President's Message
2009 may be remembered by many as a difficult year, fraught with economic issues and more worries than many of us have known for some time. I prefer to think of 2009 as a year of reflection, renewal and retrenching. In other words 2009 was a year of opportunity.
From the Airport Authority’s point of view, projects were examined with an even higher level of scrutiny. What can wait? What can reasonably be scaled back? Where can we make cuts that won’t negatively impact customer service? What is absolutely necessary? The result has been excellent cost containment for an organization that already prides itself on caution and financial prudence. As an added measure, the Authority’s employees also formed a committee that looked at many programs and procedures to evaluate changes that could be made to help the cost cutting initiative. At the end of the day, we have achieved a certain degree of resilience in an industry that has seen much turbulence worldwide. Comparatively speaking, our airport was much less severely impacted than others in Canada and North America in general.
A few projects did pass the necessity test, and as a result, some very positive changes were made in the terminal; modifications to the pre-board screening areas on both the transborder and domestic sides were completed, allowing more efficient queuing and processing for passengers. Public washrooms were also added near the domestic checkpoint for the convenience of passengers and visitors. From a customer service perspective, Porter opened a new lounge for its passengers, and Booster Juice added a second location in the domestic holdroom near gate 18. Again, these changes point to Ottawa being a healthy and strong market.
Amid reports of some airports in North America experiencing double digit passenger declines, our statistics have been much more positive. While by mid-year, passenger volumes were approximately 7% lower than those of 2008, the gap has narrowed as the year has progressed. At the end of November, year to date statistics showed that our traffic was down by approximately 3.2%. The really good news is that October 2009 vs October 2008 saw an increase of 3.2%. The indicators are very encouraging.
With all of the above said, are we out of the proverbial woods yet? The housing and job markets continue to show strength, and consumer spending seems to be gaining some momentum, but is it sustainable? I’m not entirely sure - nor is anyone else for that matter. What I can say with confidence is that our capacity (available airline seats) has increased to the tune of approximately 6% more departing seats, which means that the airlines continue to have confidence in the Ottawa-Gatineau market. And, new flights have been added to the mix, including seasonal service to Turks and Caicos, Montego Bay and Punta Cana. We look forward to the holiday and charter seasons in the weeks and months ahead, hopefully with a busy terminal and lots of travellers.
One element that should make the trip more pleasant for many is the added feature of free Wi-Fi in the terminal. The Authority’s contract with its Wi-Fi provider expired in December, providing us with the opportunity to take over management of the system, and to provide the service at no cost to our clients. We like to think of it as our way of thanking you for visiting.
Now the halls are decked in their holiday finery and our retailers and concessionaires are ready to greet you. The days and weeks to come will be busy for all, so I wanted to take the opportunity to thank our campus partners for their collaboration during the year. I would like to say thank you to the Authority’s employees and the Board of Directors for their commitment and hard work to cut back and make the tough decisions that were so important as we weathered the storm. And, I would like to thank the travelling public who contributed to 2009 being a successful one, all things considered. I wish you and yours a safe and festive holiday season, wherever you may be celebrating it.