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Victoria International Airport (YYJ)


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#6521 spanky123

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 03:03 PM

With very little notice we have to fly out Wednesday to Halifax to take care of some family business. We're going through Pearson, with about a 4 hour layover.

 

Its been almost exactly seven years to the month since I last went through that airport and given all the bollocks that happened there during the run-up to Christmas and into the new year, just wondering from anyone who may have transited through the airport more recently, whether all the snafus and backlogs have been cleared up? We'll only be on ground in NS for five days so I am toying with the idea of not taking a checked bag especially if YYZ is still a quasi-gong show......

 

You will be fine.



#6522 AllseeingEye

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Posted 06 February 2023 - 04:42 PM

You will be fine.

 

Meh...yeah: I turfed the idea in any event of carry-on only - I'd hoped otherwise but the weather in NS is not cooperating and I'm going to need to hump additional clothes for "real winter" there. 



#6523 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 07:04 AM

Victoria airport eyeing major expansions over next 20 years

 

https://www.vicnews....8ca11b97212fd9a



#6524 AllseeingEye

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 07:10 AM

Heading out today: is there a possibility of a real meal at YYJ, prior to the flight, in light of the demise of White Spot? I'm guessing not. Hopefully that will be addressed in the next 20 years.......


Edited by AllseeingEye, 08 February 2023 - 07:10 AM.


#6525 Mike K.

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 08:40 AM

Yes, on the post-security side, but you're going to be scrambling for a seat, quite possibly.


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#6526 Matt R.

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 11:05 AM

Spinnakers on the fly is great.

#6527 vortoozo

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 02:13 PM

Spinnakers on the fly is great.

 

My experience doesn't match yours. They seem to be perennially short staffed. Have lined up for 15 minutes without being acknowledged. Last time I was there, all the food including dine in was being served in to go boxes. Maybe they were short a dishwasher? Not sure if that's their service standard these days.

It's operated by Compass, not Spinnakers, and as such the staff don't seem as invested in a good service experience.



#6528 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 02:27 PM

So if you work for Compass you have less enthusiasm for the job?

#6529 vortoozo

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 04:51 PM

So if you work for Compass you have less enthusiasm for the job?

 

Compass is the 11th largest employer in the world. You're nothing but a number to them. Especially when they don't staff properly.


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#6530 Matt R.

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Posted 08 February 2023 - 09:42 PM

My experience doesn't match yours. They seem to be perennially short staffed. Have lined up for 15 minutes without being acknowledged. Last time I was there, all the food including dine in was being served in to go boxes. Maybe they were short a dishwasher? Not sure if that's their service standard these days.

It's operated by Compass, not Spinnakers, and as such the staff don't seem as invested in a good service experience.

 

Oh, that is too bad!  I rarely fly out of YYJ anymore, YVR is much simpler when you take into account security and boarding time etc. but Spin's On the Fly has always been good for a coffee and breakfast.



#6531 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 09 February 2023 - 02:25 AM

Kenmore’s float planes ­currently fly two round-trips a day between Seattle and Victoria but will expand to four in the summer. Gudgel said bookings to Victoria are already creeping back toward 2019 levels.

“We are pretty bullish on Victoria,” said Gudgel, whose company is talking with ­Victoria International Airport about service between Seattle’s Boeing field and YYJ with a ­nine-passenger Cessna aircraft.

“We’re excited about that because we’ve seen capacity into YYJ drop precipitously,” he said.

Prior to the pandemic, there were seven flights a day between Victoria and Seattle, and now there’s one Alaska ­Airlines flight, he said. “We’re looking to supplement what Alaska’s doing.”

https://www.timescol...isitors-6513175

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 February 2023 - 02:25 AM.


#6532 vortoozo

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Posted 09 February 2023 - 12:48 PM

Kenmore operated fixed wing service from Tofino airport to Boeing field for a season or two about 15 years ago when I lived there.

It was a convenient way to get to Seattle, and getting through customs at Boeing field was always quick. Not great to make a connection on to a flight out of SEA since you'd have to switch airports and allow a buffer of time for delays etc.



#6533 Missed Approach

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Posted 09 February 2023 - 02:15 PM

Compass is the 11th largest employer in the world. You're nothing but a number to them. Especially when they don't staff properly.

