All flights are evening arrival at 1940hr.

[excel]

OTTAWA, Feb. 7 /CNW Telbec/ - The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of
Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced the approval of
Vancouver International Airport to participate in the international air cargo
transshipment program. The program simplifies air carrier access to the
airport for air cargo transshipment, allowing the airport to seek new market
opportunities and further develop its air cargo transshipment activity.
"Our government is pleased to have the international air cargo
transshipment program in place," said Minister Cannon. "Vancouver
International Airport now has an additional tool to help develop its air cargo
business, which will benefit the local economy."
The international air cargo transshipment program allows air cargo to be
moved through Canada for shipment to third countries. For example, cargo could
be flown from the United States into Vancouver, stored temporarily, and then
flown to an Asian destination. Similarly, international air cargo could also
arrive from overseas and then be shipped by rail or road from Vancouver to the
United States, allowing the airport to take full advantage of the Asia-Pacific
gateway and corridor.
"One of the key goals of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative
is to make our West Coast ports and airports a destination of choice for
shippers that take goods back and forth between Asia and North America," said
the Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for
the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. "With this new
transshipment capacity, the Vancouver International Airport is moving one step
further toward becoming a true transportation and logistics hub for the whole
North American market."
"The program fits well with our overall gateway strategy for air cargo.
It puts Vancouver International Airport in a more competitive position in
facilitating international goods movement," said Larry Berg, CEO of Vancouver
International Airport. "With this program we are better equipped to offer a
more efficient routing to carriers serving the Asian and North American
marketplaces."
The program enables the Canadian Transportation Agency to authorize any
Canadian or foreign air carrier to use Vancouver International Airport to
transship international air cargo, even if these rights are not provided in
Canada's bilateral air transport agreements. In addition, air carriers will be
able to combine such cargo transshipments with other services for which they
may be licensed.
Cargo security is addressed during the application process, and on an
ongoing basis, in the context of broader security monitoring by Transport
Canada and the operational activities of the Canada Border Services Agency.
The Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative is a national initiative
that will contribute to Canada's economic competitiveness, while also
benefiting communities through which increasing volumes of trade must move. In
its first eight months, Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative projects,
valued at $2.2 billion, were announced across all four western provinces,
including a federal contribution of almost $800 million.
The international air cargo transshipment program was introduced in 1982
at Mirabel Airport as part of a larger effort to improve the use of Montreal
area airports. It has since been expanded to other airports, including
Hamilton (1987), Windsor (1993), Gander (2000), Winnipeg (2004), Edmonton
(2006) and Calgary (2007). The program is also being introduced at the
Abbotsford International Airport and at the Greater Moncton International
Airport.
During the course of its international air policy review, Transport
Canada determined that Canadian airports should be given the freedom to
attract cargo transshipment activity where there are market opportunities, in
line with its new market-oriented Blue Sky international air policy.



For further information: Karine White, Press Secretary, Office of the
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa, (613) 991-0700;
Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, (613) 993-0055; Transport Canada is
online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at
apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport
Canada. This news release may be made available in alternative formats for
persons with visual disabilities.





Transport Canada

[SpongeG]

US Airways to fly between Philadelphia and Vancouver, B.C.

US Airways will offer nonstop flights this summer between Philadelphia International Airport and Vancouver, British Columbia, the carrier said today.
The airline said it will have one flight a day, starting June 3 and running through Sept. 2. The six-hour flight will be scheduled to depart Philadelphia at 5:50 p.m. and arrive at 8:51 p.m. Vancouver time; the return to Philadelphia will be scheduled to depart at 9:56 p.m. and arrive at 6 a.m.

US Airways also said one of its Express carriers, Mesa Airlines, plans to start flights May 4 between its Charlotte, N.C., hub and Austin and San Antonio, Texas, cities US Airways doesn't serve from Philadelphia now.

Shares were down 40 cents, or about 2.6 percent, to $14.77 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/...en_Philadelphia_and_Vancouver__B_C_.html

[Holden West]

I thought this 1968 photo was pretty groovy. I want one of those chairs:

[excel]

Cool finds thanks.

[vanman]

Looks like Vancouver airport of 1968 was not bad for its era.

[phesto]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

US Airways to fly between Philadelphia and Vancouver, B.C.

US Airways will offer nonstop flights this summer between Philadelphia International Airport and Vancouver, British Columbia, the carrier said today.
The airline said it will have one flight a day, starting June 3 and running through Sept. 2. The six-hour flight will be scheduled to depart Philadelphia at 5:50 p.m. and arrive at 8:51 p.m. Vancouver time; the return to Philadelphia will be scheduled to depart at 9:56 p.m. and arrive at 6 a.m.

US Airways also said one of its Express carriers, Mesa Airlines, plans to start flights May 4 between its Charlotte, N.C., hub and Austin and San Antonio, Texas, cities US Airways doesn't serve from Philadelphia now.

Shares were down 40 cents, or about 2.6 percent, to $14.77 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/...en_Philadelphia_and_Vancouver__B_C_.html

Awesome to see another route to the mid-Atlantic US. The service is summer-seasonal to target cruise ship traffic and will be an A319, so I can see it doing alright, much like UA's YVR-IAD service which has been around for a few summers now and is doing well.

[phesto]

Not sure what's confirmed for this summer for seasonal service, but here is YVR's current transborder service, which is pretty impressive when you think about it.

(w/o frequencies/equipment):

Anchorage - AC*
Atlanta - DL
Chicago - UA
Dallas - AA
Denver - UA
Detroit - NW*
Hawaii - AC, WJ
Houston - CO
Las Vegas - AC, WJ, AS, US, PA
LAX - AC, AS, UA
Memphis - NW*
Minneapolis - NW
Newark - CO*
New York JFK - AC, CX
Palm Springs - WJ, AS
Philadelphia - US*
Phoenix - US
Portland - AC, AS
Sacramento - AC
Salt Lake City - DL
San Diego - AC
San Francisco - AC, UA, AS
Seattle - AC, AS
Wash. Dulles - UA*

* - seasonal service

While I don't really expect it to happen, it would be great to see AC bring back Miami service, and maybe add Boston (BOS-YVR was once a Cdn airlines route), then YVR would have all the major US airports covered.

[osirisboy]

im very surprised they dont have anything that goes to Orlando-miami

[excel]

AC was running daily to San Diego for a while there with a CRJ-200. What happend?