YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

A little off topic, but does anybody know if Air Canada offers their new "Executive First Cabin" on flights from YVR to Narita? Looks like this:

You pay all that money, but you can't face the window? WTF?

[vanlaw]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

At least you get what you pay for.

From doing an Expedia search for June 1:

Seattle-Buffalo flights start at $365.
Vancouver-Toronto flights start at $710.

We get screwed up here - but if you hit some good fare sales the difference is not too bad - I booked Vancouver - NY direct for June travel on AC for $428 - taxes in - but that was on a 2 day sale. The YVR-YYZ flights on the same sale were about $460 taxes in.

[sono65]

Originally Posted by eduardo88

Thats executive first class?!?! what a piece crap...especially for such a long flight...

Actually, I took that exact flight from YVR to Narita in Exectutive First Class. It was amazing, you have your own little hovel there, and the seats go completely 90 degrees. Highly recommended if you can swing it.

[deasine]

Oh my god that really looks ugly =O I would expect something like that for business. I mean, where's the leather seats? Premium materials accent? Privacy door?

I think it's so funny how all the airlines are converting to that seat layout, developed by Virgin Atlantic I believe.

[vanlaw]

Originally Posted by deasine

Oh my god that really looks ugly =O I would expect something like that for business. I mean, where's the leather seats? Premium materials accent? Privacy door?

I think it's so funny how all the airlines are converting to that seat layout, developed by Virgin Atlantic I believe.

I actually dont think leather really works well for long haul flights - I did Lufthansa business from Frankfurt-YVR a few years back - they had the Recaro semi-pods (i.e. still 2 per isle - so you have to climb over guy to get to isle, but almost flat bed) - that was a sweet flight. Beats any other business class I had taken up to that point.

[giallo]

I managed to get an amazing deal with Air Canada. My round trip direct flight ticket from Shanghai to Vancouver (June 17-Aug 3) cost me $750CDN all fees included. I've never in my life had such a cheap ticket from Asia to North America.

[MistyMountainHop]

Originally Posted by giallo

I managed to get an amazing deal with Air Canada. My round trip direct flight ticket from Shanghai to Vancouver (June 17-Aug 3) cost me $750CDN all fees included. I've never in my life had such a cheap ticket from Asia to North America.

Holy shit, that's cheaper than most Toronto flights!

[SpongeG]

Modular design speeds London Aviation Centre hangar project

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Vancouver

The newest hangar at the Vancouver airport is being built using a unique modular steel system, instead of the traditional steel or tilt-up construction techniques.

Scott DesignBuild Ltd is building the new London Aviation Centre at YVR South Terminal for London Air Services. The 84,000 sq. ft. hangar/office facility will have a 366 ft. clear span required for the movement and storage of LAS’s fleet of Global, Challenger and Lear jets as well as helicopters and Boeing business jets.

Two large sliding hangar doors (44 feet high x 180 feet long) by Creative Doors, allow LAS ease of access to all aircraft. There is an interior fabric door system dividing the hangar in two, which allows LAS to keep one side of the hangar warm while the other side is open to the elements.

The construction of the corporate airline hangar and two-storey office facility will utilize a unique steel building system from the US.

“The complete steel building system is quite large and is coming up from Garco Building Systems in Spokane, Washington,” said Vic Donaldson, Scott Construction. Garco fabricates the building and we get steel plates, welded, packed and shipped on site by trucks. Its like a big Meccano set.”

Garco designs, manufactures and distributes steel building systems for commercial, industrial, community and agricultural applications.

Vince Triance president and owner of Vision Steel Contracting (VSC) said “I call this system Constructs for grown-ups, because it requires the builder get a drawing or plan and bolt all the steel pieces together.”

VSC was hired by Scott to erect the metal building from Garco. All components that are supplied by Garco make it possible for buildings to go up faster than conventional construction with reduced field labour and on-site modifications.

According to Donaldson, one of the unique features of this project is the speed in which the hangar and office building can be erected, enclosed and completed. The steel building system allows Scott to take this project from groundbreaking on Jan. 24 to full completion on Oct.31.

“To prepare for construction, Scott compacted and firmed up the land by putting preload material on the site for one and a half months. Scott put about 2 metres of preload sand and let that sit for a month and a half,” said Donaldson.

The geotechnical engineer, Horizon Engineering, checked the preload sand for settlement with gauges. A surveyor checked how much the land settled. After a few weeks with no movement, the preload was scraped off so the site was nice and flat.

The structural engineer, Bogdonov Pao Associates, designed all the footings and foundations based on findings of geotechnical reports.


RICHARD GILBERT

The London Aviation Centre building at Vancouver Airport is being assembled on site after the entire building system was manufactured in Spokane, Washington and then shipped in by truck.


http://dcnonl.com/article/id27284

[Yume-sama]

Well, I managed to finally talk to a real person at Air Canada today... and that interior is not available on their flights from Vancouver to Tokyo, as it is served by an Airbus A330-300 (which it was when I last flew with them 2+ years ago) that will be upgraded by the end of 2009 and only their Boeing 777's have been retrofitted, meaning Vancouver to Osaka has been updated, along with pretty much any flight out of Toronto, and Vancouver to Toronto . So, looks like I won't give them a second chance to kill me. I am a fan of their new interior, flew in an Airbus A319 from JFK - YYC in March, and it was completely new and nice. No way I'd step foot in their old planes again...

[excel]

wow that hanger just shot up.

[excel]

a UAE aircraft has been parked at the south terminal for 2 days now, anyone know why or who?

