Caught up in holiday travel chaos? YVR wants to hear from you
Vancouver’s airport is seeking feedback from people whose holiday travel plans were thwarted amid a series of winter storms.
Officials at Vancouver International Airport launched a two-phase public engagement process Tuesday that’s scheduled to last until Feb. 21.
“We would like to hear from passengers who travelled to or from the airport during the months of December 2022 and January 2023,” reads a statement on YVR’s website.
Members of the public who were impacted by the travel disruptions are also invited to participate in the process.
“The engagement will use a mix of consultation methods, including an online feedback form, virtual focus groups and panels, and written submissions to help ensure a diversity of experiences are included, such as travellers with mobility considerations or varying language or communication needs,” YVR wrote.
From Jan. 24-30, the airport is inviting participants to “share input on areas of interest such as topics and methods of engagement” for the first phase of the process. Taking part in phase one in not a prerequisite for phase two, which is scheduled to take place from Jan. 31 to Feb. 21. Those three weeks will involve input on “communication, service and support requirements,” according to YVR.
In the coming months, the airport plans to share feedback from this engagement, along with recommendations from the after-action review.
YVR launched the first phase of the engagement exactly two weeks after the airport’s president and CEO, Tamara Vrooman, was grilled by a federal transport committee over the holiday travel chaos.
The disruptions began a mere six days before Christmas, when about 30 centimetres of snow fell, bringing YVR to a standstill. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, impacting 90,000 passengers.
As of Jan. 3, about 1,500 unclaimed luggage items remained at the airport as a result of weeks of delays and cancellations. CTV News has reached out to YVR to see how much of that backlog has been cleared.
On top of engaging with the public over the winter travel chaos, YVR has also engaged the accounting firm KPMG and the global aviation firm Arup to review its response to the disruptions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.