Hamilton International Airport

[SteelTown]

Local air service to U.K. takes off

By John Burman
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 1, 2007)

John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport takes a huge step across the Atlantic today.

flyglobespan.com, the internet-based discount airline voted Airline of the Year by the Scottish BAA in 2005, will inaugurate its three times a day service to 13 British destinations today.

The thrice daily service -- which offers economy flights as low as $99 one way not including taxes -- will be offered from May to October using Boeing 757s and similar planes.

Stephen Elmy, flyglobespan's Canadian manager, says the airline "will have a winter schedule, certainly to the major cities" but it is liable to be only one or two flights a day.

It's been nearly 20 years since the airport handled jets bound for Britain, a service lost when Nationair closed down operations here in August 1989.

Richard Koroscil, president of TradePort International which operates the airport, says Hamilton worked quietly over 18 months to land the new carrier.

Koroscil and Elmy say Hamilton's major advantage is cost.

Landing fees at Pearson International in Toronto can be $10,000 depending on the plane. Hamilton's are about $4,000.

"It costs one third to land a big plane in Hamilton, what it costs in Toronto," says Elmy.

Then there's the taxes. Add them up and taxes in Hamilton work out to about $130 less per seat.

And every dime counts. Elmy and analysts say there is something of a fare war going on over the Atlantic this summer as Airtransat, Zoom Airlines and flyglobespan duke it out.

"I've seen some fares one way out of Toronto for $74," says Elmy.

flyglobespan offers a cheap, economy seat with less luggage allowance for $99. The airline offers more expensive premium and business class seats.

Hamilton airport plans a welcome tea party for flyglobespan featuring plenty of food, the pipes and drums of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, lots of sun and dignitaries on the tarmac from 2 to 4 p.m.

[SteelTown]

So I guess Flyglobespan will indeed stay with YHM all year around now that it plans a winter schedule.

[LikeHamilton]

First flight is on it's way!


Airline Flyglobespan
Flight Number 103
Departure City (Airport) Manchester, England, Great Britain (EGCC)
Departure Time 05/01/2007 02:23 PM
Arrival City (Airport) Hamilton, ON, Canada (YHM)
Arrival Time 05/01/2007 03:54 PM
Remaining Flight Time 04:36
Aircraft Type Boeing 757-200
Current Altitude 0 feet
Current Groundspeed 556 mph
Flight Status In Flight

[SteelTown]

Oh cool it's in air! Near Iceland.

Make sure you take plenty of pictures!! I hope all of this will lead to an airport terminal expansion in the near future.

[SteelTown]

Is the International terminal complete? Did they manage to finish building the new section of the terminal before flyglobespan arrival?

[Hammer Town]

ok guys I have to telly ou about today however i odn't have the time right now. I will post asap.

[LikeHamilton]

flyglobespan aircraft at Hamilton International Airport (YHM)




Fire Trucks ready for the welcoming.



The new Hi Shuttle at the airport.



flyglobespan checkin counters.





The new Ground Transportation Services desk. It opened today.

[SteelTown]

Flyglobespan lands at YHM

[Hammer Town]

Some of My Pictures from Yesterday


Passenger Airline Tails of YHM


Two FlyGlobespan Aircraft on the Ramp


One FlyGlobespan Aircraft on the Ramp and a second one being moved over to prepare for flight to Glasgow Scotland

[SteelTown]

From LikeHamilton........

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

flyglobespan aircraft at Hamilton International Airport (YHM)




Fire Trucks ready for the welcoming.



The new Hi Shuttle at the airport.



flyglobespan checkin counters.





The new Ground Transportation Services desk. It opened today.

[Hammer Town]

Ok so Iw as at the press confrence nothing terribly exciting happened there jus tyour typical media event where Governtmet officials and ceo give speeches

However i get to have a terminal tour. this was probably the best part. For anyone tha thas flown international through YHM they have probably to been overly impresses with the International Arrivals area. well. they are really moving forward with the construction of this area. They havn't been able to get it finich yet bt its coming.

