Canadian Airport Thread

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Ugh, tell me about it. People in Kingston use #ygk as our twitter hashtag, even though our airport is almost never used with only a handful of flights to Pearson each day that are bought only by the rich due to their insanely high prices.

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Maybe it has a thing to do with the character restrictions in tweets?

Bingo, for the example of Kingston you are 8 characters versus the 4 using the airport code and hashtag. It has nothing to do with how used your airport is.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Bingo, for the example of Kingston you are 8 characters versus the 4 using the airport code and hashtag. It has nothing to do with how used your airport is.

Ya, but we could have used 'ktown' (common nickname) or something. Much better than an airport that is almost completely irrelevant to our city, that could close down tomorrow and 95% of the population wouldn't even notice.

Ottawa uses #ottcity, that's longer than #ktown.

[SFUVancouver]

Originally Posted by Symz

Just a side tangent here, but where and when did all this YYG, YQG, YY...whatever start? I even hear some people on TV now refer to their city using the same airport acronym. I feel behind the times.

I cannot speak to other cities across the country and their use of their airport's IATA code as a synonym and tangential identity for the city. For Vancouver, our airport's corporate identity and public branding is 'YVR', which is its IATA code. People here will use 'the airport', 'Vancouver International Airport', and 'YVR' interchangeably. I wouldn't say it is common to conversationally call Vancouver as a whole 'YVR', but I could see someone using that as a Twitter hashtag.

YVR website

[Bigtime]

In twitter it's all about the character utilization, I'm actually surprised Ottawa doesn't use #YOW.

[dsim249]

Originally Posted by esquire

I can understand this with cities that have airport codes which are readily discernible like MIA, PHX, BOS, PHL, even LAX. But Canadian ones are obscure... would many people from outside those cities really be able to figure out what the hell YYT, YYJ, YUL or YXE are? C'mon man.

I agree, but for whatever reason, I feel that Saskatoon citizens have really taken a liking to using YXE over Saskatoon. Obviously everywhere on social media, but more and more on local/handmade goods. A popular print studio has capitalized on this.

http://hardpressed.ca

[esquire]

...

[cyeg66]

Meh, you'll have some people who like it, some who don't. Not a biggie. Use what you want to use. YVR, YXE, YYC, YEG seem to get used quite a bit nowadays, not just in aviation speak. I've got the feeling they'll only take on more importance as time goes by.

[VIce]

• Video Link

[cyeg66]

A quick tally of 2014:


Totals 2014

YYZ: 2013: 36,107,306 2014: 38,571,961 (+6.8%)
YVR: 2013: 17,971,883 2014: 19,358,203 (+7.7%)
YYC: 2013: 14,316,074 2014: 15,261,108 (+6.6%)
YUL: 2013: 14,095,182 2014: 14,821,100 (+5.2%)
YEG: 2013: 7,697,995 2014: 8,240,161 (+7.0%)
YOW: 2013: 4,578,591 2014: 4,616,448 (+0.8%)
YWG: 2013: 3,483,898 2014: 3,669,797 (+5.3%)
YHZ: 2013: 3,585,864 2014: 3,663,039 (+2.2%)
YTZ: 2013: 2,300,000* 2014: 2,400,000* (+4.0%)*
YYJ: 2013: 1,556,960 2014: 1,650,165 (+6.0%)
YLW: 2013: 1,503,288 2014: 1,602,899 (+6.6%)
YYT: 2013: 1,500,000* 2014: 1,600,000* (+6.5%)*
YQB 2013: 1,475,717 2014: 1,574,699 (+6.7%)
YXE: 2013: 1,389,900 2014: 1,484,615 (+6.8%)
YMM: 2013: 1,195,437 2014: 1,308,416 (+9.5%)
YQR: 2013: 1,227,234 2014: 1,262,577 (+2.9%)

*estimated
-YMM overtakes YQR.
-YWG overtakes YHZ
-YVR fastest growing of the big boys and YMM fastest of the children.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by dsim249

I agree, but for whatever reason, I feel that Saskatoon citizens have really taken a liking to using YXE over Saskatoon. Obviously everywhere on social media, but more and more on local/handmade goods. A popular print studio has capitalized on this.

I don't mind cities/areas using airport codes to self-identify. In the case of Saskatoon you're moving away from using the word 'Sask' which (generally) has a prairie/rural/un-urban association attached to it outside of the province. The airport code makes a city feel like a bigger, more urban place, as those places generally have very busy airports. In terms of YXE you're making it sound (at least in my mind) like an interesting, urban, cultural place to visit. Saskatoon sounds like, to me, a relatively medium-sized city in what is otherwise a very boring province. But that's just me.

Also, shortened for Twitter purposes of course.

