YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[phesto]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

well idealy we could all fly BA, but when I was a student backpacking around europe Ryan Air was a godsend. Its great for what it is, a low cost people mover. Comparing it to a national airline like BA or Lufthansa is like comparing a Rolls Royce to a bus.

I loved Ryan Air when I was in the U.K. in 2005. That summer I took a handfuld of one-way flights that were all under 10 pounds.

That said, I can't imagine them coming to Vancouver given their current strategy, and even as a budget-conscious student a few years ago I would cringe at the thought of a Ryan Air long-haul flight.

[fever]

Ryanair's awesome. On two of my flights with them I was able to take a whole row of seats and lie down. First class for $25!

I don't see anything like that being possible here. They'd fly out of Abbotsford anyway (and call it Vancouver).

[jlousa]

A collegue sent me the following picture, I won't insert it as it's huge, but it's worth looking at, it's apparently YVRs 20yr plan for the northlands, but I'm not sure the date of it as there's no mention of a relocated Canada Post 600,000sqft main office.
Anyone have any insight on it?

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p155/jlousa/NorthlandPhases34.jpg

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by jlousa

A collegue sent me the following picture, I won't insert it as it's huge, but it's worth looking at, it's apparently YVRs 20yr plan for the northlands

Hey... what's up with the designated area identified as BOMB DISPOSAL AREA, not too far from the cargo holding area by Baggage Road??

It's not as if that's a major problem (or anticipated) at YVR... or???

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by Stingray2004

Hey... what's up with the designated area identified as BOMB DISPOSAL AREA, not too far from the cargo holding area by Baggage Road??

It's not as if that's a major problem (or anticipated) at YVR... or???

Good eye! A little odd / funny they'd have an area just for that.

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by phesto

I loved Ryan Air when I was in the U.K. in 2005. That summer I took a handfuld of one-way flights that were all under 10 pounds.

That said, I can't imagine them coming to Vancouver given their current strategy, and even as a budget-conscious student a few years ago I would cringe at the thought of a Ryan Air long-haul flight.

Yup Ryan airs awesomely cheap and useful, last time I used it i flew from London to Linz and then Brno back to London for just under $50 total, mind you my luggage was overweight by 2kg and i had to pay almost a $100 for it, beleive me i tried getting rid of what i could in the time i had but those last 2kg just werent going.

Oh yeah on the way back I got really drunk in Brno at the airport(had to get rid of my cash) and then cracked a beer on the flight and the flight attendant actually tried fighting me over it. The guy was screaming and trying to grab the can as i was trying to chug the rest down, once i finished i gave it to him he bitched, swore and whined and then finally left once he realized i wasnt paying attention to him. It was a funny experience but showed me that the attendants are dicks, oh and yes they do sell beer on the flights for their insanely inflated prices, not to mention that they had a bar where they sold the caned beer that i bought and it was literarly less than 5m from the entrance in to the bridge to the plane.

I mean the pathetic thing was that I was probably still above Czech airspace when he did that and in Czech republic you are allowed to drink beer anywhere by law, no one has the right to stop you because its a fundamental human right so the guy had no right to do that, as long as Czech laws still applied.
end/rant

[raggedy13]

^I loved exercising this freedom on my trip to Prague. It's nice being able to drink a beer while sitting on a bench in the sun in the middle of a bustling pedestrian plaza. Especially when it is Czech beer.

[Hourglass]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

No not at all... why would you not want ryan air in Canada??

I have taken over a dozen flights with Ryan air and had only positive experiances.

I had a horrible experience with them a couple of years ago and swore I'd never take them again. Then again, LCCs in general don't really do anything for me whether it be Ryanair, Norwegian or Air Asia. I fly very frequently, and I value things like lounge privileges, frequent flyer miles and decent IFE too much.

[trofirhen]

A lot of people are quibbling over the deficiencies and / or merits of Ryanair - and other low-cost airlines. Given the fact that Canada and the EU-27 have concluded a sweeping "open skies" type of deal, due to go into effect in the fist half of next year - (that's less than six months away, to put it in perspective) ... would it not be more productive to think up some much-needed air routes out of Vancouver to Europe, regardless of who operates them? (I say "regardless ..." because this is an open field right now, and nobody can make predictions who will pick up which route). For starters, how about the long awaited Paris -Vancouver route? Who could, and who would operate that one on a year-round basis, the way Air France operates it out of Seattle? What other major European markets are waiting for Vancouver? Consider the demographics. Rome, perhaps. Or perhaps Dusseldorf (given the large German community here) As an example, Scandinavian Airlines operates out of only four American cities: New York, Washington; Chicago, and .... yes... Seattle (due to the large Scandinavian community there). Not forgetting Asia, but thinking of Europe for the moment, where would you, the readers of this page, like to see non-stop European destinations to, from Vancouver. My first choice is Paris Charles de Gaulle, as Paris represents a huge market, and CDG is the most "connected" airport in Europe. What about Rome? Do we have a large enough Italian community to sustain that? Zurich? Very central. Do we have enough Scandinavians to support a year-round service to Copehagen Kastrup (the main airport for Scandinavia)? Perhaps not. If so, what about Madrid? Lisbon? Ladies and gentlemen, rather than recalling anecdotes about beer and bad flights, and given the fact that European low-cost carriers will probably have only a modest presence here, please think of this, and then post it: 1. WHICH DESTINATIONS IN EUROPE ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR VANCOUVER? 2. WHICH AIRLINES WOULD YOU SEE SERVING THEM? 3. WHICH CITIES COULD SUSTAIN YEAR-ROUND SERVICE? The time has come! The limitations and chains are loosening up, ready to be dropped! We are poised to become a major destination for Europe. Therefore, could, or can, anyone offer anything positive and concrete to ths page in the way of suggstions for routes and services, instead of squabbling over beer and peanuts? Please, people, rise to the occasion. The Golden Age of YVR may be just about to dawn. OK??? THINK !!!

