Source: Niagara This Week
Niagara District Airport’s transformation is taking flight in June with the launch of a luxury motor coach service designed to save travellers time and money on their way to Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Partnering with Air Canada and The Landline Co., the service allows passengers to park their vehicles, check their bags and get their boarding passes in Niagara at no additional cost.
“This is one of the biggest items for the airport in quite some time, certainly in decades,” Dan Pilon, CEO of the Niagara-on-the-Lake airport, said during a Thursday news conference.
Ranbir Singh, director of regional airlines and markets for Air Canada, highlighted the new service’s built-in safety net: if there is a traffic delay en route to Pearson, Air Canada will automatically rebook the passenger’s flight. International travellers will still clear customs at Pearson, but the ground transport is fully covered in the ticket price, and Aeroplan members will earn points for both the ground and air travel.
“It will feel like one seamless trip,” said Nick Johnson, vice-president commercial for Landline.
Johnson said there will be three buses travelling daily to Pearson and returning to Niagara, beginning at 5:20 a.m., 11:20 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. The service is scheduled to begin June 15, but booking starts Wednesday.
“It’s not a motor coach. It’s not public transit,” said Singh. “It’s a luxury motor coach.”
Built in Quebec by Prevost, the coach can accommodate 36 passengers and offers free Wi-Fi, leather seats, power outlets and full accessibility. Singh expects “well into the thousands” of people will take advantage of the service in the first year.
“We’ve done the business case,” he said. “We think Niagara is a slam-dunk.”
Air Canada and Landline launched similar services from Chris Hadfield Airport in Sarnia and Muskoka Airport to Pearson. It is operating from airports in Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton.
The service is the next step in creating an airport that will transform the Niagara region, said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.
“This will take us to the next level,” he said.
Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake own the airport, which was established in 1929. But, said Diodati, it has been a perennial money loser.
“It’s been an underperforming asset. Either we turn it into a positive producing asset, or we are not going to subsidize an airport for a few guys who own private planes.”
St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe said the service will provide “tangible benefits” for Niagara, such as boosting the tourism economy, improving access to flights and encouraging investment in the area.
“This is the step we needed to take,” he said.
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s deputy lord mayor, Erwin Wiens called it a “massive” first step, even quipping at one point Air Canada may not have enough buses to handle the demand.
The motor coach service fits with Niagara District Airport’s 20-year, $195-million master plan to transform the facility into a major regional commercial hub, said Pilon.
Officials have been pushing to expand the airport’s assets, such as extending the runway to accommodate larger airplanes, constructing a new terminal building with customs/security services and enhanced parking. The goal is to attract 600,000 passengers annually, while creating more than $1 billion in economic output.
Asked about extending the runway, Diodati said it could happen in “two to three years.”
Pilon said the airport has “a lot of work to do” over the next three months to prepare for the new coach service. He said the airport will be adding 60 parking spaces, expanding its seating and reorganizing staff hours in an effort to “make it a Niagara customer experience.”
Pilon said Landline will be available to take travellers arriving at Niagara District Airport to Marriott Niagara Fallsview hotel, as well as to St. Catharines and Old Town in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He said other options for arriving customers include Uber and taxis.
“I don’t think it can be overstated,” Pilon said. “It may seem like a small step, but it really is a large step.”