[SpongeG]

Citigroup unit buys 50-per-cent stake in YVR Airport Services

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver International Airport Authority has sold a substantial interest in its global airport management subsidiary - YVR Airport Services - to an alternative-investment unit of Citigroup.

Under the terms of the deal, Citi Infrastructure Investors will acquire a 50-per-cent stake in YVR Airport Services. The subsidiary will become CII's investing arm for airport assets. Further financial details of the deal were not released.

YVR Airport Services runs the airports in Vancouver and 18 other airports in seven countries - including Canada, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Cyprus and The Bahamas.

"This is a new chapter in a great made-in-B.C. success story," Vancouver Airport Authority chairman Graham Clarke said in a statement. "In only 12 years, YVRAS has grown from three people and a bold idea into a major airport development company, operating 18 airports in seven countries."

Notice of the pending sale was contained in a brief note near the end of the airport authority's 2007 financial statements last month.

The airport authority sold a 40-per-cent interest in YVRAS to U.K.-based CDC Capital Partners for $40 million in 2001, but CDC sold the interest back to the authority for $32 million in 2006.

Airport authority president Larry Berg said last month that ownership changes at CDC forced a change in the company's priorities.

He said YVRAS received approval from the airport authority board in the fall of 2006 to source additional funding.

"Over the past 18 months, YVRAS has been actively searching for a partner with interests in alignment with theirs," Berg said in a statement.

"If British Columbia is to grow, then YVR must compete and win in the gateway battle for airlines and passengers - and to be the best at home, you need to be achieving out in the world."

Felicity Gates, a partner at Citi Infrastructure Investors, said the unit is "seeking to establish a small number of best-in-class infrastructure platforms for growth and long-term investment, and so we are delighted to be able to announce this partnership with Vancouver - undeniably a global leader in airport management."

The airport authority posted a profit of $86.1 million for 2007, compared with $111.4 million in 2006, as Vancouver International Airport handled a record 17.5 million passengers last year - up from 16.9 million in 2006.

The airport authority said it invested $289.7 million in capital projects last year - including the airport portion of the Canada Line, the expansion of the international terminal, construction of the Link Building between the international and domestic terminals, and hold baggage screening enhancements.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=02d139fc-0ea9-40d4-b4cb-f4ad9263b224

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Well, I managed to finally talk to a real person at Air Canada today... and that interior is not available on their flights from Vancouver to Tokyo, as it is served by an Airbus A330-300 (which it was when I last flew with them 2+ years ago) that will be upgraded by the end of 2009 and only their Boeing 777's have been retrofitted, meaning Vancouver to Osaka has been updated, along with pretty much any flight out of Toronto, and Vancouver to Toronto . So, looks like I won't give them a second chance to kill me. I am a fan of their new interior, flew in an Airbus A319 from JFK - YYC in March, and it was completely new and nice. No way I'd step foot in their old planes again...

I heard a rumour they were cancelling their YVR - KIX (Osaka) flight. You hear anything about this Yume?

[eduardo88]

Originally Posted by sono65

Actually, I took that exact flight from YVR to Narita in Exectutive First Class. It was amazing, you have your own little hovel there, and the seats go completely 90 degrees. Highly recommended if you can swing it.

well obviously you would expect fold flat seat in first class, but just look at those, they're so narrow and they look absoultely hideous.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by tintinium

I heard a rumour they were cancelling their YVR - KIX (Osaka) flight. You hear anything about this Yume?

Are you serious? That flight is -always- packed. And AC is the only carrier serving that route. If they bailed, I'm sure a carrier like JAL would swoop in.

[muzhav84]

it's true, they are cancelling it in October, aong with their Toronto-Rome route. They announced this when they released financial results last week. There are a couple of reasons. numnber 1 is fuel costs, which is also expected to result in further routes being dropped, or cut back in frequency. The second is the massive delay in receing their Boeing 787s. These planes were supposed to be delievered end 2008-early 2009, but have been pushed back to late 2009, 2010. These planes were supposed to replace 767, and A330, and other wideobodies. since they are delayed, it is really hurting. AIr Canada is planning to collect major damages from Boeing, as are many other airlines around the world.

[excel]

As of September 7, Alaska Airlines are dropping 3x daily service to San Fransisco.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by muzhav84

it's true, they are cancelling it in October, aong with their Toronto-Rome route. They announced this when they released financial results last week. There are a couple of reasons. numnber 1 is fuel costs, which is also expected to result in further routes being dropped, or cut back in frequency. The second is the massive delay in receing their Boeing 787s. These planes were supposed to be delievered end 2008-early 2009, but have been pushed back to late 2009, 2010. These planes were supposed to replace 767, and A330, and other wideobodies. since they are delayed, it is really hurting. AIr Canada is planning to collect major damages from Boeing, as are many other airlines around the world.

Yeah... I think that flight is suspended "until further notice" so the fuel cost makes sense.

They codeshare with ANA. I wonder if ANA would pick it up?

[bbeliko]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

At least you get what you pay for.

From doing an Expedia search for June 1:

Seattle-Buffalo flights start at $365.
Vancouver-Toronto flights start at $710.

Same here, MEX-YVR=$700 average
MEX-SEA=400 average

[SpongeG]

talking about prices - my friend was/is looking for a flight to Edmonton in june - he found it would be $485 Return!! from YVR to YEG and than he looked it up and From Abbotsford a flight is $253!!! return

I wonder if the price difference is the landing fees etc?

he can pretty much get two tickets for the price of one by flying out of Abbotsford