Dear Editor,
Re: “YVR spends $40 million after December chaos,” News, April 20.
I was one of the unfortunate to have travelled through YVR during the severe weather event in December.
Nothing was good about the experience. I spent almost 24 hours over two days to leave on holiday, and I was one of the lucky ones who was able to return home for about four hours and then return to the turmoil of YVR.
Day one was straight forward until boarding time and then it was delay after delay. We couldn’t board as they said there was no gate agent available.
When we were allowed to board there was a lot of reasons why we couldn’t leave. First it was no room at de-icing, then it was a weather delay and then it was the crew timed out. We then had to wait until a gate agent returned and we were able to deplane and collect our luggage.
Five hours later our bags came out as the ground crew had gone home and the day shift crew did not arrive and ground equipment was frozen and baggage had to be off-loaded by hand. We now go outside to get a taxi in one foot of snow and wait 90 minutes as there was no snow clearing on roadways or sidewalks into or out of YVR.
On returning to YVR about four hours later to retry our flight, as suggested, it was a five-hour check-in process with no direction whatsoever.
Once past security (the only good part), all restaurants and food service were either overwhelmed or closed as the new shift of employees were stuck in the snow or just stayed home. Four hours after that we finally took off with an hour-long de-icing to boot.
YVR needs to look at way more than what they plan for that $40 million. Get the airlines to own up to their shortcomings, have plans for severe weather events and have their staff stick around instead of abandoning the flying public.
Time to learn, YVR, you need to do better than what you propose. We, the passengers, are the ones who pay the so-called airport improvement fee, so make it a priority.
Neil Bruce
RICHMOND
