YVR Airport & Sea Island Developments Discussion

[POCO]

Originally Posted by vanlaw

Re: MEL - There's some first half December fares for under $1400 CAD. Not bad.

Re: MCO - the AC flights are daytime flights, leave YVR in the morning. This is far more attractive (depending on perspective and preference I guess) than the WJ red-eye to MCO.

I agree on MCO. I was looking into taking the family there this winter but I had no interest in taking a toddler to the airport when they should be sleeping. If this stays around next year I'd happily take it.

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by zahav

March stats posted. Growth picked up pretty significantly from February's breather figures... Domestic up 3.5%, Transborder up 8.7%, Asia Pac up 16.3%, Misc up 25.9%. Europe down again, but by far less than previous months, down 2.5%

These high growth figures are amazing, for years YVR wasn't posting anywhere close to these numbers (Misc and Asia Pacific especially, but even transborder with 8.7% is really high actually, for years the Bellingham factor and other things made transborder the weakest part of the airport). But not anymore. And this growth was without any real new routes starting that month. Once all the new summer routes come online grwoth should continue well

Forgot the important ones. Overall 7.4% increase in March. YTD 7.0% increase. Impressive indeed.

March numbers

YYZ - still waiting

YVR +7.4%, YTD +7.0%

YUL +8.1%, YTD +6.0%.

YYC +1.2%, YTD +1.07%

YEG +3.3%, YTD +0.1%

YOW +0.6%, YTD -0.5%

[Klazu]

Is Europe being down a continent-wide phenomenon? There have been articles of for example France experiencing huge losses in numbers of tourists due to ongoing civil unrest and constant attacks. I would imagine the same trend for many other Western European countries as well (I wouldn't go there right now myself), but is that the reason here or is there some YVR specific reason for the flat numbers?

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Canadian74

YVR-MEL will be the longest AC flight, correct? It seems longer than YYZ-HKG or YYZ-BOM

YVR-MEL is 13,183 km. 16 hr 00 min long. Longest flight for AC by distance and block time. Will be the 11th longest flight in the world once it starts.

By comparison

DEL-YYZ is 14 h 20 min
BOM-YYZ is 15 hr 10 min
HKG-YYZ is 15 hr 35 min (current longest, #29 in the world)

[Canadian74]

Originally Posted by thenoflyzone

YVR-MEL is 13,183 km. 16 hr 00 min long. Longest flight for AC by distance and block time. Will be the 11th longest flight in the world once it starts.

By comparison

DEL-YYZ is 14 h 20 min
BOM-YYZ is 15 hr 10 min
HKG-YYZ is 15 hr 35 min (current longest, #29 in the world)

Yikes, wonder how pleasant (or unpleasant) it will be with 30" pitch on AC 789s

[mezzanine]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Is Europe being down a continent-wide phenomenon? There have been articles of for example France experiencing huge losses in numbers of tourists due to ongoing civil unrest and constant attacks. I would imagine the same trend for many other Western European countries as well (I wouldn't go there right now myself), but is that the reason here or is there some YVR specific reason for the flat numbers?

I suspect a major factor is the AC YVR-DEL direct flight that took a lot of European transfer traffic from LH/BA. It ended in early april so maybe we will see a bump.

I also think chinese airlines are also taking a larger share of indo-canadian VFR that used to go thru Europe.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

I suspect a major factor is the AC YVR-DEL direct flight that took a lot of European transfer traffic from LH/BA. It ended in early april so maybe we will see a bump.

I also think chinese airlines are also taking a larger share of indo-canadian VFR that used to go thru Europe.

In their Q1-2017 financials, AC categorizes all The DEL traffic as TransAtlantic.

Does YVR use their own categorization criteria?

[casper]

Originally Posted by Cage

In their Q1-2017 financials, AC categorizes all The DEL traffic as TransAtlantic.

Does YVR use their own categorization criteria?

Hope they do. Last thing they should do is have the same route in different categories because the operator is different.

[SpongeG]

I wonder if they patrol the customer parking lot for cars who park too long? can't employees just park in there?

Designer mall employee fuming over staff parking fees

McArthurGlen mall employee says minimum wage retail workers shouldn't have to pay for parking

Starting May 1, however, the airport authority will enforce parking fees — $4 for each four hours or portion of an hour — on the lot staff had been using.

The airport also reminded mall employees they must buy a parking pass for a YVR-owned employee lot at $69.88 per month if they want to drive to work.

Hum says the parking policy is a significant burden.

"Retail doesn't pay a lot. It's usually minimum or near minimum. I work part-time. $70 is a lot of money. It buys a lot of groceries in my household."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-co...fuming-over-staff-parking-fees-1.4093166

[Cage]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

(1) I wonder if they patrol the customer parking lot for cars who park too long? (2) can't employees just park in there?

