Guest Airmail Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 The new YOW terminal building opens on Sunday...home to no less than TWO Inukshuks (the only place in Ottawa outside the museums to have them; representative of local culture???) and three waterfalls! Count 'em! Who pays for this extravagance? - airlines through increased rent and landing fees - airline passengers through the AIF which increased by 50% (from $10 to $15) earlier this year This at a time when many airline employees have lost their jobs or are taking massive pay reductions. Can we afford these white elephants? Why do airports need to be monuments to the egos of the local airport authority president? Why do airports have to ressemble museums and malls? Another massive waste of money courtesy of David Collenette, Doug Young and the brilliant minds at Transport Canada! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fasteddy Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 Hey Airmail..I agree totally...you sure can tell that there ARE NO pilots on these planning committees. Otherwise, you would see improvements to the working side of life,runway centreline lighting for example, get those take off and landing limits down to what they COULD be,but, what the heck, now everyone has a great building to hang around in,waiting for the fog to burn off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Airmail Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 Yeah FastEddy, great that the Airport Authority hosted a black tie gala celebration on Friday night...but none of the airport employees made the invite list. Just the mucky mucks who have nothing to do with the running of the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoChico Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 YYC Airport has roughly 20 brand new GMC 4X4 pickups (with fancy flashing yellow lights on the roof) parked at the outer perimeter of the employee lot. Probably only half of thier fleet too. Estimated value at $50g's per is $2 million bucks!! (or about 200,000 passengers at 10 bucks a head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HPT-TOUR Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 I haven`t been to YOW in a while but last time there were more weeds growing out of the runway cracks than any golf course. These clowns running the airports need to be alot more accountable. Anyone care to publish charts for wet runways coverd in weeds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wetcoaster Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Vancouver City bus drivers say they are getting punted from the terminal and YVR is taking over that link. Wonder if the AIF is buying that improvement? Wonder what we'll have to pay for that hop? So much for rapid transit link to YVR. Maybe I've got it wrong but we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 I guess you haven't heard about the 30 to 40 million dollars GTAA is spending inside TNew just to buy pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Airmail Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Yeah, YOW Airport Authority got the choice offices with windows overlooking the waterfall and arrivals level while airline offices are windowless because the offices with windows were too expensive. The bone headed Ottawa media gave the building rave reviews saying that it was designed with the "customer in mind". I wonder if the customer was asked whether they'd prefer the old building with some cost effective modifications or this new monstrosity with every unnecessary bell and whistle money can buy (like the exposed granite walls, the copper and brass rails and the custom designed/conceived lighting for the baggage area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wetcoaster Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 How about Namao – Edmonton – longest helicopter pad in the world – long enough to land the space shuttle – 4 miles from the city. We've been working at wasting dollars for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lumpy Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 How about paying 747 pilots 250 G's a year! LUMP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Airmail Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Pilots are an essential part of air travel, granite walls, inukshuks and waterfalls are clearly not. What exactly are you suggesting? That pilots are optional? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cabo Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 They are actually lease vehicles which are being used for the new taxiway construction. But still, one huge cost of 20 leases! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 No, I think he was suggesting the most senior among the bunch be hit with a disproportionate hammer... Something like another group of clearly non optional employees. Shouldn't you be busy putting out fires someplace, or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ABC Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Airmail, Fasteddy, HPT-TOUR, Chico. All of you, excellent points. But what to do? How does one complain and get some positive action? This is why I drive down the highway and laugh at people driving 300 plus HP sports cars. Where are they going to go? Better to get a 20 HP vehicle with plush seats and a Dolby THX surround sound stereo system. Maybe a laptop and "cell" (formerly "car") phone to get some work done. Because this is where you'll be sitting for many hours. Just don't speed when nobody is on the road, especially when the weather is nice like it is forecast to be over the next few days in central Canada. That is when the police levy their PCIF -police cruiser improvement fee. Nothing to do with safety. AIFs are designed to construct fancy waiting rooms so that the passengers don't know they are captive. Toronto is spending BILLIONS of dollars to make decadent waiting rooms. But still will not be able to increase the number of arrivals and departures. Like Seinfeld said, it is all a distraction so you don't notice paying $12 for a tuna fish sandwich. Operationally, though, zero improvement. This might be the Liberal "master plan", slow down air travel, and make it so expensive, people will demand better rail service. Go ahead, Collinette, knock down Union Station in Toronto, rebuild it stainless steel, construct a water slide and a museum, then charge rail and GoTrain passengers a Station Improvement Fee. Bet the passengers flock back to air in droves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lumpy Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Airmail: I think you missed my point, or maybe I was not clear enough.Let me try again. We need pilots and airports. A nation's capital airport should be a doorway to the country and a reflection of the nation. You should be proud that there are large granite walls and waterfalls and Inukshuks. Or should we build grass huts and mud holes to welcome are guests? You would be the first person to complain if we did. Lump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aBusDriver Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Good point Lumpee, they should be gettin' 500g for what they're doin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Say what you like about the pork, but the old Ottawa terminal is an embarrassment, they have that nice central shopping area I suppose that doesn't look to bad, but the rest of it looks like a postcard from the 1950's. The baggage collection area looks like a bus terminal. Someone at EDC told me that she has seen nicer terminals in the third world. But now that the new terminal is open, what becomes of the old one? Love it or hate it, Ottawa is our capital, and out capital city should have a better airport than Zhuhai China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Say what you like about the pork, but the old Ottawa terminal is an embarrassment, they have that nice central shopping area I suppose that doesn't look to bad, but the rest of it looks like a postcard from the 1950's. The baggage collection area looks like a bus terminal. Someone at EDC told me that she has seen nicer terminals in the third world. But now that the new terminal is open, what becomes of the old one? Love it or hate it, Ottawa is our capital, and out capital city should have a better airport than Zhuhai China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFL Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Yea, a showpiece new terminal but the approach to the most used runway is still non-precision (no ILS). Way to go Canada! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomerPete Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 You are so right. The old Ottawa terminal was an absolute embarassment, not to mention providing its many functional shortcomings. I have been to a good many 3rd world airports, as well as 1st and 2nd, and Ottawa's terminal was worse than just about any of them. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.