Calgary International Airport II

[MMMBeer]

Wow, yeah definitely exciting times!

Re: the bussing for regional gates 1-8, I was actually disappointed that my YYC-YEG flight last week was moved at last minute from gate 5 to gate 11, which has now been set up as a regional gate (walkway to 2 parking spots for Dash-8s).

Was actually looking forward to trying out the bus!

[lineman]

Thanks yyc_engineer. I've been waiting to see some airport construction updates.

[yyc_engineer]

Originally Posted by Cage

RE: First new section of the terminal. Are you sure that arrival pax will be going through this area. To orient oneself this photo is take on the departure level about where the hotel section is above. The temporary wall leads to AC domestic checkin and ticketting area. While there are escalators to the lower level, a second set of escalators for arrival pax is located on the other side of the far left hand wall. I think that Concourse A pax will exit their concourse onto al short hallway leading to this second escalator. Take the escalator down to arrival doors that open into the public accessible bag hall.

I'm actually not too sure how it's going to work, pax and vehicle flow in and around yyc changes on a daily basis it seems..but something new is opening tonight, that I know for sure.

Originally Posted by Cage

RE: Banff Hall extension. This new hallway goes right through the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge. I would love to see the blueprints for where CAA is going to put the domestic MLL.

RE: Blue prints -> top secret, but I can tell you it's gonna be nice.

Originally Posted by Cage

RE international and transborder retail halls. It will be very interesting to see what the US CBP will have to say about this setup. Other airports have tried to do an open air great room concept only to be told there has to be a physical barrier that would prevent pax from tossing items from one level to the next. EWR terminal B installed netting between the two floors at the behest of US CBP. Other terminals have tried the same approach only to make last minute changes to comply with various government requirements.

Another example is YVR international terminal had some very last minute changes otherwise the US CBP would not allow for the relocation of pre-clearance to the new ITB.

My guess is the CAA will have to install a clear glass barrier that is 8-10 feet tall rather than have open air railing.

YYC has been engaging with CBP since the planning phases. TB is the top level and, yes, there is going to be a glass barrier, I can't remember if it's 8 or 10 ft though.

Originally Posted by suburbia

Wow - they are going to push that entire glass wall out, instead of just creating a pathway on the outside of the glass? That looks like it will be a massive expense, or perhaps I've not understood what all will be required.

Well technically we are building a new parallel glass wall and the old one is getting dismantled..we like building "parallel" things as of late

[Bigtime]

Holy crap, had no idea about the pushing of the wall out in the Banff concourse.

Thanks so much for the insiders look and info.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by yyc_engineer

I'm actually not too sure how it's going to work, pax and vehicle flow in and around yyc changes on a daily basis it seems..but something new is opening tonight, that I know for sure.

RE: Blue prints -> top secret, but I can tell you it's gonna be nice.

YYC has been engaging with CBP since the planning phases. TB is the top level and, yes, there is going to be a glass barrier, I can't remember if it's 8 or 10 ft though.

Well technically we are building a new parallel glass wall and the old one is getting dismantled..we like building "parallel" things as of late

Was it designed with that in mind? Will the waiting area still be next to the glass or is it going to be like concourse B where the waiting area is separate from the ramp by the passageway?

[Bigtime]

So what is the thing with the flooring in the first pic?

I'm a wood/engineered/cork/vinyl/laminate flooring guy and can't tell.

[MMMBeer]

YYC stated on Wednesday that both Run and Roam the Runway Events are full after registration was open for just a week.

Awesome response from community, looking forward to this!

[cyeg66]

Originally Posted by Johnny Aussie

On another note... YUL has yet to release any 2014 pax stats.

Released their first quarter results couple days ago.
Not good for them. Traffic up only 0.7% over 2013 from 3,491,621 to 3,516,817. Incidentally, the first quarter was the only remaining quarter where YUL was stronger than YYC. I say was cause we'd passed them by the slimmest of margins in the 2nd and 3rd Q's and blitzed them in the 4th to pass them handily over the course of the year. Now, since we're greedy, we thought we'd also take the 1st quarter...

Interestingly, their aircraft movements have been on the decline for 8 straight quarters. Yikes.

