London International Airport - Page 3

ForestryW · #41 Posted **May 6, 2010, 12:59 PM**

Expected completion date?

MolsonExport · #42 Posted **May 6, 2010, 1:47 PM**

This is just great news. I use YXU at least 6 times/year.

manny_santos · #43 Posted **May 7, 2010, 1:09 AM**

As time goes on I hope YXU becomes a more major airport. Traditionally Pearson Airport or Detroit Metro Airport is used by Londoners for major international flights. It would be certainly more convenient to get from London to major national and international destinations without having to go to YYZ or DTW. As of now YXU now has flights to Chicago, Vancouver, Calgary, and other major cities, and hopefully this will continue to expand.

sparky212 · #44 Posted **May 11, 2010, 8:37 PM**

tey released the design for the gateway proj. hres the link to dancor's site
http://www.dancor.ca/Portfolio/tabid...2/Default.aspx

ldoto · #45 Posted **May 11, 2010, 10:49 PM**

AIRPORT: Potential customers give it a warm reception as the London facility reports a financially healthy year

Last Updated: May 11, 2010 8:00am

Rendering of the Gateway Project being built by Dancor Construction on Robin's Hill Road north of the London International Airport. The project is expected to be completed by mid July. The London International Airport is getting a warm welcome when it pitches its business plan to potential customers of a multi- million-dollar cargo terminal that’s set to open this fall.

The terminal, dubbed the Gateway Project, will see an international free trade zone created at the airport so that goods can be shipped here from around the world and then sent across North America.

“The walls are up, it will be finished over the next few months (and) taxiways are being finished,” said Steve Baker, airport chief executive. “We will bring airlines and freight into those buildings for a terminal cargo business.”

The airport is aiming for a September opening. By then, there may be announcements about businesses locating at the cargo terminal, he said.

“We see signs of a recovery. We are meeting with cargo operators, airlines and freight forwarders, and the industry is showing signs of coming back. More goods are being shipped,” he said.

Just as the city markets itself for passenger traffic, it is selling the city globally to get cargo, Baker said. “We want to take this from a transportation centre to a trade centre.”

The $11-million cargo centre is funded by the federal government — with a contribution of $8 million — and by the city’s contributing $2.5 million. The airport kicks in the remaining $500,000.

The airport authority held its annual meeting this month and released details that show 2009 was a financially healthy year for the London airport. Its total operating budget was $37 million and revenue was $10.8 million, a $1 million increase over 2008.

It added $2.6 million into reserves, a $600,000 increase over the reserve contribution in 2008.

Long-term debt dropped to $13.4 million, from $14.2 million in 2008.

The airport authority’s board members also remain well paid, getting $800 to attend each board meeting and $300 for a committee meeting. The chairperson of the board gets $20,000 and its director gets $10,000.

The three executives that make-up the airport executive — Baker, vice-president Mike Seabrook and human resources director Janet Carr — earned a combined wage of $474,670 in 2009.

The airport recently announced it will undertake a $6.5-million expansion of its passenger terminal, a project to be carried out this year. Passenger traffic grew by 6% last year.

“It’s because of new business,” aid Baker of the growth. “We knew there were airlines in the U.S. not making money in their operations. We marketed them to come to London. We built our services.”

MolsonExport · #46 Posted **May 12, 2010, 2:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparky212

tey released the design for the gateway proj. hres the link to dancor's site
http://www.dancor.ca/Portfolio/tabid...2/Default.aspx

couldn't open the file

ldoto · #47 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 12:17 AM**

Update!!

The days of scooting across the frigid tarmac after getting off a flight from Punta Cana will soon be over at London International Airport.

A $6.5 million expansion of the terminal is well underway, one that will include the installation of four jetways, or loading bridges, directly onto aircraft.

The expansion should be completed by Dec. 15, in time for most of the seasonal charter flights to tropical hot spots where passengers come back still dressed in T-shirts and shorts.

“This will afford all the travelers a safe and comfortable access and exit to the aircraft,” said airport president Steve Baker.

The 18,000 sq. ft. expansion is more than doubling the existing departure lounge, creating seating for up to 600 passengers.

The second phase of the expansion — which will include a Tim Hortons outlet and a duty-free lounge in the departure lounge — should be completed by April 30.

Hayman Construction of London was awarded the contract and has started installing the structural steel.

Baker said the last terminal expansion was in 2004 and since then passenger traffic has jumped by 60%.

In 2009, despite the recession, the numbers of passengers using the terminal jumped 6% to 480,000.

Baker said the existing terminal is now pushed to capacity in the early morning with Delta, United, WestJet and Air Canada flights all departing within a two-hour window.

