JANUARY 2011
Happy New Year
community:
Richmond’s history of technology
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air traffic:
New HondaJet takes flight page
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aviation history:
DC-3 begins 76th year of service page
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As Vancouverites ushered in 2011, memories remain of the biggest event hosted in the province last year—the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The two-week event drew thousands of athletes and visitors to the province and produced an outpouring of street parties and spontaneous celebrations, punctuated by the Canadian men’s hockey team gold medal win. At YVR, the planning process was in effect for more than three years and included testing and tweaking of all aspects of the airport’s business and operations—from baggage systems that would handle a variety of winter equipment to arrangements to park the additional aircraft that arrived during the Games. In advance of the Games, YVR completed a number of construction projects ahead of schedule, including the new Domestic Terminal pre-security retail street, the Observation Deck and the airport area portion of the Canada Line, which connects the airport to downtown Vancouver in just 26 minutes. YVR’s goal was to make travel throughout the airport a smooth and seamless process for the additional 231,000 people that came through its doors during the 2010 Winter Games. To alleviate congestion in the terminal
on March 1—departure day, the busiest day in the airport’s history—YVR introduced off-site check-in at the Olympic villages in downtown Vancouver and Whistler. A new terminal was built—the Sea Island Remote Terminal—to take the Olympic family away from the terminals and allow regular customers to access the airport easier and faster. All of this contributed to the smooth flow of passenger traffic in the pre-board lounges and public spaces throughout the terminals. Not only did the 2010 Winter Games generate a host of medals for Canadian
athletes—26 at the final count—it contributed as much as $2.5-billion in gross domestic product in B.C., according to a study released last month by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Additionally, the Vancouver Organizing Committee’s final financial report stated the Games broke even. While these initial results of the financial effect of the Games are promising, the BC Government expects the full impact to be even greater once a full review of 2010 is completed. “We’ve always believed that the Games
would provide the catalyst for economic, social, and athletic development provincially and nationally,” said B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen. “These preliminary results are significant, and we know that when we measure 2010 fully, we’ll see that British Columbia got an even more powerful economic lift from the Games just when we needed it most.” YVR welcomed the world on a grand scale in 2010, and as a result of good strategic partnerships and planning, created an amazing first and last impression of Canada, one that will be continued in 2011.
Tee it up at the new Flash mob at YVR PGA Tour Shop
travel talk:
New Zealand, unique and diverse page
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car talk:
2011 VW Jetta
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Last month, while travellers at a number of North American and European airports coped with numerous flight cancellations due to heavy snowfalls, Air Canada spread the holiday spirit at YVR with Operation Snowflake, (Flocon in French), a flash mob event. A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time, then disperse. The event, which appears spontaneous at the time, is designed to surprise passersby. The Air Canada-sponsored event included Abandon Paris, a local band who performed at the 2010 Winter Games Opening Ceremony and whose
lead singer is an Air Canada employee, and dancers from Arts Umbrella Dance Company. Much to the delight of onlookers in the Domestic Terminal, Abandon Paris played and sang and the Arts Umbrella troupe donned Santa Claus hats and danced to a medley of Christmas pop classics. Occurring a week before Christmas at the start of the heavy holiday travel season, the event brought smiles and holiday cheer to those travellers lucky enough to witness the act. To view the video of the sequence on YouTube, visit www. AirCanadaFlashMob.com.
New Website Now UP & Flying! www.aviationworld.net
Sign up for our eNewsletter and a chance to Win a $25 Gift Card. * YVR is the international aeronautical designation for Vancouver International Airport.
The new pre-security PGA Tour Shop has special offers this month. YVR is pleased to welcome the PGA Tour Shop to its roster of retailers. Through an exclusive merchandising agreement with the PGA Tour, the store partners with the legendary brand to appeal not only to golf enthusiasts, but also customers seeking casual clothing. Located pre-security next to the Level 3 International Departures Food Court, the PGA Tour Shop offers a selection of outerwear and sweaters for men and women, golf merchandise, accessories and instructional DVDs and books for enthusiasts wishing to brush up on their game or future PGA Tour champions just learning the sport. A wide assortment of
January Clearance Sale New items added weekly
well-known golf brands such as Callaway, Nike, Pebble Beach and PGA Tour are also available. The PGA Tour Shop’s grand opening specials will continue throughout this month—look for items such as two-forone Pebble Beach golf shirts and golf balls, PGA Tour Windshirts regularly priced at $48 on sale for $19.99 and 15-pack boxes of Top-Flite golf balls for $16.99. PGA Tour shops at airport locations in the U.S. have been named on Golf World magazine’s list of 100 Best Golf Shops for 14 consecutive years. The PGA Tour Shop at YVR is open 9am to 8pm daily.