Officials at YVR are fulfilling a promise to create new protocols to avoid the type of operational breakdowns that left hundreds of pax stranded at the airport - in some cases for days - during a major snowstorm that coincided with DEC holidays.
Four months later, a new $40 million action plan will add more staff, improve training, use technology, increase communication, and invest in additional equipment to keep more aircraft moving and passengers informed. The plan, announced 18APR, follows a comprehensive After-Action Review of the 17-28DEC, 2022 travel disruption at YVR, as well as direct feedback from over 1,500 passengers and members of the public.
“While the review confirms our safety promise was kept, it shows that our customer service commitment was not,” said Tamara Vrooman, President and CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority.
“Passengers clearly told us that, while they recognize aviation is a complex ecosystem of different partners and players, they want YVR to take a leading role in providing more information, better access to front-line staff, and other improvements in times of extreme travel disruption - this action plan provides our roadmap for doing just that.”
The review highlights both the changing realities of passenger and aircraft traffic post-COVID as well as the impacts of climate change and more extreme weather events that strain on airport services. While the review found that these services performed well during regular operations, it found that the systems and processes YVR has relied on in the past must be made more resilient and adaptable for more frequent and extreme weather disruptions.
The five key focus areas, with a total of 25 action items, outlined in the review include:
- Enhance Winter and Irregular Operations – installation of new real-time weather monitoring equipment, new gate protocols to ensure arriving aircraft can deplane passengers within 30 minutes of taxiing off the runway, and additional winter weather equipment and de-icing fluid storage capacity to meet the new realities of sustained, extreme weather events.
- Enhance Cross-Team Collaboration – additional information sharing across different airport partners as well as establishing a permanent team from across the Airport Authority and partners to enhance decision-making and improve passenger focus.
- Accelerate Investments in Technology and Data – better prioritization of aircraft on the airfield, as well as an improved ability to track delayed baggage through real-time technology and data, including a new digital apron monitoring tool.
- Enhance In-Terminal Passenger Supports - more staff will be trained to directly support travellers using better and up-to-date information throughout the terminal 24/7. Improved digital communications directly to passengers in the terminal about resources will be made available, including accessibility services.
- Enhance Communications to Passengers and Public – YVR commits to sharing more information more often, including committing to making better use of its website and provide information to stakeholders, partners, and other organizations to get people the updates they need in a more reliable and consistent way. There will be regular public reporting on YVR’s on-time performance, baggage performance, and security screening times.
Read the final report and action plan here.