[casper]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I don't mind cities/areas using airport codes to self-identify. In the case of Saskatoon you're moving away from using the word 'Sask' which (generally) has a prairie/rural/un-urban association attached to it outside of the province. The airport code makes a city feel like a bigger, more urban place, as those places generally have very busy airports. In terms of YXE you're making it sound (at least in my mind) like an interesting, urban, cultural place to visit. Saskatoon sounds like, to me, a relatively medium-sized city in what is otherwise a very boring province. But that's just me.

Also, shortened for Twitter purposes of course.

Tourism Board has an interesting video that using the "YXE" terminology and the first part of the video is shop in the new airport.

http://youtu.be/fSYtWt5O1E0

Having lived in four different provinces I actually like Saskatoon and don't see it as being as boring as some of the others.

[CanadianCentaur]

Looks like YEG is on track to hit ten million passengers per year before the end of the decade, maybe even if oil prices stay low.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by cyeg66

A quick tally of 2014:


Totals 2014

YYZ: 2013: 36,107,306 2014: 38,571,961 (+6.8%)
YVR: 2013: 17,971,883 2014: 19,358,203 (+7.7%)
YYC: 2013: 14,316,074 2014: 15,261,108 (+6.6%)
YUL: 2013: 14,095,182 2014: 14,821,100 (+5.2%)
YEG: 2013: 7,697,995 2014: 8,240,161 (+7.0%)
YOW: 2013: 4,578,591 2014: 4,616,448 (+0.8%)
YHZ: 2013: 3,585,864 2014: ?
YWG: 2013: 3,483,898 2014: 3,669,797 (+5.3%)
YTZ: 2013: 2,300,000* 2014: 2,400,000* (+4.0%)*
YYJ: 2013: 1,556,960 2014: 1,650,165 (+6.0%)
YLW: 2013: 1,503,288 2014: 1,602,899 (+6.6%)
YYT: 2013: 1,500,000* 2014: 1,600,000* (+6.5%)*
YQB 2013: 1,475,717 2014: 1,574,699 (+6.7%)
YXE: 2013: 1,389,900 2014: 1,484,615 (+6.8%)
YMM: 2013: 1,195,437 2014: 1,308,416 (+9.5%)
YQR: 2013: 1,227,234 2014: 1,262,577 (+2.9%)

*estimated
-YMM overtakes YQR.
-YVR fastest growing of the big boys and YMM fastest of the children.
-YHZ mgmt will wake up soon enough and realize it's 2015.

YOW really showing the effects of government cutbacks.

[1overcosc]

Hmm. YOW lagging behind... and the Ottawa-Toronto railway service seeing massive double-digit gains.. wonder if they're connected.

[jmt18325]

Halifax Stanfield International Airport served 3,663,039 passengers in 2014, making it the busiest in the airport’s history.

http://hiaa.ca/2015/02/2014-busiest-in-airports-history/

Winnipeg, by a hair, is now Canada's 7th busiest airport by passenger volume.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by jmt18325

Winnipeg, by a hair, is now Canada's 7th busiest airport by passenger volume.

I'm surprised by that given that we have not really had any significant improvements in service beyond a few additional frequencies to Toronto and (wait for it) new Westjet turboprop service to Saskatchewan. I can't even remember the last time we got service to a brand new destination, aside from the annual rotation of sunspots.

I wonder when the last time was that YWG ranked 7th? We've been behind YHZ for as long as I can remember.

[khabibulin]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

YOW really showing the effects of government cutbacks.

Thank God. The amount of government officials flying across the country to do business with themselves was obscene. Taxpayers would still be shocked to see the amount of "wasteful" travel that still goes on in the federal government. And lots of government offices are also equipped with state of the art (like multiple 60" monitors and cameras that track the people in the room who are talking) video conference capability.

[khabibulin]

[QUOTE=esquire;6928302]I'm surprised by that given that we have not really had any significant improvements in service beyond a few additional frequencies to Toronto and (wait for it) new Westjet turboprop service to Saskatchewan. I can't even remember the last time we got service to a brand new destination, aside from the annual rotation of sunspots.

Exactly. I remember the discussion on these boards during the YWG construction. Concensus was that new routes would be introduced as soon as the new terminal opened, with increased capacity. Never did happen.

[Chorduroy]

Can't see YMM ahead of YQR again in 2015 given the massive cutbacks in the oilfield sector this year.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by khabibulin

Thank God. The amount of government officials flying across the country to do business with themselves was obscene. Taxpayers would still be shocked to see the amount of "wasteful" travel that still goes on in the federal government. And lots of government offices are also equipped with state of the art (like multiple 60" monitors and cameras that track the people in the room who are talking) video conference capability.

I can assure you that, at least in my profession, federal govt workplaces are a hell of a lot leaner than private sector ones.

That said, federal travel is ridiculous.. mostly because of the federal government's insistence on keeping large chunks of the bureaucracy stashed in remote offices all over the country instead of just keeping it all in Ottawa like they're supposed to. As a resident of Ottawa, my government paystubs are prepared by people in Miramichi and my taxes are processed by people in St. John's.