Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW/CYOW) 1.0

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by JCL

It's airborne now, as of 12:45pm: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N412MC/history/20181111/1345Z/KCVG/CYOW

I just saw it on the ground about 90 minutes ago and I think I just saw it depart off of 32...was getting gas at the Esso and something big and loud departed and it seemed to be bigger than a 763.

[c_speed3108]

From the Ottawa Citizen. Major Airport Reno/Revamp coming:

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...n-about-to-take-flight-at-ottawa-airport

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

From the Ottawa Citizen. Major Airport Reno/Revamp coming:

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...n-about-to-take-flight-at-ottawa-airport

I can't picture where the hotel is going. South of the parking garage, attached to the airport?

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I can't picture where the hotel is going. South of the parking garage, attached to the airport?

To the south of the parking garage is correct (its more or less south). Probably with a covered walkway connecting it to the terminal.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

From the Ottawa Citizen. Major Airport Reno/Revamp coming:

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...n-about-to-take-flight-at-ottawa-airport

Major renovation about to take flight at Ottawa airport

Mohammed Adam, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: November 12, 2018

Big changes are coming to the Ottawa international airport, with a $25-million renovation inside the terminal that will see a new and expanded food court and retail space, and the relocation of passenger screening to the third floor of the building.

It’s all part of a major, five-year airport transformation that includes a new hotel and a $20-million LRT station. The overall project cost is estimated at $45 million over the next five years.

The work, to be done in phases, will begin next spring with the construction of the enlarged food/retail court and screening facility, which will take 18 months to two years to complete. Airport president and CEO Mark Laroche says successful bids for the new concessions will be revealed next month, followed by contract awards in the spring. Work is to start right after.

The airport also has identified a hotel operator and negotiations are expected to be completed in time for that announcement early in the new year.

Currently, passengers check in luggage with their respective airlines on the third floor, then take an escalator or stairs to the screening area one floor below. Under the new plan, all the restaurants and eateries now on the third floor would be removed to make room for the new security screening facility. The idea is to locate both baggage check-in and security screening on the same floor to improve both security and passenger comfort.

The new food/retail court would be located on a reconfigured second floor, beyond the screening facility (though some food outlets will still be available to non-travellers). Once passengers check in and go through screening, they would go one floor down to sample the expanded food court’s different menus.

“Everywhere you see a restaurant or retail in the airport, it is going to change,” says Laroche. With passenger volumes rising – up four per cent to five million flyers this year – Laroche says the airport has to keep up with the growth. Besides, the airport is rated as the top airport for customer service in its class in North America (airports handling between two million and five million passengers a year), and Laroche wants to keep it that way with more improvements. “We value customer experience. Customer experience is in the culture of this airport,” he says.

Completion of the first phase would be followed by the construction of the hotel on the south side of the parking garage attached to the airport. The hotel will be built over the next five years.

Design work on the elevated LRT station at the northern end of the terminal is now underway, and construction is to begin once the city signs the Phase 2 LRT contract, which includes the airport spur. The station is expected to open by 2023.

The Ottawa Airport will be a beehive of construction inside and outside the terminal over the next five years. Laroche says the airport fully understands that once construction starts, disruptions are inevitable. But in an airport where time is of the utmost importance to flyers and airlines alike, a remedial plan is being prepared. For instance, to minimize disruption, security screening won’t be moved from its current location until its new home on the third floor is completed. Still, passengers will no doubt be affected.

“We are building up new areas inside and outside and there’s going to be a lot of disruption. We are going to have to close things and so we are preparing a campaign to keep our customers informed of what’s coming down over the next five years,” he says. “We want to keep everybody happy to make sure they are having the best possible experience within the context of the construction.”

The airport and its ancillary services employ about 5,000 people, contributing more than $2 billion a year to the Ottawa economy. Laroche says the pain of disruption will be worth it once the work is done. “It is going to be an enhanced airport,” he says.

Mohammed Adam is an Ottawa writer.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...n-about-to-take-flight-at-ottawa-airport

[J.OT13]

Ottawa airport planning hotel, $25M renovations to meet travel demand

David Sali
OBJ
Nov 13, 2018 5:03pm EST


Rendering of the proposed renovation to the Ottawa international airport terminal.

A major redevelopment project that will see $25 million in renovations to the Ottawa international airport terminal and a new hotel next door is yet another sign that the capital’s tourism sector keeps gaining momentum from 2017, industry officials say.

Under the plan, the airport will expand its food court and retail services and move passenger security screening from the second to the third floor. A new hotel with between 150 and 200 rooms will also be built south of the parking garage that is attached to the airport.

Construction on the airport renovations is expected to start next spring after the winning bidder of the concession contract is announced, airport spokeswoman Krista Kealey told OBJ on Tuesday. She said the airport authority is currently in the “final stages” of negotiations with a hotel operator, and construction on that project is also scheduled to begin in 2019 and take up to two years.

In addition, a $20-million light-rail station at the airport is slated to be finished by 2023 as part of phase two of the LRT.

Kealey said the 15-year-old terminal was designed to handle a volume of five million passengers a year, a mark it nearly reached in 2017, and the facility needs to be redesigned to accommodate an ever-increasing flow of travellers.

