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The Saskatoon Airport Authority is pleased to present the Winter 2011/12 edition of Airstrip, our e-newsletter, which delivers information about Saskatoon's airport to our customers and community partners.
Airport Statistics
The Saskatoon Airport is on its way to completing another stellar year as we continue our pattern of record setting months in 2011.
October and November were exceptional months for air travel at our the airport, with passenger traffic volume exceeding 100,000 people in both months. That figure, which three years ago was unheard of, has now been surpassed in seven of the 11 months so far this year. December is almost guaranteed to see high numbers as well.
All market segments have done well over recent months -- local Saskatchewan passenger volumes were the largest in November since 2000; other domestic travel established the best November ever; trans-border traffic in November established a new record for any month and the winter charter program has its strongest start on record.Passenger Traffic
Where in the world would you like to go?
Saskatoon may not have direct flights to your destination, but chances are, you can get there with one easy connection.
Going to Asia? Saskatoon offers 149 one stop flights per week through six North American gateway cites (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis) to the five major Asian gateway cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong). That's 21 per day.
Going to the USA? On a daily basis, you can access over
300 major U.S. cities with a one-stop connection through
major U.S. hubs of Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis.
Terminal expansion project update
Building tomorrow's airport... today
The Saskatoon airport is set to undergo an extensive expansion, with Phase I scheduled to begin in April 2012.
Visitors to the airport can look forward to expanded and enhanced food, beverage and retail services post-security.
We are committed to creating a customer friendly airport for our travelling public, including additional gates and a business lounge.
Phase I is scheduled to be completed in June 2013.
Check out the virtual tour.
Did you know?
- Construction will begin early in 2012 with completion in summer of 2014. No construction disruption will be experienced until after the upcoming winter charter program.
- The existing terminal is 139,000 square feet -- the new building will be 266,670 square feet.
- The expansion will include opportunity for a variety of food, beverage and retail services as well as a business lounge. The expanded services will primarily be postsecurity. The new Terminal will feature a pier design and offer eight bridgeable gates along with three ground-load positions.
- Increased seating capacity is a primary focus. The plan incorporates comfortable seating areas, business stations, a fireplace and children's play areas.
- The expansion will be funded through current airport revenues including the AIF fund.
- The terminal expansion is part of a 10-year, $115 million overall Airport capital plan. Future capital projects to be undertaken by the SAA include a parking structure and a privately-funded, integrated on-site hotel complex.
Airport service quality survey
The Saskatoon Airport Authority has chosen to participate in Airport Service Quality (ASQ) surveying, which is a part of the ACI's (Airports Council International) mandate.
This surveying is part of the airport's continuing commitment to provide the highest standards of service. It helps airports understand what is important to travelers as well as how our airport ranks against all other airports worldwide.
Quarterly reports allow us to identify key areas where we are exceeding passengers expectations and areas where improvement is required.
If you have completed a questionnaire in your previous travels to the airport, thank you. We appreciate you taking the time to complete our survey. Your feedback has been helpful in planning the service enhancements for the terminal building in the upcoming expansion.
Who's new?
Andrew Leeming
Andrew brings over 25 years of aviation industry experience having previously worked for Bombardier Aerospace, L-3 Communications and the Fredericton Airport Authority. His diverse background includes personnel and project management, airport operations and security, airport and airworthiness aviation regulations, safety management, emergency planning and ISO Quality Management Systems. He served on the CAC's operations safety and technical affairs committee for six years and was recently elected to the Northwest America Association of Airport Executives board as the northern representative.
We welcome Andrew, his wife Kimberley, and their four children to Saskatoon.
The SAA welcomes two new members to our board of directors. Mr. Russel Marcoux (CEO for Yanke Group of Companies) and Mr. James Kerby (partner with MacPherson, Leslie and Tyerman LLP).
The Board also says farewell to Mr. Karim (Kay) Nasser
and Mr. Tom Coates and thanks them for many years of
effective service and leadership to the board. Mr. Coates
is one of the longest serving board members for the SAA,
having been nominated in January 2002. Mr. Nasser has
served the Board since his nomination in June 2003.
Charter is season is here and well underway. Between three carriers, WestJet, Transat and Sunwing, you can leave Saskatoon to a warm, sunny destination seven days a week.
These destinations include:
| Cancun | Montego Bay | Puerto Vallarta |
| Los Cabos | Panama City | Huatulco |
| Varadero | Manzanillo | Santa Clara |
| Punta Cana | Las Vegas | Phoenix |
Air Canada
Air Canada continues to serve business traveller needs with multiple daily directs to Winnipeg, Toronto and Calgary.
WestJet
We welcome the return of twice-weekly direct flights to Las Vegas (Wednesday & Saturday). Our snowbirds look forward to direct flights to Phoenix -- commencing Fridays mid-November and an additional flight on Tuesdays mid- December.
United Airlines
With daily direct service to Chicago and twice daily to Denver, United offers easy connections to destinations around the world.
Delta Airlines
With hunting season underway, Delta Airlines' twice daily departures to Minneapolis includes an upgraded aircraft -- an Airbus 319 -- on Saturdays and Sundays.
Transwest Airlines
Following a great summer season, Transwest's fall schedule is in effect and includes new departure times from Saskatoon with continuing service to Prince Albert, La Ronge, Wollaston, Stony Rapids and Fond du Lac.
Express Air
Express Air began its fall/winter schedule on September 4th, with five daily flights to Regina and Saskatoon.
Pronto Airways
Pronto Airways flies to Northern Saskatchewan six days a week. Twice-daily flights are scheduled for five days a week.
West Wind Aviation President & CEO retires
Dennis Goll
With Dennis's retirement, West Wind welcomes its new President & CEO Gord Gillespie. Gord has moved to Saskatoon from Toronto, where he served as President of SLH Transport Inc. since June 2005.
West Wind's Wish Child
West Wind is proud to announce that, after many weeks of fundraising, over $26,000 was raised for the Children's Wish Foundation. The goal was to raise funds so the Children's Wish Foundation can grant wishes to their Wish Child, Ian, and other local children diagnosed with life threatening illness.
Route Mapper is a tool that enables people to check flight options from Saskatoon to any desired destination.
Check it out here.
Just enter your destination and the Route Mapper will display routes to your destination with up to two stops.
What is NEXUS?
The NEXUS card was introduced in 2008 as a joint Canada- United States program designed to expedite pre-approved, trusted travelers cross the US/Canada border.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), responsible for passenger security screening, has worked with NEXUS to extend the benefits to include security screening express lines at selected Canadian airports.
Members of the program are able to avoid lines at border entry points offering NEXUS clearance by using self-serve kiosks and reserved lanes.
For more information about the NEXUS program, visit the NEXUS website or call 1-866-NEXUS-26