We recently spoke with Mary Jordan, the Airport Authority’s new Chair of the Board of Directors, to find out more about her involvement in aviation and airports and what she sees in the future for YVR. Here’s what we found out:

Q: Thanks for speaking with us today. I guess the first big question is how did you get involved in the aviation world?
A: I joined American Airlines right after doing my MBA at the University of Texas. I was attracted to the industry in general because I felt I could make a contribution. I was attracted to the company specifically because of its ambitious growth plan.

Q: So, are you originally from the United States?
A: Actually, I was born in Canada. I’ve lived in both Canada and the US…with a few years of high school spent in Ireland.

Q: What do you recall as your best moment in the aviation industry?
A: I’d have to say that it was joining a company that took risks on people. American Airlines had a practice of giving people all sorts of interesting assignments. That turned out to be a fantastic thing for my career.

Q: And what was your most terrifying moment?
A: One assignment—that in retrospect I was lucky to get—was a transfer from a purely staff role to one in operations. I was sent to California to head up a commuter airline and I had absolutely no operations experience…and on my calendar the first week was a meeting with the Federal Aviation Authority! But it proved to me that if you have the right people in the right roles you are able to achieve a tremendous amount. Ultimately, I was very proud of what we accomplished and it led to my being assigned to Canadian Airlines, which was an American Airlines partner at the time.

Q: Did you continue in an operations capacity at Canadian Airlines?
A: I came to Canadian Airlines initially in the role of President of Canadian Regional. After that, I moved to the mainline as Senior VP, Customer Service and Operations…so yes, I did continue in operations roles.

 Q: How do you think your experience in the airline industry will colour your leadership of Vancouver Airport Authority?
A: I think I have a healthy appreciation for the complexity of the business and I also have the perspective that airlines are key customers for an airport. It’s important for us to provide excellent customer service (and by customers I mean both passengers and airlines). It’s also essential that we grow our business, understand trends in the industry and take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.

Q: Where do you see those new opportunities?
A: There are definitely new opportunities for routes to Asia, and new routes with carriers such as WestJet. We should also be looking at regions that are not well served from YVR, such as Latin America. With the advent of long-range aircraft, there are very few areas that are beyond our reach. I hope that we see more liberalization of air policies that allow us to take advantage of these new route opportunities.

Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge for YVR in the near term?
A: The biggest challenge for us is growing the business. While the economy is recovering, some areas are experiencing faster growth than others. Over the past 18-20 months, airlines have cut service, but I’m pleased to see it’s starting to turn around now. We have to grow, but at the same time maintain our standards of excellent service and safety—which is always our number one priority. YVR needs to stay flexible so we can take advantage of any number of possibilities coming our way in the form of new airlines, routes or air policies. We have a duty to be nimble and aggressive, since we add significant economic value to BC and Canada.

Q: We’ve seen a lot of growth at YVR in terms of capital expansion. Did we get too big too quickly?
A: One of the realities of the airport industry is that you have to build terminal space in chunks. We’ve done that, and we made sure we had our best face on for the Olympics. We received a lot of praise…due in huge measure to the great job done by YVR employees. We’ve been successful in planning and building flexible space. We’re ready for wherever growth takes us—whether that’s international, domestic or both.

Q: What do you do when you’re not thinking about growing the business at YVR?
A: In addition to being on a number of boards and volunteering, I love taking advantage of the wonderful outdoor opportunities we have in this beautiful part of the world: tennis, skiing, biking…basically being outside as much as possible.

Thank you for spending a little time with us today, and congratulations on your new position as Chair of Vancouver Airport Authority.

Vancouver Airport Authority was excited to be a part of the Marpole Community Day this past Saturday in Vancouver. The celebrations gave us the chance to get out into the community with some the YVR team, and answer questions about all things airport  including facilities, operations, environment and history.

Kids especially enjoyed receiving YVR tattoos and checking out the large YVR  model. The model is a birds eye (or an arrivals eye) view of our runways, gates and terminals and shows off the location of the Canada Line Terminal and our Observation Area, located on Level 4 of the Domestic Terminal Building. If you missed the weekend and want to see an interactive model of Sea Island and the airport – check out our Observation Area.

In all, we really enjoyed the day and thought it was great success – and don’t worry parents, the tattoos were only temporary.

Join us for our Annual Public Meeting on Thursday, May 13 at 3:30pm.  This is your opportunitiy to learn about our 2009 annual report and financial statements.

The meeting will take place in the East Concourse, Departures Level of our International Terminal Building.   We look forward to seeing you there!

The 2009 Annual Report will also be available online at www.yvr.ca on April 29, 2010.

Vancouver Airport Lost & Found staff had some help this week from a temporary recruit.  Henry Hudson Bear was so impressed with YVR being named the best airport in North America by SkyTrax, he decided to jump from his snuggly, warm backpack and stay longer – while his owner continued on her journey home to Ontario.

Henry Hudson Bear – we like to call him HHB for short (after all, an airport is nothing without its acronyms) – took off on a new adventure all the way from the domestic terminal to the lost & found office at the international customer care counter. For those of you who have walked this distance, you will know this is no small accomplishment, especially for a bear with very small legs (and no shoes). There, he found friendly YVR staff who were welcoming and kind to this lost bear and made him a part of their team to help reunited passengers with lost items.

Sandi, YVR Customer Care representative, takes care of every passenger

Once his owner, a school teacher, realized HHB had taken off on new adventures all alone she was grief stricken and wondered if she or her students would ever see him again. Her search began by going to the airport website at www.yvr.ca and contacting YVR’s Lost & Found with this message:

Lost! VERY VERY IMPORTANT + VALUABLE!
White/Beige Teddy Bear approximately 14 inches tall (30-40 cm) wearing red+white Canada scarf, and maroon knitted sweater with red Canada Maple Leaf on front

Immediately, YVR staff were able to identify the great explorer HHB as this lost bear. Staff were reluctant to let their new recruit go home as he was helping out in the office, he was clearly well loved and very much missed. On hearing of HHB’s whereabouts, his owner immediately communicated him through his Twitter account where he has been recounting all his recent adventures to the students while away from home.

Henry Hudson Bear working the phones

HHB and his owner have been reunited with the help of FedEx. He certainly has some exciting stories to tell the school kids about his adventures at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, as well as share his newly learned customer care skills from YVR.

Bon voyage HHB from all at YVR.

On the day following the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, YVR said goodbye to Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee and numerous Paralympic athletes, coaches and team members as they travelled home.  Many of the athletes seen at the airport today have become familiar faces after their memorable and inspirational performances during the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

Sir Philip Craven shook hands with athletes and volunteers as he made his way through YVR on his return journey to England.

Russian national team members checked in for their flight home carrying with them unforgettable experiences, souvenirs and great stories to tell  — along with a lot of oversize luggage and specialized equipment.

Specialized equipment and oversize luggage check in at YVR

YVR staff and VANOC volunteers and were on hand to ensure their departure from YVR was smooth and seamless.  Musical entertainment throughout the terminal provided a celebratory theme to the day.

German Gold medalists Verena Bentele and Wilhelm Brem at YVR

There was even time for German Biathalon and Cross-country athletes, Verena Bentele and Wilhelm Brem, to relax and enjoy a golden moment in the warm spring sunshine, much to the enjoyment of passers by.

Sir Philip Craven leaves Vancouver

Just before 6am this morning, a driver unintentionally backed into the U.S.A. Departures Terminal at YVR. There were no injuries.

YVR operations have not been impacted and there is no effect on traffic coming to and from the terminal.

Stay tuned for the latest updates.

Where imaginations soar

YVR’s new Public Observation Area is a fun place to bring family and friends for a day trip to watch aviation activity up close and enjoy the interpretive activities in the space. Easily accessible on Canada Line, you can access free telescopes, an interactive airport model, a virtual flight over British Columbia and videos about YVR staff and activities. Come out for lunch and enjoy the truly unique scenery. Full details are available at www.yvr.ca

Earlier this week, a new art piece aptly titled “Arriving Home” was added to the YVR International Terminal as part of the Vancouver Biennale exhibition, taking place from 2009-2011. 

On loan to Vancouver Airport Authority for the duration of the Vancouver Biennale, the installation is a part of the “In Transit-ion” collection showcased in parks, aside bike paths and along the Canada Line. 

The metallic creation by Brooklyn-based artist Dennis Oppenheim was designed to symbolize movement, mimicking the rhythms, freedom and exhilaration of travel and mobility. Constructed out of steel and lexan acrylic, the piece’s spiraling, colourful and iridescent form looks as though it’s alive and about to spin through space.

Oppenheim received international attention for his conceptual work in the sixties and later for his body art, video photography and performance work.  He continues to be an influential figure in contemporary art and his current work in large-scale outdoor sculpture installations has garnered international acclaim.

With a goal of providing citizens and visitors access to art in public spaces, the Vancouver Biennale is a free, 22-month open air exhibition featuring world-renowned sculptors and new media artists. 

“Arriving Home”  is located outside of the International Terminal, Arrivals Level 2, just underneath the YVR Canada Line station.

Recently, we asked a few Airport Authority employees to be the eyes and ears here at YVR and share their stories. Our roving reporters will give us different insights on what’s happening at the airport in the lead up to the 2010 Winter Games. For our first installment, reporters Barb Brown and Ivan Tse write about the new Public Observation Area:

You can feel the energy of the Olympics approaching as the media seem to be an ever present sighting at Vancouver International Airport. Why?  Well, it seems that new facility openings are becoming a weekly occurrence here at YVR. July 9 saw the launch of our new C Pier expansion in the Domestic Terminal, July 16 was the official opening of the Public Observation Area on level 4 of the Domestic Terminal.

This new area with windows spanning 7 metres high and 42 metres long offers the public a fantastic view of the airfield and the surrounding landscape. With its bright and airy feel, this space has seating for 150 visitors to take in the view while enjoying a bite to eat. The best part – it’s in the public area - you don’t need to be a passenger to see activity on the airfield.

If the excitement of the view and architecture weren’t enough to get you revved up to visit YVR, the space offers telescopes, information panels, an interactive scale model of Sea Island, touch-screen kiosks and the BC Explorer.

The BC Explorer gives visitors an opportunity to navigate a virtual fly-through of BC, using satellite mapping. You can touch down into BC communities to watch videos on your selected area. I asked Australian born and Airport Authority employee, Martin York, what he thought of his test drive of the BC Explorer.  Laughing, he said “I can’t even find the airport. Hey, can I get to Sydney on this thing?”

Dean Koyanagi, a plumber with the Airport Authority maintenance team, was asked how he felt about his newly acquired star status as he is featured in one of the touch-screen kiosk videos about some of the unique jobs at YVR. He replied, “No press please – contact my agent” as he grinned and moved to view another kiosk.

One of the great things about these interactive displays is that they are smaller in size and can be used by kids, noted Tom Phipps, an Airport Authority employee.

A common theme voiced by the large crowd at the opening was that the Observation Area brought back fond childhood memories of watching planes at YVR. It reminded many of times when they watched their loved ones’ planes take off or land. It has been more than 30 years since YVR has had a space where the public can view the airfield.

A big hit at the grand opening was a demonstration by YVR’s Airfield Emergency Services team. Fire trucks and sweepers were presented by Chane Thomas, Manager, Airfield and Emergency Services, while his team orchestrated maneuvers on the airfield. The finale had two fire trucks facing each other blasting water creating an high arch, usually reserved as a salute to retiring pilots. This spectacular display with the combination of the water and sunshine produced a beautiful rainbow which was the perfect ending to the grand opening.

 As we walked away, the space was in full swing as the public began filtering in for their first look. It seemed like this space has always been here.

Barbara Brown & Ivan Tse, YVR Roving Reporters

Check out the photos of our new Public Observation Area that opened today. The area is all pre-security so anyone can come and watch the activity on the airfiled. There’s also interactive exhibits, telescopes and a huge model display of Sea Island. The last time YVR had a public viewing area was more than 30 years ago.

We’ll post more photos as they come in on our Flickr page. Do you have any cool photos of the observation area? Post them on our Flickr group!