(1) it appears that YVR is indeed patrolling the lots. They have a good understanding of the overnight parking situation.

(2) it is easy to spot the employee cars as they either start earlier than opening or stay later than closing time. Finally, the same car is in a similar spot 3-5 times per week.

Does McArthurglen have free parking for the first 3-4 hours? That is another way that employee parking is regulated, make the free period less than the minimum shift.

[SpongeG]

i've used transit more than i've driven there. And when I have driven 1/2 of the parking seems to be empty. I've never stayed very long, usually a quick in and out so i never really noticed if there are limits.

[osirisboy]

That's just like every other mall. Example Metrotown you can only park for 2 hours, Oakridge is 2-3 hours I think also. I guess they can run out on break and lunch and move their vehicle to a new spot lol

[casper]

Originally Posted by Cage

(1) it appears that YVR is indeed patrolling the lots. They have a good understanding of the overnight parking situation.

(2) it is easy to spot the employee cars as they either start earlier than opening or stay later than closing time. Finally, the same car is in a similar spot 3-5 times per week.

Does McArthurglen have free parking for the first 3-4 hours? That is another way that employee parking is regulated, make the free period less than the minimum shift.

What they need to do is get rid of the regressive transit charge for using sky train leaving sea island. Just move Sea Island into Zone 3 and be remove the special charge.

[flipper316]

Originally Posted by casper

What they need to do is get rid of the regressive transit charge for using sky train leaving sea island. Just move Sea Island into Zone 3 and be remove the special charge.

Why? There's ways around it. If you have a compass card with a monthly pass or Upass or Translink employee pass you don't pay the 5$ addfare. If you have a compass card with stored value and you need to get to Sea Island for a few hours or half a day or a day you can buy your return single use ticket out a compass vending machine at station outside of sea island. Use you compass card with stored value on the way to sea island and once you're done with you business on sea island for the day use that return single use ticket you bought earlier in the day to leave sea island.

[Johnny Aussie]

Just saw this tweet from airlineroute.net

"Icelandair intends to convert Vancouver service to year-round operation from winter 2017/18 season."

Looks like twice weekly - flights departing Fridays and Sundays. Inbound flights operate Thursdays and Saturdays.

[casper]

Originally Posted by flipper316

Why? There's ways around it. If you have a compass card with a monthly pass or Upass or Translink employee pass you don't pay the 5$ addfare. If you have a compass card with stored value and you need to get to Sea Island for a few hours or half a day or a day you can buy your return single use ticket out a compass vending machine at station outside of sea island. Use you compass card with stored value on the way to sea island and once you're done with you business on sea island for the day use that return single use ticket you bought earlier in the day to leave sea island.

That is exactly the reason to get rid of it. That is way to complicated, So basically if you know how to use the compass card in just the right way you avoid paying it, but if you don't you get dinged.

It is regressive, and it amounts to a marketing tool to discourage the use of transit to the shopping centre or airport.

[SpongeG]

one question, if i had a preloaded compass card would i still get dinged the surcharge at the airport? I currently just buy a 1 use single ticket when i need to get home, wondering if its worth getting a compass card.

[Orcair]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

one question, if i had a preloaded compass card would i still get dinged the surcharge at the airport? I currently just buy a 1 use single ticket when i need to get home, wondering if its worth getting a compass card.

Yea, $5 Add-Fare would apply if you used stored value. It isn't charged if you have an already activated day-pass or month pass, iirc.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Orcair

Yea, $5 Add-Fare would apply if you used stored value. It isn't charged if you have an already activated day-pass or month pass, iirc.

So does that mean if you have multiple people traveling. The solution is to send one person a head with all the compass cards to Bridgeport. Have him check in each of the other members of the group, so it is registered in zone 2, Then return back to YVR so everyone else can then enter for a Zone 1 fare.

Nah, just change the same it is simpler.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by flipper316

Why? There's ways around it. If you have a compass card with a monthly pass or Upass or Translink employee pass you don't pay the 5$ addfare. If you have a compass card with stored value and you need to get to Sea Island for a few hours or half a day or a day you can buy your return single use ticket out a compass vending machine at station outside of sea island. Use you compass card with stored value on the way to sea island and once you're done with you business on sea island for the day use that return single use ticket you bought earlier in the day to leave sea island.

:O Thanks for the tip. I had never thought of that.

I regularly park at the mall and take the train in when I don't know exactly when a flight is coming in, then I'll go over to the mall for a bit afterwards to keep it a legit visit.