BC airport news

Vancouver International Airport wins top award, again!

Lots of good news airport stories from our neck of the woods...

Oliver gets new Kelowna and Penticton Airport transfer options

There was good news this week for Oliver residents. Ogopogo Valley Tours Inc. will provide airport shuttle service to Penticton Airport and Kelowna Airport, reducing the cost and increasing the convenience of fly-in visits to British Columbia's South Okanagan region... [read the full story].

YVR named #1 in North America - for 8th consecutive year!

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) s the first and only airport to be voted Best Airport in North America for the eighth consecutive year. The Skytrax World Airport Awards are recognized as the global benchmark of airport excellence. The on-site Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel was also voted Best Airport Hotel in North America... [read the full story].

BC airport infrastructure investment projects announced

Things are looking up at 20 British Columbia regional airports, thanks to a $10M investment from the BC Air Access Program. This year's recipients include Anahim Lake, Bella Coola, Chetwynd, Cranbrook, Fairmont Hot Springs, Grand Forks, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Osoyoos, Pemberton, Pitt Meadows, Port Alberni, Powell River, Prince George, Salmon Arm, Smithers, Valemount, Vernon and Williams Lake... [read the press release].

Related resources
What does the future hold for Vancouver International? - International Airport Review
Fly-away falcon back to work at YVR airport - CBC
Uber-style ride-hailing services to operate in B.C. by end of 2017 - Thompson Citizen
Victoria airport chief hopes push to privatize grounded - Times Colonist
Certified airports in British Columbia
BC Airport transportation options - IHateTaxis

Amazing Race Canada - Season 1 airports recap

Air Canada flies #RaceCDA teams

With Season 2 almost upon us, we thought we would recap the airports that the Amazing Race Canada teams visited in Season 1.

In Season 1, The Amazing Race Canada's visited 12 Canadian airports... [continue reading on our #RaceCDA blog].



5 Busiest Airports in Canada 2012

Did you know where Canada's busiest airports are? How many have you visited? Do you have any favourites?

1. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

• Official name: Toronto Pearson International Airport
• Named for: Lester B. Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada
• Passengers served in 2012: 34,912,456
• Distance from downtown: 27 kilometres
• Other airports: YYZ is the busiest of Toronto's main airports, but is the most remotely located; Toronto Billy Bishop City Centre Airport (YTZ) is located downtown (it's Canada's 9th busiest)
• Trivia: YYZ is one of only two airports in North America with scheduled flights to all 6 inhabited continents; the other is New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)
• Good news: Construction is underway on Metrolink's new Union Pearson Express, a rail link between Pearson Airport and Union Station in downtown Toronto; the UP Express will begin service in spring 2015
• Transportation tip: Your best bet for a Toronto Pearson Airport transfer is a shuttle - full details on all options in our YYZ Airport transportation guide
• Or, to arrive stress free, pre-book your private Toronto Pearson Airport transfer from IHateTaxis

2. Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

• Official name: Vancouver International Airport
• Passengers served in 2012: 17,596,901
• Distance from downtown: 12 kilometres
• Trivia: YVR is one of the few big international airports to have a terminal for scheduled floatplanes:Vancouver Airport South
• Transportation tip: The Canada Line SkyTrain, built for the 2010 Olympics, is your best option if you are heading downtown - details on all options in our YVR Airport transportation guide
• Or, to truly arrive stress free, treat yourself to a private Vancouver Airport transfer from IHateTaxis.

3. Montréal Trudeau International Airport (YUL)

• Official name: Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport 
• Named for: Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada's 15th Prime Minister
• Previously named: Montréal Dorval Airport
• Passengers served in 2012: 13,809,820
• Distance from downtown: 20 kilometres
• Other airports: Montreal has a 2nd airport, Mirabel (YMX), but it is used almost exclusively for cargo flights
• Trivia: Bombardier Aerospace has an assembly facility on site to build regional jets and Challenger business jets
• Good news: there are plans to build a rail connection to downtown Montreal, but it will not be complete until 2020
• Transportation tip: Your best bet for a Montreal Airport transfer is the 747 bus - full details on all options in our YUL Airport transportation guide
• Or, to truly arrive stress free, treat yourself to a private Montreal Trudeau Airport transfer from IHateTaxis