“It’s a growing city,” she said. “We need to keep up with the (passenger) demand. We’re meeting that expanded need.”

The airport renovation will occur in stages, beginning with the construction of a new third-floor space for passenger screening. The entire project is expected to take up to three years to complete, and Kealey said the airport will do everything it can to minimize disruption to passengers.

“It’ll all be staged very, very carefully,” she said.


Rendering of the proposed concessions space to the Ottawa international airport terminal.

Currently, passengers check in their luggage on the third floor of the terminal, then go down an escalator to the screening area a floor below. Under the new system, security screening will take place in the area now occupied by the food court, with an expanded space for restaurants and bars being relocated to the second floor.

Kealey said the new format will provide more room for new security technology and make passenger screening more efficient and comfortable for travellers.

“Things can get very crowded,” she said of the current configuration. “There are a lot of issues around wait times for pre-board screening.”

She also said the revamped foot court will provide new eating and drinking options for passengers, noting many of the current offerings haven’t changed since the terminal first opened in 2003.

“They’ve served us well, but it’s time to make a change,” Kealey said.

Tourism momentum

Ottawa Tourism CEO Michael Crockatt praised the new plans, saying they’re yet another sign that the National Capital Region is coming into its own as a travel hotspot.

“(The airport) is the first impression (visitors) have of our community and often the last impression they have of our community, so it’s important that that brand of Ottawa, that experience that we want people to have is extended right through the airport experience as well,” Crockatt said from Windsor airport, where he was set to board a flight back to the capital.

“It’s a sign of that momentum and that evolution, not only of the airport, but of Ottawa as a city and Ottawa as a destination. It’s an exciting time.”

Kealey agreed.

“The hangover from (Canada) 150 didn’t happen,” she said. “Tourism is still seeing the numbers and we are as well. That’s really great news for our region.”

https://obj.ca/article/ottawa-airport-planning-hotel-25m-renovations-meet-travel-demand

[Dominion301]

World's first research centre to improve Canadians' air travel experience

Located within the NRC's facilities at YOW.

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/wo...ans-air-travel-experience-700515491.html

[mxg308]

Sector / Oct-17 / Oct-18 / % Change
Dom: 344,840 / 358,995 / +4.1% -
TB: 51,447 / 59,551 / +15.8%
Int'l: 18,025 / 20,094 / +11.5% -
TTL: 414,312 / 438,640 / +5.9% -

Sector YTD 2017 / YTD 2018 / % Change
Dom: 3,182,220 / 3,371,871 / +6.0%
TB: 532,011 / 599,761 / +12.7%
Int'l: 323,966 / 323,130 / -0.3%
TTL: 4,038,197 / 4,294,762 / +6.4%

12 Months Rolling % Change vs Year End 2017
Dom: 3,947,400 / +3.5% -
TB: 711,783 / +9.9% -
Int'l: 377,774 / -0.2% -
TTL: 5,036,957 / +4.1% - Another really strong month

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Is it just me, or would the proposed apron expansion potentially hamper a future terminal expansion to account for growth?

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by mxg308

Sector / Oct-17 / Oct-18 / % Change
Dom: 344,840 / 358,995 / +4.1% -
TB: 51,447 / 59,551 / +15.8%
Int'l: 18,025 / 20,094 / +11.5% -
TTL: 414,312 / 438,640 / +5.9% -

Sector YTD 2017 / YTD 2018 / % Change
Dom: 3,182,220 / 3,371,871 / +6.0%
TB: 532,011 / 599,761 / +12.7%
Int'l: 323,966 / 323,130 / -0.3%
TTL: 4,038,197 / 4,294,762 / +6.4%

12 Months Rolling % Change vs Year End 2017
Dom: 4,003,323 / +5.0% -
TB: 715,324 / +10.5% -
Int'l: 377,595 / -0.2% -
TTL: 5,096,242 / +5.3% - Another really strong month

Another good month indeed. Will be interesting to see what November yields with WS’ Florida cutbacks and seasonal elimination of YEG (again) and how AC is all E90 save for the 763 to YYZ...but AC have upgauged YYC, YVR, YFC and YQB this winter.

[RomanR27]

Originally Posted by mxg308

Sector / Oct-17 / Oct-18 / % Change
Dom: 344,840 / 358,995 / +4.1% -
TB: 51,447 / 59,551 / +15.8%
Int'l: 18,025 / 20,094 / +11.5% -
TTL: 414,312 / 438,640 / +5.9% -

Sector YTD 2017 / YTD 2018 / % Change
Dom: 3,182,220 / 3,371,871 / +6.0%
TB: 532,011 / 599,761 / +12.7%
Int'l: 323,966 / 323,130 / -0.3%
TTL: 4,038,197 / 4,294,762 / +6.4%

12 Months Rolling % Change vs Year End 2017
Dom: 4,003,323 / +5.0% -
TB: 715,324 / +10.5% -
Int'l: 377,595 / -0.2% -
TTL: 5,096,242 / +5.3% - Another really strong month

This is going to be a rare year where the Airport Authority underestimated the growth in their annual report. In fact, they're on pace to be ahead of their projection for 2019 (5,064,500), and they'll probably end up closer to their 2020 projection (5,173,350) than their 2019 one this year.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

MountainView, where did you find that image? Is there a .pdf somewhere?