“It’s a ‘just-in-time expansion’,” said Baker.

The airport will use $3.5 million from reserves and will assume debt of $3 million to fund the expansion.

MolsonExport · #48 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 4:45 PM**

EVERY flight that I get on/off requires a walk on the tarmac. Maybe its just me, but all my flights go to Toronto/Detroit/Chicago (mostly connnecting)...maybe Vancouver/Calgary. Never Punta Cana. Who cares about 2-3% of the volume, vs. the vast majority that fly to less exotic locales? Is exposure to the elements a less important consideration for the overwhelming majority of passengers?

Simpseatles · #49 Posted **Oct 24, 2010, 3:08 PM**

This expansion of the departure lounge and jetways is really great news for the airport! I think it is in a unique location halfway between the 2 monster airports, and people here should have more flights available so they can be less dependant on them. Since we're almost 2 hours away from both Pearson and Detroit, we shouldn't have as many problems as other airports, like K-W(too close to Pearson) Windsor (way too close to Detroit)and Hamilton(I can't even keep track of which low cost European charter airline runs there now.)

In the future, I'd like to see year round flights to all major Canadian cities and flights to more American airpots, especially NYC. When I've gone there before the drive to Pearson takes longer then the actual flight! Seasonal European flights would be a pipe dream, but it could happen in the long term. I don't really care about Carribean (mostly 3rd world) resort destinations, but the more whining "I hate winter!" people gone, the better.

Having a larger airport with more destinations is sure to put us on the map.

Just a question, I see we're getting 4 new jetways, but can somebody tell me if these 2 things on either end of the covered walkway are also jetways? I've never seen them being used.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&h...01369&t=h&z=17

go_leafs_go02 · #50 Posted **Oct 24, 2010, 7:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

This expansion of the departure lounge and jetways is really great news for the airport! I think it is in a unique location halfway between the 2 monster airports, and people here should have more flights available so they can be less dependant on them. Since we're almost 2 hours away from both Pearson and Detroit, we shouldn't have as many problems as other airports, like K-W(too close to Pearson) Windsor (way too close to Detroit)and Hamilton(I can't even keep track of which low cost European charter airline runs there now.)

In the future, I'd like to see year round flights to all major Canadian cities and flights to more American airpots, especially NYC. When I've gone there before the drive to Pearson takes longer then the actual flight! Seasonal European flights would be a pipe dream, but it could happen in the long term. I don't really care about Carribean (mostly 3rd world) resort destinations, but the more whining "I hate winter!" people gone, the better.

Having a larger airport with more destinations is sure to put us on the map.

Just a question, I see we're getting 4 new jetways, but can somebody tell me if these 2 things on either end of the covered walkway are also jetways? I've never seen them being used.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&h...01369&t=h&z=17

I like flying out of London, have done it about 4 times in the last year alone.

I've never seen those jetways used at either end. Not sure what purpose they do, although I think for the exceptionally large planes, they'd be used, however, the largest are the E90's that go to Calgary daily.

How do you get up a level to get to those jetways? Elevator? Stairs? They're not ramps, that's obvious.

Vancouver - London seems to be a hit, and I could see that being upgraded to a flight daily year-round in a little bit.

London - Montreal definitely could warrant demand as well. We'll see when the airport is expanded.

Kokkei Mizu · #51 Posted **Oct 25, 2010, 5:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

London - Montreal definitely could warrant demand as well. We'll see when the airport is expanded.

If HSR ever happens then those flights would be obsolete. 3 hour train ride from London to montreal would be pretty attractive.

haljackey · #52 Posted **Oct 25, 2010, 5:31 PM**

The London airport is one of the few airports on the continent that have something really going for it.

Most airports in North America are over-congested or located too close to one-another. Since many airlines are reluctant to fly routes less often with bigger planes (like a 747 or A380), congestion persists.

London's airport is in a good location being smack in the middle of Detroit and Toronto airports. An expansion here could attract local travelers between these cities to come here instead of contribute to congestion at the other airports. People from London could use it, people from Chatam-Kent and Kitchener-Waterloo could use it. Heck, even people from Windsor and west-greater golden horseshoe area could use it if it's more practical to fly outa here than the others.

Yep, a big opportunity is here for London. I think HSR will help reduce aircraft movements, which is a good thing, but there will always be demand for air travel as long as fuel prices are cheap. London has room to grow and the city would really benefit from a massive airport expansion!

Just my thoughts.

ldoto · #53 Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 11:37 PM**

WOW!!!!:

Early next year, Londoners will have a harder time getting to Detroit.

Delta announced today they are cancelling service between the London International Airport and the Motor City.