4. Calgary International Airport (YYC)

• Official name: Calgary International Airport 
• Passengers served in 2012: 13,638,137
• Distance from downtown: 17 kilometres
• Trivia: Calgary's airport was remarkably unscathed and remained operational during 2013's  devastating floods in the area
• Good news: a new international terminal is under construction, due to open in 2014
• Transportation tip: Your best bet for a transfer is a bus to nearby trains and Calgary's Bus Rapid Transit System - details on all options are included in our YYC Airport transportation guide
• Or, to arrive stress free, pre-book your shared Calgary Airport shuttle from IHateTaxis now

5. Edmonton International Airport (YEG)

• Official name: Edmonton International Airport 
• Passengers served in 2012: 6,676,445
• Distance from downtown: 26 kilometres
• Other airports: Edmonton used to have a 2nd airport downtown (YXD), used for commuter traffic, but it closed in recent years
• Trivia: the airport's Living Wall consists of 8,000+ plants, 32 different species
• Good news: a new Renaissance by Marriott hotel is slated to open on-site in fall 2013, the first Renaissance hotel in the world to be attached to an airport
• Transportation tip: there is a relatively new Edmonton Airport bus, but ridership is low, and there has been talk of the service being discontinued if it is not more widely used (so ride it if you go!) - details on all options included in our YEG Airport transportation guide

We hope you have enjoyed our feature on Canada's busiest airports. If you have an idea for an airport you'd like to see featured, especially if it has something unique about it's transportation, please let us know - we are always open to ideas!

Amazing Race Canada - Week 5: YXY, YVR, YEG, YYC, YQR

Air Canada was one of The Amazing Race Canada's sponsors.

Lots of airports touched on the way to the destination for this week's installment of The Amazing Race Canada: [continue reading]

Amazing Race Canada - Week 3: YVR, YYC

The Amazing Race Canada is ticking along, and just gets more exciting (click this link to watch past episodes, if you missed any).

In Week 3, the teams began at the Vancouver Convention Centre (with the amazing living roof, which we wrote about last week), made their way to an internet cafe on Robson Street, used aircanada.com to book their flights.

Then it was off to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) again.

Welcome to Cow Town!


View of Calgary from the airport

Just a short while later they landed at Calgary International Airport (YYC), Canada's 4th busiest airport. Welcome to Cow Town! [continue reading]

Amazing Race Canada - Week 2: YLW, YVR

Another exciting episode of The Amazing Race Canada last night!

We're pleased a few people found our "clues" to Week 2 and tried our poll. Once again, here are the clues, along with the % of guesses for each, and the correct answer highlighted:

• A pair of sticks. An enormous tail. A dull edge. (0%)
• A green hat. An enormous head. A sharp edge. (20%) - CORRECT
• A pointy head. An enormous elastic. An uneven edge. (0%)
• A head on a stick. An enormous song. A jagged edge. (0%)
• A fishy stick. An enormous rope. A smooth edge. (0%)
• A pair of dimes. An enormous bone. A bumpy edge. (0%)
• A red jacket. An enormous beast. A razor edge. (80%)

A green hat:


Vancouver Convention Centre
The green roof atop the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building,
The Amazing Race Canada Week 2 pitstop
(source: super_sly_spy on flickr, creative commons licence)

This green "living roof" atop the new West building of the Vancouver Convention Centre. Wasn't that a marvelous pit stop for the end of Week 2? [continue reading]

Amazing Race Canada - Week 1 - Niagara Falls, YYZ, YVR, YLW

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (source: Wikicommons)

We're a Canadian company, so we are understandably excited to watch The Amazing Race Canada unfold on our televisions, hosted by our very own Canadian Olympian, Jon Montgomery (he won gold in 2010 in skeleton... to call that race amazing would be an understatement!).

Being airport geeks (after all, we are the best people-powered world-wide airport ground transportation information service), we are especially interested in the airports the teams on The Amazing Race Canada will visit during the race.

Needless to say, we loved the Week 1 kick-off show, featuring Niagara Falls, Ontario (aka "the Canadian side") - along with its sister city over the border in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.A. is the self-proclaimed "Honeymoon Capital of the World." The grandeur of the Falls of the Niagara River attracts millions... [continue reading]