Guest Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 It appears that the success enjoyed by YLW will not benefit passengers. I was there on what was said to be the busiest day of the year, yet saw no delays or crowds that impeded catching my flight, mind you I did arrive 2 hours prior to scheduled departure. Kind of puzzled why the need to expand the facilities and certainly question the need to expand the food and beverage area. Maybe that expansion should be paid by the businesses in the form of rent rather than a subsidy paid by passengers. Will this be yet another airport Taj Mahal? You also need to ask what the existing $15.00 charge is being spent on? January 8, 2019 6:05 pm Flying out of Kelowna to get more expensive By Klaudia Van Emmerik Anchor/Reporter Global News Flying out of Kelowna will cost departing passengers $5 more starting April 1. On Monday, city council approved an airport improvement fee increase. Passengers who fly out of the Okanagan’s largest airport will be paying more starting April 1. On Monday, city council approved an improvement fee increase for Kelowna International Airport. “It’s going to be increasing by $5 from $15 per departing passenger to $20 per departing passenger,” said Shayne Dyrdal, the airport’s senior and corporate services manager. A Kelowna International Airport spokesperson says passenger totals reached 2.8 million in 2018, a number that wasn’t expected until 2020. Dyrdal said the hike is necessary to help pay for expansion projects, as the airport is growing at a much faster pace than anticipated. 2018 saw unprecedented passenger numbers, reaching more than 2.8 million, a number that wasn’t expected until 2020. READ MORE: Kelowna International Airport celebrates 2M passengers in 2018 The rapid growth has prompted the airport to fast-track expansion work to keep up with demand. “There’s over 10 different projects we plan to implement,” Dyrdal told Global News. “The first one being the departures lounge . . . we’re just seeing during peak periods, it’s getting quite congested.” Dyrdal said once the work is complete, the departures lounge will be double what it is now. The fee increase, according to YLW, will help pay for expansion projects, such as a bigger departures lounge. The expansion project will also involve increasing the arrivals area and providing more commercial space. “The domestic arrivals area would move to the south and it would also double in comparison to the floor space that we see now,” Dyrdal said. “We will see an increase in the offerings for food and beverage both on the air side and ground side so pre-security and post-security.” The pre-board screening area is also slated for expansion work. The airport improvement fee is added onto a passenger’s ticket price. The airport anticipates seeking approval for another increase in 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
internet Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 The famous - expand because peak periods we are busy. Meanwhile the place is empty 23 hours a day. Typical Airport Authority nonsense. Airlines should be charged based on time-of-day demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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