"This is disappointing for us in London," Airport Vice President Mike Seabrook said in a news release. "The merger of Northwest Airlines and Delta, a restructuring of the combined airline that is now taking place, and the economics of the U.S. Airline Industry has resulted in this unfortunate news."

There had been three flights between Detroit and London daily, on 50 seat regional jets.

Delta says it's streamlining it's fleet, and offering fewer short distance flights on smaller planes.

These changes come into effect on January 4th.

Honest Scientist · #54 Posted **Feb 17, 2011, 3:10 PM**

Anyone have any update with regard to how the new expansion is coming along? Are the new Jet Bridges in place/in use or is that only going to happen after the scheduled completion date of April 2011?

Does anyone know for sure if this means we will now have a total of six Jet Bridges, the two from the last expansion (not sure how much they were used) plus the four new ones?

I applaud the expansion and would love to see the airport grow, with more US airlines providing direct flights into other big hubs: maybe American into Dallas-Fort Worth and Newark, maybe United added Denver, and lots more charters to the south (and Vegas, baby!).

Would be nice to see year-round daily jet service to Halifax and Vancouver in addition to Calgary and Winnipeg (should move to all-jet service to Ottawa and Montreal, if not to all flights to Toronto).

They should get Canada Customs and Borders to increase staffing so they can add larger jets and add charters to Europe.

I am pleased that they have gone forward with this and I think they will expand again if traffic increases (like I suggest above) - maybe eventually a 10 Jet Bridge airport is appropriate for London's size, regional catchment and location.

Also would love to start seeing some big cargo jets (747, DC10s, etc) come in daily to bring the Cargo/Free Trade zone blossom!

manny_santos · #55 Posted **Feb 17, 2011, 3:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldoto

WOW!!!!:

Early next year, Londoners will have a harder time getting to Detroit.

Delta announced today they are cancelling service between the London International Airport and the Motor City.

"This is disappointing for us in London," Airport Vice President Mike Seabrook said in a news release. "The merger of Northwest Airlines and Delta, a restructuring of the combined airline that is now taking place, and the economics of the U.S. Airline Industry has resulted in this unfortunate news."

There had been three flights between Detroit and London daily, on 50 seat regional jets.

Delta says it's streamlining it's fleet, and offering fewer short distance flights on smaller planes.

These changes come into effect on January 4th.

I can see why they would cut that service. It's WAY cheaper to take a bus to Detroit and fly directly from there.

MolsonExport · #56 Posted **Feb 17, 2011, 6:24 PM**

Used the Detroit connection many times. Now I will just go through Toronto for everything. It's better, because I can now avoid having my privates groped/photographed, which is increasingly what happens with security in American airports.

GreatTallNorth2 · #57 Posted **Feb 18, 2011, 2:16 AM**

I flew out of London to Chicago and back about a week ago. Overall, the experience was good except when we landed in London, it seemed the airport was running on a shoestring. It was around 10:00 pm and I know there are not many flights landing at this time, but if they want people to take them seriously, they need more staff. It seemed like the same guy operated the passenger bridge that unloaded the plane and loaded the luggage.

Having said that, it took me about 10-15 mins total to get my boarding pass and pass security..what a breeze compared to Pearson.

MolsonExport · #58 Posted **Feb 18, 2011, 4:46 AM**

plus, your bags from detroit ended up in the twilight zone, and not on the baggage carousels.

Honest Scientist · #59 Posted **Feb 19, 2011, 12:57 AM**

Were the new Jet Bridges in place? Could you please give us a quick update on the construction?

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

I flew out of London to Chicago and back about a week ago. Overall, the experience was good except when we landed in London, it seemed the airport was running on a shoestring. It was around 10:00 pm and I know there are not many flights landing at this time, but if they want people to take them seriously, they need more staff. It seemed like the same guy operated the passenger bridge that unloaded the plane and loaded the luggage.

Having said that, it took me about 10-15 mins total to get my boarding pass and pass security..what a breeze compared to Pearson.

GreatTallNorth2 · #60 Posted **Feb 20, 2011, 12:05 AM**

There was a passenger on the flight that had crutches, so they said they were using the bridge. It took the guy 15 minutes to get the bridge in place...kind of a joke. This was my return flight. When we boarded to Chicago, we didn't use any bridge, just climbed the stairs. I was told the smaller jets are very bumpy, but I must say the United jets are very smooth (Canadair or something).

The construction is still ongoing at London Airport. The terminal waiting room is much larger than what I was used to. The customs area and luggage area are pretty small. I'm glad that London airport is growing. Hope we get more U.S. flights. A discount airline would be really nice.