 

 

Food services ( run by Compass )  at YYJ has never been the worst in the airport's history since they took everything over.

The CEO will never address it or discuss it, as it's just needed revenue generating income. YLW has so many options, in fact any other airport does, recently thru YXE often in the last year and they by far have the best selection of food options for under 2 million passengers.

 

But the CEO thinks Gin tasting is the best thing for YYJ. Every Single Time I have flown thru YYJ, it's open, staff are bored, no one is coming in, or when they do, don't stay long. 

 

YLW has wine, YYJ has Gin.......... when all we want is a bit to eat and a quick coffee.........


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#6534 vortoozo

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Posted 09 February 2023 - 11:11 PM

^

 

To be fair, the Okanagan is known for its wine, and Victoria is known for Empress Gin.



#6535 Missed Approach

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Posted 10 February 2023 - 11:19 AM

^

 

To be fair, the Okanagan is known for its wine, and Victoria is known for Empress Gin.

 

True, but once in the hold room ( pre boarding area ) - such a large area dedicated to Gin, when 90% of the passengers want a sandwich or coffee pretty dam quick. 


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#6536 Ismo07

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Posted 10 February 2023 - 12:46 PM

True, but once in the hold room ( pre boarding area ) - such a large area dedicated to Gin, when 90% of the passengers want a sandwich or coffee pretty dam quick. 

 

 

There is another option further down the main terminal for coffee and snacks..  No other option for spirits..


Edited by Ismo07, 10 February 2023 - 12:47 PM.


#6537 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 10 February 2023 - 01:04 PM

HERE is how to make our airport work best.

 

All flights to cities other than Vancouver and Seattle, just carry on as now.  All through flights booked, say Victoria > Vancouver > Dawson Creek on AC, stays the same.

 

BUT, we need to position the airport as the ultimate easy, flexible connector airport to Vancouver and Seattle.

 

At a minimum, we need the airlines to commit to these flights to be available daily, 7 days per week:

 

Vancouver - DAILY at least one flight per hour 6am to last flight

 

6am

7am

8am

9am

10am

11am

12noon

1pm

2pm

3pm

4pm

5pm

6pm

7pm

8pm

9pm

10pm

11pm

12 midnight

 

Seattle - DAILY at least one flight every two hours, scheduled for as close as possible to the even hours 6am to last flight.

 

6am

8am

10am

12noon

2pm

4pm

6pm

8pm

10pm

12 midnight

 

You can book these flights via the airlines normal procedures, OR you can go to YYJSHUTTLE.com and with a very easy interface and minimum registration, book with a non-refundable $10 deposit, with the balance paid when you take the flight.  If you miss the flight, you just lose $10.  Or just show up at the airport and use the kiosk right in the airport lobby, book your flight.  Airlines will try to keep the prices not wavering all over the place.  In a perfect world, the price will be the same for every flight every day, but we know that to manage demand they will need to have some premiums/discounts.

 

The pre-registering gives the airlines some idea of the loads to expect but there is almost always room to just roll up and fly on the next flight or two.

 

We need to make it more like a bus or a ferry, than an airport, just on these two shuttle routes.  Frequent, reliable, predictable, somewhat flexible.

 

I don't want to hear why we can't do this.   Comment with some ideas of how to get this to work.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 February 2023 - 01:10 PM.

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#6538 Mike K.

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Posted 10 February 2023 - 01:09 PM

This would only work if a new airline formed to provide that service.

Right now if you book YYJ-YVR on AC for one of three remaining flights they want $341 for the one-way ticket. It’s just not happening.

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#6539 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 10 February 2023 - 01:11 PM

This would only work if a new airline formed to provide that service.

Right now if you book YYJ-YVR on AC for one of three remaining flights they want $341 for the one-way ticket. It’s just not happening.

 

I don't want to hear why we can't do this.   Comment with some ideas of how to get this to work.

 

Our airport situation is unique on this continent, and we need to re-think it completely.  And re-vamp. 


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 February 2023 - 01:11 PM.


#6540 Mike K.

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Posted 10 February 2023 - 01:45 PM

How about we get a new airline going that focuses on providing this service, because the mainline carriers have no interest in special interest pet projects?

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