Region of Waterloo International Airport - YKF

[Spokes]

Very interesting article, not only from a local perspective, but the entire project.

Sounds like using YKF as a southern hub is having fantastic local benefits.

[DHLawrence]

It may have been a trick of the eyes, but I believe I saw a Bearskin plane on the tarmac at YKF this afternoon.

[panamaniac]

Bearskin never left YKF - the run the charters for the School of the Blind in Brantford.

[white_brian]

Any idea what ground breaking is taking place today. 570news said the transport minister Lisa Raitt was coming for the ceremony

[Markster]

On the twitters, I saw this:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/biggianthead">@biggianthead</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FlyYKF">@FlyYKF</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/navcanada">@navcanada</a> Will be building new control tower</p>&mdash; Tom Galloway (@tomjgalloway14) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomjgalloway14/status/606800109398048768">June 5, 2015</a></blockquote>

[JoeKW]

Neat.. Will a new control tower give the airport any new capabilities?

[Guido]

Neat.. Will a new control tower give the airport any new capabilities?

Basically more space, better visibility, and updates for the controllers. Here's NavCanada's press release:

http://www.navcanada.ca/EN/media/Pages/NR-KW-Tower.aspx

NAV CANADA to build new control tower at the Region of Waterloo International Airport

(Ottawa and Waterloo, June 5, 2015) – NAV CANADA is pleased to announce the construction of a new air traffic control tower at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. The new structure will replace the existing tower built over 45 years ago. Work is set to begin this month and is anticipated to be completed by the summer 2017.
“The new tower will be significantly taller than what we have today. The added height will improve controllers’ sightlines to all the airport’s runways, taxiways and aprons,” says Rudy Kellar, NAV CANADA Executive Vice President, Service Delivery. “The tower cab will be larger and provide controllers with a 360-degree view of the airfield.” 
At 19.4 metres high (64 ft.), the new tower will be almost five metres (16 ft.) taller than the present structure; a 33⅓ per cent increase. The larger cab will expand the controllers’ workspace from the current 24 square metres (260 sq. ft.) to 32 sq. m (345 sq. ft.).  The four storey building will have an elevator.
"We are very pleased that NAV CANADA is modernizing their air traffic control service with a new state-of-the-art control tower," said Ken Seiling, Waterloo Regional Chair. "This new facility will be well suited for the existing traffic and will meet the future needs of our airport." (See artist’s rendering)
“The Region of Waterloo International Airport is an important gateway for the region and I am pleased that NAV CANADA is making this significant investment in the airport,” says the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport. “These types of investments in our aviation infrastructure will benefit both residents and businesses in the area.”
“The current tower was built in 1969,” notes Kellar. “At that time it was situated near the centre of the airport. Since then, runway 08/26 has been extended a further 3,300 feet to the east which put the centre well east of the tower’s location.”
The new facility will also feature much needed office space, a conference room, a fitness room, a quiet lounge, a lunch room and a training classroom. For controllers working in the cab there will be three new ergonomically designed consoles.

[Canard]

WestJet to fly from the Region to Orlando come December

Woo-hoo!!! Too bad it's only December to April to start (I do a yearly pilgrimage to Orlando in October for the Halloween events at the theme parks out of BUF), but this is so awesome.

A quick check of initial fares looks like they're in the $150-180 range one-way, which isn't too far off of the Southwest ~$120 fares I usually get out of BUF. Factor in parking, travel time, etc...

[panamaniac]

WestJet will offer new weekly flights from Region of Waterloo International Airport to Orlando, Florida starting this December.
The service will be offered seasonally, with Thursday flights available December 10, 2015 and running to April 28, 2016.
...

The new service has planes scheduled to leave Waterloo Region at 9:45 a.m. and arrive in Orlando at 12:30 p.m. Return trips leave Orlando at 2:00 p.m. an arrive in Waterloo Region at 4:42 p.m.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.3159714

[jerryhung]

Westjet's own website shows ~$200 one-way
http://westjet2.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1006

Now this may make the RBC WestJet credit card a bit more useful for East Coast $99 Companion fares....

[Canard]

I found flights in mid December for $150 one way YKF-MCO...

Also looks like it's just one per week, on Thursday. Makes for awkward vacation timing.

[YKF]

I found flights in mid December for $150 one way YKF-MCO...

Also looks like it's just one per week, on Thursday. Makes for awkward vacation timing.

Not necessarily. The one flight a week will tie into their Westjet Vacations side of things and allow them to sell 7-day packages. 

[Canard]

I meant for people who work in jobs where asking for a week off usually has the expectation that it will be a Monday to Friday interval.

[tomh009]

I meant for people who work in jobs where asking for a week off usually has the expectation that it will be a Monday to Friday interval.  

Which also allows you to max out vacation time at 9 days (including two weekends) for 5 days off, as opposed to 8 days vacation time for 6 days off.

[jgsz]

A new control tower and a new destination (Orlando) is great news.  However, I can't be the only one who feels shortchanged when it comes to our airport.

Kitchener-Waterloo's high-tech fever: "Internationally, their reputation is off the charts"

   

Too bad that internationally, Waterloo Region is not the easiest place to get to.  Pearson (YYZ) is close but during winter storms or rush hour traffic the drive may take over two hours.  And when you include the mandatory three hour early arrival for international flights we may as well drive to Kingston or Detroit.  And that's just not good enough.  But I suspect airlines look at the map and conclude that we are well served. 

Waterloo Region is also building an LRT.  Only four cities in Canada have an LRT: Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa.  Hamilton may get one and London isn't even on the map regarding an LRT yet they both offer more flights to more destinations that YKF.  And Hamilton is even closer to Toronto than we are.  What gives?  

What do we have to do to get more airlines and more destinations?