[Johnny Aussie]

Originally Posted by cyeg66

Released their first quarter results couple days ago.
Not good for them. Traffic up only 0.7% over 2013 from 3,491,621 to 3,516,817. Incidentally, the first quarter was the only remaining quarter where YUL was stronger than YYC. I say was cause we'd passed them by the slimmest of margins in the 2nd and 3rd Q's and blitzed them in the 4th to pass them handily over the course of the year. Now, since we're greedy, we thought we'd also take the 1st quarter...

Interestingly, their aircraft movements have been on the decline for 8 straight quarters. Yikes.

Not good at all. I believe their next 2 quarters should be better though. March traffic fell 2.9%. Their press release doesn't mention why this decline but I am guessing there were some pretty serious weather delays.

However, if this trend continues, YVR will become #2 for total international passengers (including transborder). YUL only had 157,000 more than YVR in 2013. YVR's first quarter for international was huge.

Edit: just saw the current weather and weather forecast... Guess YYC will experience some more delays tomorrow... 15cm of snow!? It's May! Ahhhh the memories :-)

[tuffyy]

Originally Posted by cyeg66

Released their first quarter results couple days ago.
Not good for them. Traffic up only 0.7% over 2013 from 3,491,621 to 3,516,817. Incidentally, the first quarter was the only remaining quarter where YUL was stronger than YYC. I say was cause we'd passed them by the slimmest of margins in the 2nd and 3rd Q's and blitzed them in the 4th to pass them handily over the course of the year. Now, since we're greedy, we thought we'd also take the 1st quarter...

Interestingly, their aircraft movements have been on the decline for 8 straight quarters. Yikes.

It's going be a interesting year forsure. The only positive that may switch things up is the increased flying in YUL by Rouge that has started or will be this summer with several new routes being added.

On a side note I have been told the WS YYC-MIA route will not return next winter (due to poor loads). I thought it would have done well, but it wasn't the case.

[YYCspotter]

Originally Posted by tuffyy

It's going be a interesting year forsure. The only positive that may switch things up is the increased flying in YUL by Rouge that has started or will be this summer with several new routes being added.

On a side note I have been told the WS YYC-MIA route will not return next winter (due to poor loads). I thought it would have done well, but it wasn't the case.

Interesting that they had poor loads. There is a fair amount of O&D between YYC and MIA (81 PDEW) but the flight wasn't timed very well for these passengers. The flight was better for people connecting onto AA south american offerings. Sad to see it go, maybe Rouge can have a shot at the route.

[outoftheice]

Originally Posted by yyc_engineer

Here's a couple recent shots of developments at YYC. The first "new" section of the airport, the ATB Infill, also called "Concourse A Backfill" opens overnight tonight. All pax arriving on Air Canada into concourse A will now go through this new area to get to baggage claim. Although there is not going to a lot of fanfare, this is a pretty significant event i.m.o. It's the first "new" section of the airport to open since D widening and is a good preview of what the IFP is gonna be like in terms of finish & materials. Interesting thing to note is the choice of floor in this area...anyone with a keen eye will know what I'm taking about.

Here's a pic, I'll try to post some more tomorrow.


ATB Infill - Opens overnight tonight.

I was surprised to find this area open when I was at the airport on Friday night. Does this mean that they plan on opening the new parts of the terminal in phases with the final phase being the opening of the gates in 2015? I could see the hotel portion being accessible in the near future as well.

I wasn't able to take a look at the airside portion of this new opened area however my initial impression is that they have made a great attempt at having as much natural light in the new terminal area as possible. The one thing I was disappointed with was the grey flooring. What is it with airports and grey? Both T1 in YYZ and the renovated terminal areas in YUL make extensive use of grey. It looks like YYC is now following that trend. I find it rather depressing and would have preferred something with a bit more warmth to it.

[suburbia]

The natural light in the new buildings looks great, but I hope they didn't skimp out on the low end R2 glass that has been used on most of the downtown condos constructed over the last decade!

[casper]

Originally Posted by YYCspotter

Interesting that they had poor loads. There is a fair amount of O&D between YYC and MIA (81 PDEW) but the flight wasn't timed very well for these passengers. The flight was better for people connecting onto AA south american offerings. Sad to see it go, maybe Rouge can have a shot at the route.