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by MountainView

To the south of the parking garage is correct (its more or less south). Probably with a covered walkway connecting it to the terminal.

Some kind of enclosed elevated walkway would be nice.

[Dominion301]

Originally Posted by RomanR27

This is going to be a rare year where the Airport Authority underestimated the growth in their annual report. In fact, they're on pace to be ahead of their projection for 2019 (5,064,500), and they'll probably end up closer to their 2020 projection (5,173,350) than their 2019 one this year.

Hmmm I think the 12 months rolling domestic and grand totals are too high as through September they were about 3,933,000 and 5,012,000 respectively.

Maybe I’m missing something but I think they’re actually about 3,950,000 and 5,030,000-ish respectively.

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

MountainView, where did you find that image? Is there a .pdf somewhere?

Sorry, I normally post the source but I had that image saved from something else I was using it for.

Airport Master Plan which was recently updated in 2018:
Whose information can be found here

Direct link to the PDF Executive Summary

Let me know if you have other questions - I might be able to answer them.

Cheers!

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

Is it just me, or would the proposed apron expansion potentially hamper a future terminal expansion to account for growth?

What conflict are you seeing? I see plenty of room to expand the terminal. Or even build a second terminal in the current long term lot. Or repurpose the cargo area and cell phone lot for a second terminal and move those elsewhere. Heck, relocate the VIP Reception Hangar and there's a ton of room for terminal expansion. And I'd argue this hangar needs to be replaced. I've been in there and it's a rather sad facility for a first impression of a G8 country.

I am still curious to see if HFR happens and what that does to growth at YOW. If that plan comes to pass, traveling from YUL will become a lot more attractive. So without clarity on the feds intentions for VIA HFR, I don't think YOW should be pushing for large terminal expansions.

[bikegypsy]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

I am still curious to see if HFR happens and what that does to growth at YOW. If that plan comes to pass, traveling from YUL will become a lot more attractive. So without clarity on the feds intentions for VIA HFR, I don't think YOW should be pushing for large terminal expansions.

For that to be a 'thing', the frequency would need to be hourly from first light to end of day, the trip be under one hour and be at a price point equal or better than a cab ride to the airport. And this combination just won't happen anytime soon, as in 40 or 50 years, if ever.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by bikegypsy

For that to be a 'thing', the frequency would need to be hourly from first light to end of day, the trip be under one hour and be at a price point equal or better than a cab ride to the airport. And this combination just won't happen anytime soon, as in 40 or 50 years, if ever.

The HFR proposal is exactly that. Hourly train service to Toronto and Montreal.

Travel time to Montreal would be < 1.5 hrs. I expect, Dorval would be just over an hour. And travel time to Toronto is supposed to be < 3 hrs. So about 3.5 hrs to Pearson from Tremblay. With costs that would be competitive with coach buses.

So if this really launches, why would I bother with most transatlantic trips starting at YOW? I could train to Dorval and get on there. I'd also consider taking the train to Toronto or Montreal instead of flying, for business. The train time is far more productive.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

The HFR proposal is exactly that. Hourly train service to Toronto and Montreal.

Travel time to Montreal would be < 1.5 hrs. I expect, Dorval would be just over an hour. And travel time to Toronto is supposed to be < 3 hrs. So about 3.5 hrs to Pearson from Tremblay. With costs that would be competitive with coach buses.

So if this really launches, why would I bother with most transatlantic trips starting at YOW? I could train to Dorval and get on there. I'd also consider taking the train to Toronto or Montreal instead of flying, for business. The train time is far more productive.

I agree but right now the train is a bit wonky to get to Dorval though. They need to fix that also. The shuttle is a bit infrequent. You need to hump your luggage etc. I could be mis-remembering but I think 20 years ago it was actually easier.

I have taken the KLM bus a few times and I wonder if HFR will replace the bus. It is very convenient to take the direct bus and get directly on a flight to Amsterdam or Paris. In winter the schedule is better for almost all destinations and even in summer Paris and AMS have some better connections to Africa and the Middle East.

Does anyone fly to Montreal for business? Even Toronto train vs Airport is 50-50 though the Island airport is great for a lot of destinations.
On a related note once LRT is up and running the federal government should make everyone take public transport to the airport/train station.

[NOWINYOW]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

On a related note once LRT is up and running the federal government should make everyone take public transport to the airport/train station.

Wow. Nanny State or what? What about people who need to pick up family/friends before heading to the airport? What about people just picking up or dropping off others? What about those who need to be at the airport 90 minutes before flight time, and the flight time is before 8AM? Or the flight time is 6AM? I dont' there's much if any public transit at that time. What about those who use the parking because they are traveling for only a day or two and may or may not be back before Public Transit shuts down for the night?

If your preference is for your Gov't to mandate everything you do in life and to act and think for you, that's your business. For the rest of us that can think and act for ourselves, leave us alone. In your case, just assume the Gov't is mandating it and do it.