7636 replies to this topic

[hungryryno]

I believe jetway usage costs $$$. Some airports charge more than others. Calgary is Wetsjet's hub and their they even use double jetways for fast exit / entrance.

I know Air Transat uses the jetway in Vancouver but don't in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; so probably same idea.

[Holden West]

Jeez, every flight should use double jetways. There are two doors on a plane, why not use them? Nothing worse than waiting ten minutes to exit because sluggy the sloth ahead of you is pulling 4,000 pieces of crap out of the overhead bin.

[LJ]

Jetways do indeed cast $$ to use. In Victoria all the jetways are common use - so Westjet or AC or whomever can choose to use them or not.

They have to be booked ahead of time so usually load factor and weather are the criteria used to decide whether to rent them or disembark on the ramp.

If they are all slated to be used during your ramp time you wouldn't get one if you wanted it.

In places like YVR the gates are owned and run by the airlines. Westjet is the only user in YVR to use double gates for dis/embarkation. They figure it shaves about 7 minutes off their turnaround time. Downside of course - you need double crews to staff them. If the aircraft is not in a quick turn around situation they don't use them.

[VicHockeyFan]

Jeez, every flight should use double jetways. There are two doors on a plane, why not use them? Nothing worse than waiting ten minutes to exit because sluggy the sloth ahead of you is pulling 4,000 pieces of crap out of the overhead bin.

It's the same as the bank line theory. When you are behind a bunch of folks talking at the wicket for 15 minutes, you get pissed off. But when you reach the teller, you feel you have all the time in the world, and to hell with those still in line behind you.

[Holden West]

^Not for me, hombre. When Holden West deplanes he is instantly ready for action. One (1) bag, stored under the seat is on my lap ready to go. My jacket is on, nothing in the overhead bins, seatback pocket already checked for items, everything ready to go. If everyone were like me the plane would be empty in 30 seconds flat with the precision of a North Korean military parade. But no, I have to wait for Ethel and Harold to put their sweaters on, tie their shoes and strap on their fanny packs. If it weren't considered a prohibited item, I'd bring my hippie whip to clear a path.

[Icebergalley]

Guess you'll have to fly First Class or get a private plane..

[aastra]

Methinks the jetway situation will change as soon as a travel writer comes for a visit and gets drenched, and then writes all about it in some big magazine.

[Mike K.]

Airport passenger traffic was up just under 10% in April 2007 over April 2006. So far this year traffic is up over 6%.

[rchauhan]

Airport retools long-term plans
To-do list includes a runway extension, expansion of the terminal building, and a parkade

Matthew Gauk, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, July 29, 2007

When Richard Paquette talks about Victoria International Airport's 20-year master plan, he swivels his office chair toward the window and looks out over the tarmac.

"Accessibility is so important. Especially for us, because we live on an island," said Paquette, president of the Victoria Airport Authority.

It's been 10 years since the not-for-profit Victoria Airport Authority took over operations from Transport Canada, and Paquette's been at the helm for most of that time.

Now, as the VAA marks its anniversary in good financial health, its staff and board of directors are in the process of retooling their long-term plans for the airport.

As part of its mandate, the VAA must revisit its master plan after 10 years. An open house is expected in the next few months to give the public a chance to see what's in store for the airport. Some of the bigger items on the to-do list include a runway extension, another expansion of the terminal building, a parkade and a new firehall and maintenance garage.

Adding runway space, said Paquette, might attract a non-stop service to the United Kingdom and Asia. The plan calls for an additional 457 metres of runway on top of the 2,134 metres the airport currently operates.

While the terminal building underwent massive renovations that were unveiled last fall, if the current growth rate continues another expansion will be required in five to eight years, said VAA board chairman Gordon Denford. The number of passengers using the facility jumped from just under one million in 1996 to 1.4 million last year.

The expansion will likely entail a larger upper-level waiting room, more bridged gates to accommodate larger aircraft and an area where passengers can clear U.S. Customs before boarding their planes.

Parking will also need to be addressed as the airport continues to grow, said Paquette. While 575 spaces have been added, more will be needed, he said. One option is to extend the entrance and exit roads to make more room.

"Perhaps, if it becomes too remote, we would have some sort of shuttle service [from the parking lot to the terminal]," said Paquette. "And then ultimately a parkade."

The Victoria Airport Authority took over operation of the airport as the federal government started divesting itself of facilities that were in need of costly improvements.

"We had a long way to go when we first took over the airport from the feds because they had literally done nothing for years," said Denford.

As the second-largest airport in B.C. and the ninth-busiest in the country in terms of passengers, operations at the Victoria airport are handled by a staff of 35 and a board of directors, to which Paquette reports.

"There's an adjustment to work for a local board with their focus on making sure the airport is doing the right thing in the eyes of the community," says Paquette, who previously worked for Transport Canada at airports in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. "It's a complete refocus of what the role of the airport is."

The board is made up of directors nominated by all the municipalities between Victoria and North Saanich, as well as those nominated by the provincial and federal governments, the Capital Regional District and the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.