[phesto]

^Dude, what's up with all the emoticons? You actually make some good points, but it's often hard to decipher them between the dancing bananas.

For carriers to consider YVR-Europe for regular service (ie. non-charter), it is a two-way street - there aren't a ton of Europeans demanding non-stop service to YVR, and those that do are well-served connecting out of London and Frankfurt. Paris? maybe, but anywhere else doesn't really make economic sense, and I don't see people really complaining about stopping over in London or YYZ on their way to European cities.

[Yume-sama]

It'd be nice to get a Vancouver - Paris flight with an airline that isn't Air Canada.

Their business / first class is still horribly uncomfortable compared to non-budget airlines (who still charge full price). And I know first hand how uncomfortable their economy class is, too. I suppose the only nice thing about them is they have USB plugs for cellphones / iPods, and AC Plugins for Laptops in their new interior. But I'd rather not need a massage after a 3 hour flight, let alone a 7 - 8 hour one

[twoNeurons]

abbotsford to Zurich may be popular.

[phesto]

^Ha! I can see the marketing brochures in Switzerland:

"...Only a 3-hour drive to Whistler..."

[eduardo88]

Originally Posted by phesto

I loved Ryan Air when I was in the U.K. in 2005. That summer I took a handfuld of one-way flights that were all under 10 pounds.

That said, I can't imagine them coming to Vancouver given their current strategy, and even as a budget-conscious student a few years ago I would cringe at the thought of a Ryan Air long-haul flight.

Those flights barely exist anymore, I wanted to go to Berlin from London a few weekends ago, and booking 2 weeks in advance the prices were over 200 pounds round trip with both ryanair and easyjet, yet only 145 pounds with BA, over the past 6 months the low cost airlines have really hiked their fares

[cc85]

i saw that plan for YVR a while ago, must have been early 2008, very outdated plan imo.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by phesto

^Dude, what's up with all the emoticons? You actually make some good points, but it's often hard to decipher them between the dancing bananas.

For carriers to consider YVR-Europe for regular service (ie. non-charter), it is a two-way street - there aren't a ton of Europeans demanding non-stop service to YVR, and those that do are well-served connecting out of London and Frankfurt. Paris? maybe, but anywhere else doesn't really make economic sense, and I don't see people really complaining about stopping over in London or YYZ on their way to European cities.

// You're right about the excess of "dancing bananas an so forth, and you're right about not needing large numbers of Euro-destinations that are, in fact, too numerous, as you say. However , there are one or two MAJOR European markets unserved from Vancouver, that should, in my opinion be served. * The first is PARIS CDG - a very large potential market (and the major city on the Continent), another might be Rome, given the travel needs of the Italian commuity here, and a third could easily be Zurich, as a connector for Eastern European destinations. Thank you for your feedback.

[trofirhen]

Given that Canada and the EU have recently concluded a sweeping Open Skies deal, which will allow unrestricted flights from anywhere in Canada (including Vancouver) to any city in Europe, regardless of the carrier which decides to pick up the given route, I'd like to ask people: WHICH EUROPEAN CITIES COULD, OR SHOUD BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF NONSTOPS OUT OF VANCOUVER? My first and foremost choice is Paris CDG. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Right now we have three: London Heathrow (which is a zoo), Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. What about Rome,
or perhaps Lisbon and Madrid on a combined route? What do people think, and what does the market warrant?

[Spikester]

I'm selfishly hoping for YVR-MAD because I go there regularly. Most of my trips I get a fairly easy and reliable single connection at AMS, but sometimes I get stuck with really bad routes through the US. The only thing worse than dealing with TSA to get in and out of the States is doing it just to connect and pass through.

[Yume-sama]

I wonder how hard it will be to get landing slots at some of the major airports such as CDG.

I think we'd have to see one flight changed (perhaps one of the Toronto - Paris flights) for there to even be an opening for Vancouver - Paris.

Airlines certainly couldn't just decide to start flying there right away. There's no way Vancouver would be given a "good" time slot right off the bat.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

I wonder how hard it will be to get landing slots at some of the major airports such as CDG.

I think we'd have to see one flight changed (perhaps one of the Toronto - Paris flights) for there to even be an opening for Vancouver - Paris.

Airlines certainly couldn't just decide to start flying there right away. There's no way Vancouver would be given a "good" time slot right off the bat.

^^Yes, what you say is very true. However, TRANSAT flies Vancouver-Paris CDG four times a week May to September, so perhaps there's an indication that there might be a landing slot available - or soon to become available - on a year-round basis. I hope so, because Paris is the one "hole" in the European destination map unserved from YVR. If you don't believe me, ask Larry Berg, YVR CEO, or anyone in the marketing department there. Also, this new "Open Skies" deal may take into account adding an extra landing slot here and there, not only at Paris CDG, but in other cities as well. Here's hoping. Our Asian coverage is fine, but we're still a little lacking in European coverage, although as "Phesto" stated quite accurately, there will not be a huge demand to get from Europe to Vancouver, at least not right away, although this may change, as we're the Canadian "junction" between Europe and Asia.