Right now you have to go through customes etc they kinda of go outside and then go into the main terminal to do anything else ie Rent a car grab a coffee etc. Basically tou have to go around the Customs office. Well when essicially is happening it the customs office is moving down towards the end of the new building they have constructed and that area where the customs office is now will be opened up and passengers will come out of baggage claim through thee right into the main concourse. additionally they will be doing quite a bit of cosmetic work inside the arrival area for international flights. They also plan to install shifting baggage belts so one of he domestic belts can swing from either area domestic of international.

Now incase anyone is wondering what is happening with any mojor terminal expansions they dont intend to do one major project all at once. Its all going to be completed in stages as is needed. The reason for this is that there is always so much uncertanty in the aviation world that they don't want to start a major project then have another airline all of a sudden have a major reduction in service like a certian unmentionable airline.

Anyway thats about the best stuff I hear that hasn't really been herd of before.

[raisethehammer]

we can expect it to go out of business if Pickering goes ahead.

[SteelTown]

If they ever do allow a Pickering Airport a) it'll probably take 20 years to pass the whole process and b) bankrupt the GTAA

[Hammer Town]

Pickering can go ahead with its new airport
Kevin Werner, Mountain

(May 4, 2007)
The federal Transportation Minister says growth patterns don't indicate holding back constructing the Pickering airport for the benefit of the Hamilton International Airport.

Lawrence Cannon refused to say this week during the launch of Hamilton International Airport's new airline flyglobespan at the Wartime Heritage Museum, the Conservative government will curtail the development of a new airport in Pickering.

"The studies have not indicated" that future economic and democratic growth is concentrating in the Golden Horseshoe and around the Hamilton area, he told reporters.

"(The Pickering option) is still there down the road," he said. "What we want to be able to do until we get there is to continue to develop and promote our policies and those polices obviously have positive steps and consequences."

He said once the demographic and economic studies "come to full fruition we will make the appropriate decision when the time comes."

For the last three years Hamilton officials and Hamilton International Airport representatives have been urging the federal government to quash the Pickering airport development and put more resources into the Hamilton Airport as the most viable secondary airport location in Southern Ontario.

They have pointed out that transportation, demographic and economic trends reveal a more viable airport in Hamilton.

The Ontario government in its "Places to Grow" document identifies Hamilton as a growth opportunity, city officials point out. It means funding will flow to develop the city's transportation options such as the airport.

Richard Koroscil, president and chief operating officer of TradePort International reiterated the airport's position that the federal government has to be made aware by the municipality that Hamilton International Airport is the most economically viable location compared to Pearson International Airport or to Pickering.






I dont this the pickering plan is viable at all unless they close Pearson which isn't going to happen. I see Pickering as another Mirabel. If they ever do build pickering it will be for far down the road that YHM should be established even more then it already is becoming.

As far as Terminal expasion at YHM I happened to be at the Press Confrence for FlyGlobespan and was actually able to ask Richard Koroscil a few questions as well as get a tour with a AIrport official of the terminal.

So Mr Koroscil mostly said its a build it as they come sort of this becuase they do want to announce a big terminal plan then have an airlines pull out or something similar Tehy look to ahve the Runway 24-06 and flight kitch as well as the fuel farm in place by 2012-2015

Well i was on the terminal tour it was just me so i kind of got the royal treatment. I was anything the public would see with out being a passenger except I go to go into the International arrivals area it just a very basic structure however he explained to me what it will look like once the finish the construction they are doing in there now they also had an artist rendition on the wall that looked quiet nice.

After they He went on to say that Hey plan to extand the departure lounge out more towards the ramp then enlarge the arrivals area for domestic and international. once they have done they will start to build up also in differant phases.

I think I have said all I can remember.

[fastcarsfreedom]

Exactly why raisethehammer, do you think YHM will go out of business if Pickering Airport is built? This time I want you to seriously quantify it--I really respect much of what you have to say, but the truth is, on a group of issues--the airport included--you are consistently negative. You have your own website and the main Hamilton development blog nearly to yourself and to those who are like-minded--this airport thread is about the positive growth and development of YHM--with the pervasiveness of attitudes like yours it's frankly amazing the airport has come so far, so fast.

