Airport Experiences: YTZ (Billy Bishop Airport, Toronto)

Did you know Toronto has two airports?

Everyone knows YYZ (Pearson International Airport), that big one in the upper left corner that has the honor of hosting a slew of airlines while acting as Air Canada’s hub.  It has lovely glass walkways that seem to go on forever, questionable artwork that is likely more meant for entertainment than deep thought, and a slew of shops in which you can buy the usual overpriced but Canadianized snack food.  Familiar to Torontonians and foreigners alike, if you’ve flown through Toronto chances are you flew into YYZ.

My point? 

Not about YYZ, I assure you.  That would be like writing a commentary on Coke.  Drink it and make your own opinion.  Better yet, ask your neighbor as for sure they will have an opinion you can steal, origionalize, and claim as your own.  Instead, let’s talk about YTZ, that other Toronto airport.

Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ), often referred to as the “island airport” by Torontonians, is a small airport located on an island directly across from Toronto’s downtown core.   It caters mostly to business passengers traveling to destinations within a few hours of Toronto.  Flights are on prop planes as the runway is too short to land jets on, however the popularity of the airport has recently brought the viability of jet travel from YTZ into question.

 For those not in-the-know:

FlyerTalk: http://www.flyertalk.com/the-tarmac/porter-airlines-wants-to-take-on-air-canada.html

Globe & Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/mayor-ford-asks-for-report-on-billy-bishop-expansion/article11516617/

Assuming we’re all educated now, for kicks let’s look at the airport itself and the implications of an expansion.

YTZ is easy enough to get to, being located in the downtown core, however it isn’t directly connected to the mainland.  As a result, it has the dubious honour of offering one of the shortest ferry rides in the world.  Having ridden that ferry more times than I would like, I’ll say that in Lena-years this ferry takes ages.

Passengers arrive at the ferry terminal where they cue on the upper floor for up to fifteen minutes (they promise, but I’ve absolutely waited longer than this) before being loaded and carried the short distance to the terminal (schedule: http://www.torontoport.com/Airport/Getting-To/Ferry-Schedule.aspx).  Luckily, there are check-in facilities at the ferry terminal, including both machines and agents, so those rushing for the flight and just missing the ferry aren’t completely without hope (I wouldn’t recommend showing up less than 1 hour before your flight unless you are drunk already, have a bottle with you that you plan to polish off before security, or enjoy the wild ride that is the potential anxiety of missing your flight).

Once across, passengers have a quick walk to the main check-in counter, which I have never once seen even moderately busy.

 

From there, passengers usually have a short but very exacting security check before proceeding to the departures lounge.  Of note for frequent flyers, there is no priority line (gasp!).

The lounge is downstairs, offering a setup reminiscent of cubicles in an office with chairs set to face each other in small sets of four.  WiFi is free, and if you need computer access there is a somewhat austere business centre in the back.  Also on offer are drinks (water, pop, juice, hot chocolate, coffee, espresso maker, tea) and snacks (mixed nuts and cookies).  There is no charge for these, and there is also a small shop attached that offers more substantial options for purchase.  Another note for frequent flyers, all passengers have access to this area and there is long Star Alliance lounge (Elitist snob nightmare!  Gasp #2!).

 

 

 

The airport offers only a handful of gates, and the walk is delightfully short to any plane you might be catching (girls, keep your heels on, this is a non-running shoe necessary airport).  When the flight is called, passengers file through glass sliding doors and down a brief hallway to one of several desks where tickets and IDs are checked.  Boarding proceeds from there.

 

So overall, what are the key pros and cons?

Pros:

1.       Downtown location: I’m not convinced that this airport is a faster experience than YYZ, but it does have a phenomenal location.  Transit from the terminal into the downtown core has gotten better over the last several years, and with a shuttle service to Union Station and a timetable for the ferry I would expect the experience to continue to improve.  On top of that, the landing is hard to beat, coming in parallel to the Toronto skyline.  Honestly, I’ve landed in some phenomenal locations globally and never gotten the city skyline these flights offer.

2.       The airport authority has promised travelers a walkway “coming soon”, placating complaints related to the inefficient ferry they currently use.

3.       Departure lounge: Free food, newspapers and a business area with about two dozen computers.  Wifi is easy to access and doesn’t require a password, making this a great offering for those passengers who don’t typically have access to an airline lounge.

4.       Flights are rarely full.

Cons:

1.       Logistics: (1) The ferry: touted as one of the shortest ferry rides in the world, I’m quite certain I could swim across faster.  (2) Getting a taxi: a harrowing experience where you wait with the masses until someone shouts and waves at you to go to “that cab over there!”  (3) Security: For a primarily business-oriented airport where travelers know the procedures, could the agents be any slower?  (4) Pick-up: there is no area for stopping and no cellphone lot, so coordinating pick-up of a passenger is an unpleasant exercise in patience or non-verbal growling.

2.       No Maple Leaf Lounge: If you’re a frequent flyer, you may have gotten use to a little quiet place where you can have a lowball before or between flights.  The YTZ departure area is advertised as a lounge however it’s a far cry from your average Star Alliance offering.

3.       Routing: YTZ is small and caters to small planes.  As such, the route offerings are limited and the distance they travel often means that a connection is necessary.

In my experience, while YTZ is a great concept it has failed to deliver.  My primary complaint is related to the logistics of catching a flight and the ease of getting home when I land.  It’s poorly done and they are overburdened by the passengers they currently cater to.  I’m hard pressed to understand how they intend to efficiently and effectively bring it more flights and passengers.  An expansion is obviously worth considering, but first I would challenge them to work out the bugs in their current system. 

Judge for yourself, but for my part I’ll stick to Pearson.