I would have thought the cruise lines would have pre-purchased a fair number of seats. Low yielding, but it does help fill the aircraft.

[s211]

Originally Posted by outoftheice

What is it with airports and grey? Both T1 in YYZ and the renovated terminal areas in YUL make extensive use of grey. It looks like YYC is now following that trend. I find it rather depressing and would have preferred something with a bit more warmth to it.

Unfortunately, I don't think that airports have an exclusive on grey these days. Office interior fit-ups these days, including washrooms, seem to have a lot of grey in them also.

[yyc_engineer]

Originally Posted by outoftheice

I was surprised to find this area open when I was at the airport on Friday night. Does this mean that they plan on opening the new parts of the terminal in phases with the final phase being the opening of the gates in 2015? I could see the hotel portion being accessible in the near future as well.

I wasn't able to take a look at the airside portion of this new opened area however my initial impression is that they have made a great attempt at having as much natural light in the new terminal area as possible. The one thing I was disappointed with was the grey flooring. What is it with airports and grey? Both T1 in YYZ and the renovated terminal areas in YUL make extensive use of grey. It looks like YYC is now following that trend. I find it rather depressing and would have preferred something with a bit more warmth to it.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about the hotel opening up prior to the rest of the IFP. My guess is they'd push to open it as soon as the fit-out is complete to begin the $$ flow. As for the rest of the terminal, I think the plan is to open it all at once, no phasing..I don't think CBP or CBSA would be interested in running two operations at once.

w.r.t. the Grey flooring, simple fact is that it shows the least dirt. Function above form. There is going to be some more colourful & interesting flooring post security and in the arrivals corridors so I wouldn't be too disappointed by what you see in the new A infill section..

Originally Posted by Full Mountain

Was it designed with that in mind? Will the waiting area still be next to the glass or is it going to be like concourse B where the waiting area is separate from the ramp by the passageway?

Banff hall is staying as it is with the glass wall, it's just the connecting corridor that's getting pushed out. Won't feel too different when you're groundside.

Originally Posted by Bigtime

So what is the thing with the flooring in the first pic?

I'm a wood/engineered/cork/vinyl/laminate flooring guy and can't tell.

What's cool is that we used the ATB (old terminal) flooring tile in the middle and the new Granite on either side, kinda blends the old with the new and provides a transition between the two buildings, nothing major, just thought it was neat.

Originally Posted by suburbia

The natural light in the new buildings looks great, but I hope they didn't skimp out on the low end R2 glass that has been used on most of the downtown condos constructed over the last decade!

Difference in natural light between this newly opened section and the old terminal is amazing. The check-in hall curtain will face North so it's going to have great, non direct light.

Originally Posted by tuffyy

It's going be a interesting year forsure. The only positive that may switch things up is the increased flying in YUL by Rouge that has started or will be this summer with several new routes being added.

On a side note I have been told the WS YYC-MIA route will not return next winter (due to poor loads). I thought it would have done well, but it wasn't the case.

Too bad about WS to MIA..I was hoping to try that flight sometime. I was talking to some folks at Delta and they share my sentiment that we need a daily, year-round ATL flight. Maybe Westjet could give this a try, a la JFK. Anyone know what the PDEW YYC-ATL is?

[Cage]

Westjet gets a new 738 this afternoon and it will have split scimitar winglets.

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/11223...dc72927640fa569801334d/aircrafttype/B738

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Cage

Westjet gets a new 738 this afternoon and it will have split scimitar winglets.

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/11223...dc72927640fa569801334d/aircrafttype/B738

Already came in this morning from Kelowna, I watched it land 35L. The scimitars look real good. It operated down to PHX next.

[yyc_engineer]

After many moons of being suspended near Space Port, the shuttle is on its way out this week It's currently sitting in the food court and slowly making its way out the building.

On a positive note the "Destinations Food Court" Neon signage and roman columns were removed to make room, not sure if this is temporary or permanent but the space looks less retro '80's without them

[lineman]

Whaaaa? Where is it going?