When you prove to me that the majority of passenger traffic at YHM is coming from the east side of Toronto--that is driving PAST YYZ to come here, then I will agree that Pickering will hurt YHM. Moreover, I will also be alarmed if the entire population of YHM's catchment area up and moves eastward--until such time I have faith that the airport will CONTINUE to succeed. Just two weeks ago our local paper The Windsor Star, ran a front page article on the boom in growth at YHM, in past months The Buffalo News has run a similar story. Given the wide array of flights and destinations available at YYZ, I'd frankly like to see someone prove to me what the hell will make Pickering so damn viable. From a passenger standpoint, Toronto City Centre is only marginal, and past attempts at running commuter service from Buttonville have failed.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by fastcarsfreedom

Exactly why raisethehammer, do you think YHM will go out of business if Pickering Airport is built? This time I want you to seriously quantify it--I really respect much of what you have to say, but the truth is, on a group of issues--the airport included--you are consistently negative. You have your own website and the main Hamilton development blog nearly to yourself and to those who are like-minded--this airport thread is about the positive growth and development of YHM--with the pervasiveness of attitudes like yours it's frankly amazing the airport has come so far, so fast.

When you prove to me that the majority of passenger traffic at YHM is coming from the east side of Toronto--that is driving PAST YYZ to come here, then I will agree that Pickering will hurt YHM. Moreover, I will also be alarmed if the entire population of YHM's catchment area up and moves eastward--until such time I have faith that the airport will CONTINUE to succeed. Just two weeks ago our local paper The Windsor Star, ran a front page article on the boom in growth at YHM, in past months The Buffalo News has run a similar story. Given the wide array of flights and destinations available at YYZ, I'd frankly like to see someone prove to me what the hell will make Pickering so damn viable. From a passenger standpoint, Toronto City Centre is only marginal, and past attempts at running commuter service from Buttonville have failed.

Why would Pickering have a negative impact here??
Go ask the folks at YHM that have been leading the fight against it for years.

[SteelTown]

Look at what I found during the forum meet.....

[HAMRetrofit]

When warehouse or logistics facilities are built around the periphery of the city it initiates a large complex process of city economics. The jobs may seem irrelevant at first not creating influential economic activity. However they are connected to larger economic systems. For example if a storage warehouse is opened in the hinterlands it creates jobs for basic laborers. The functions of the warehouse are to store goods. These goods are imported from elsewhere. Overtime it becomes more economical to manufacture goods in the city, which in turn leads to more jobs in the periphery as more 'import replacers' move in. The result of this new import replacement is that jobs are created for the creative class (designers) and financial class (bankers), which typically happens in the core (downtown). These hinterlands need to be well connected to infrastructure because their primary goal is to exchange goods between the central city and other surrounding cities (this is what makes the highway 6 and 403 interchange ideal). Highways are the preferred shipping method and will be at least for the next 30 years until peak oil in Canada actually takes effect. Canada is a net oil producer and is not expected to peak in oil production until 2035 with the availability of the tar sands. Past Canada’s oil peak new energy infrastructures will be in place, which is already being planned for (this is obvious since the feds are already planning a new airport in Pickering). I am generalizing here but for a much more complete description of how the economics of cities work read Jane Jacobs 'Cities and the Wealth of Nations'. There are a few other books I could recommend but Cities and the Wealth of nations is the most fundamental.

[the dude]

that's fairly optimistic and clairvoyant but so be it. i'll never buy into aerotropolis because, knowing this city, the land will be serviced and losani will move in, put up some sh*t houses and we'll left shaking our heads...again. that's what i figure this is really all about. i also hate the idea of paving over the finest agricultural land in this country. it all seems a little backward to me.

[fastcarsfreedom]

Tradeport's main case for fighting Pickering has always been about steering more government dollars to YHM and environs, and not about a sudden shift in population eastward. Aside, given your past comments about the airport, it's amusing now to see you more or less quoting Tradeport on this issue.