Security issues have been front and centre in the airport's planning. Despite being halfway through terminal work when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks occurred, the authority shelved plans for the departure area and added extra space for pre-boarding screening and security instead. Last year, a regular RCMP presence was added to the terminal, and closed-circuit cameras have been installed all over the terminal, parking lot and aircraft apron. As well, new biometric technology has been installed so staff must get their fingerprints or retinas scanned to access certain areas.

Another recent improvement at the terminal has been in the food and beverage department, which has consistently received low marks in public surveys, Paquette says. A Tim Hortons was added last year and a White Spot this spring.

One of the biggest challenges the VAA faces is traffic. It is currently wrestling with what to do with the intersection of the Pat Bay Highway and McTavish Road.

It's one of the top priorities for board member Peter Bray, a City of Victoria representative.

"The airport and the drive-in from the airport is a first impression for visitors. If you've driven out from the airport, you hit McTavish Road and there's that stop sign, and you've got to do a left turn. It's an accident waiting to happen," said Bray, who, like Paquette and Denford, wants to see an overpass built.

The VAA has been in discussions with the province and is seeking funding help for the estimated $12-million project.

Over the last 10 years, the authority has spent $55 million in improvements. Any capital improvements made to benefit passengers are paid for with the $10 airport improvement fee levied on departing passengers. The maintenance and operating expenses for the airport, as well as any capital expenditures not funded by the airport improvement fee, are paid for with revenue from airline landing fees, concession sales, land rental and parking revenues.

"The decisions ... on airport improvement fees are being made on a local level, not by government, and I think that the passengers are more willing to accept it when they can see a direct correlation between what's being spent and what's being charged to them," said Bray.

Last year, the VAA had a surplus of roughly $6.3 million and a debt of about $18 million, according to its annual report.

[Mike K.]

The last post was merged into this thread from "Peninsula development."


Adding an extra 1,500' to the current runway will make a huge difference in the type of aircraft that can service the airport. Right now we're limited to fairly small jets which is one reason why we lack non-stop service from Victoria.

[aastra]

I think they botched the area around the original coffee counter with this recent renovation. The one seating area there is good but the other one is tucked away in an odd little room that's really cut off from things. I don't know why but overall it seems more claustrophobic in the old section of the airport now than it did before. The ceiling needs to be twice as high, at least. And there should be more windows.

The brand new sections are great, however.

[VicHockeyFan]

Another recent improvement at the terminal has been in the food and beverage department, which has consistently received low marks in public surveys, Paquette says. A Tim Hortons was added last year and a White Spot this spring.

That ought to do it. Well done folks. [/sarcasm]

[Mike K.]

June 2007 passenger traffic at the airport increased by 1.9% over June 2006. Traffic is up 5.7% so far this year.

[G-Man]

The White Spot looks pretty nice. I didn't realize that it is an eat in restaurant. Does it have views to the outside?

On the YYJ site it has a pic of a 747 on the apron so that must mean they can land here and take off why would they need to add length to the runway. Also anyone have any idea where this addition would go? All runways currently come close to the road.

[Mike K.]

That 747 landed here with barely any fuel, and took off again with barely any fuel to get it to Vancouver about a decade ago, if not longer. A loaded large jet with fuel and passengers needs at least 8000 ft, with 9000 being optimal, but we only have 7000. As for the extension someone on here once mentioned that due to proximity of housing in Sidney the extension will be towards Pat Bay which may mean that the runway will be elevated above the road.

[Holden West]

From this week's [url=http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2007/07/27/brazil_crash/:26498]Ask The Pilot column[/url:26498], dealing with the recent A320 crash in Brazil that overshot a 6,365 ft. runway:

Thus there is no consistent minimum length that a plane requires. It depends. Granted, a Boeing 747 at any weight will be too heavy for a lot of airports, but there are plenty of occasions when a large plane at a low gross weight requires less pavement than a smaller plane at a heavy weight. (The Airbus A320, with typical seating for about 150 people, is relatively small.) The accident runway at Congonhas is only slightly shorter than the main runway at Washington-National, on which planes as large as the 757 land and depart daily by the dozen. At New York's LaGuardia, the strips top out slightly longer, at just 7,000 feet; widebodies like the 767, DC-10, and L-1011 have used LGA routinely over the years.

[Mike K.]

A 767 used for domestic trips in the US, which most of the ones landing at LGA would be, require far less fuel than a 767 fueled up for a cross-oceanic flight. There are also variants among the models such as the 767-200 which is smaller than the 767-300 (I believe it's the -300's that more commonly fly oceanic routes unless they're fitted as the "extended range" models). 757-200's land at Victoria too, but those are smaller jets compared to a 767-300 or an Airbus A330 (the latter would be "wide bodies," the 757-200 would not) or even the 757-300. And it's the wide-bodies flying trans-oceanic routes that Victoria wants to attract, I think, so the 7000' runway is far too short for safe operations.

Don't ask me why I know this stuff

[G-Man]

My Friend is a pilot for AC and they are now flying an Embraer E90 to Victoria a couple times a week from Vancouver. That has to be one of the biggest planes going such a short distance. I actually flew on one of the AC E90s to New York last year from Calgary and it was really nice!

[Mike K.]

Interesting. I wonder if Westjet will start flying between Van and Vic.

[G-Man]

This plane: