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.

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!

The new space is gorgeous, and outfitted with eight new retail stores – Brookstone, Sunglass Hut and Fruits& Passion included – and a bunch of new food options, including healthy Asian noodles at Rice Tales, and the infamous Vera’s Burger Shack, a local (and personal) favourite.

There are two new pieces of First Nations art, hotel-style washrooms, moving walkways, and even comfy window seats with foot rests so travellers can enjoy the comings and goings of Air Canada aircraft while they wait to board. Check out the video of the space and let us know what you think.

Further to this story, check out the completed green wall photos. We also just found out it’s the largest living wall in North America. Very cool. Special thanks to our landscape architect company Sharp and Diamond as well as our Engineering team.

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You may have already heard that the Canada Line will open up at the end of the summer, and we have three stations that are gearing up for opening day.

I was checking out the YVR-Airport station yesterday and saw that installation has begun on a cool new green wall that lines the station’s north side. I talked to our Engineering department and learned that YVR is the first Canadian airport to install a green wall.

The green wall is big: 18 metres high and 12 metres wide. When all is said and done, the green wall will house 28,249 individual plants on 2,173 panels along with a built in irrigation and feeding system. Next time you’re at YVR, check out the new green wall at YVR-Airport station. The best views are from the parkade bridge connecting the International Terminal at departures level 3, or from Chester Johnson park, International Terminal arrivals level 2.

Volunteering at YVR has its perks. Doreen Zenert – one of the Airport Authority’s Green Coat volunteers - recently bumped into Adam Kreek at the airport carrying the 2010 Winter Games Torch. Adam was a member of Canada’s mens eight rowing crew who recently won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Natalie Trudel, our Human Resources Employment Advisor, recently took in the 2009 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Gala. So we asked Natalie what she thought about the test event:

Why did you attend the event?
I used to be a huge figure skating fan and it’s been a long time since I’ve gone to any events so this was definitely something of interest.  Attending the event has reignited my interest in the sport and I can’t wait for the Olympics!

What did you find most interesting about the competition?
What I found most interesting was that only two of the four continents were represented at the Four Continents gala exhibition – North America and Asia.

Which skater wore the best costume?
I was expecting it to be one of the ladies or ice dancers, but it was definitely Evan Lysacek, the U.S. men’s skater who won the silver medal at the event.  I think he got his inspiration when he came through YVR…

Left: Evan Lysacek. Right: Totem Pole at YVR’s Link Building

Meet Kathy deLisser, YVR’s Manager of 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Operations. Kathy is one of the 400 people who work  here at the Airport Authority and it’s her job to keep our planning and preparations on track in the lead up to the 2010 Winter Games.

Kathy’s worked with the Airport Authority since 1994. She is managing the specific needs of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes, officials, VIPs and spectators who will be travelling through YVR in February and March of 2010.

Throughout each test event this past winter, Kathy and her colleagues determined a focus for the event that will mirror the Games-time experience. For example, the World Press Briefing brought 300-plus international journalists through YVR for a logistics briefing on the Games. Kathy chose to test dedicated lanes for arrival processes and coordination and integration of transportation services between VANOC and YVR.

The best part of Kathy’s job?  “Being exposed to the excitement of an Olympic Games from a planning perspective. This role has given me the opportunity to learn so much about the Olympic Games and the immense preparations required to stage them. I get to talk to hundreds of international athletes and 2010 medal hopefuls about their expectations for a smooth airport experience in 2010.”

Of all the sports in 2010 Kathy is most looking forward to speed skating. “It’s one of the most exciting spectator sports I’ve ever enjoyed. The speed and aggression with which these athletes compete is incredible.” It also helps that the Richmond Olympic Oval is a neighbor to YVR. “Every day I look out of our office windows at the Oval, and it’s a great reminder of our connection to the Games.”

Early last year YVR was the first airport named as an Official Supplier to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Working for the Airport Authority I get to see first hand what’s key for the 2010 Winter Games and that’s doing what we do best – providing a safe, efficient, world-class airport experience for everyone.

Every department from parking to operations, communications, human resources, customer service, airfield operations and environment to name a few are working like gangbusters to make sure we’re ready next year.

We’re welcoming the world in 2010 and are gearing up for the increase of people and their bags at YVR.  We want to make travelling through our airport an awesome experience – even if that means you don’t notice any of the cool stuff we have going on. Me, I’m a huge Olympic Games fan. Winter, Summer, Pan Am…I love it all. My plans for the 2010 Winter Games involve just being around in Vancouver or Whistler to take in the ambiance. It will be people watching at its finest. What have you got planned?

Alisa

On March 12, YVR helped celebrate the one year countdown to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. More than 600 Paralympians will be in town competing in sports like Ice Sledge Hockey, Alpine Skiing, Curling and more. If you haven’t checked out a sledge hockey game, you should. It’s a great sport to watch.

YVR is one of the most accessible airports in Canada. Accessible design is integrated into all of our buildings. For example, all of our counters have toe clearance and all carpeting is low-pile to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to get around the airport.

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are for everyone to enjoy – and so is YVR.