Calgary International Airport Departures (YYC)

Calgary International Airport (YYC) is located approximately 17km, or 11 miles to the northeast of downtown Calgary, and is a large airport handling over 12 million passengers per annum. The airport is known as the fourth largest in Canada in terms of passenger traffic, and the third largest in terms of aircraft movements. It is hub for several airline carriers, and domestic and international departures to a wide variety of destinations are offered from the airport. The Calgary Airport departure areas are well equipped for their passengers, and offer very modern facilities. Departing passengers can also reach the airport by public transport, as several bus services are available.

The city of Calgary, and its airport, are found in the Alberta region of Canada, which is to the north of the Montana region of the United States. The city is also considered as south of Edmonton and Red Deer, north of Lethbridge, southwest of Drumheller and east of popular mountainous tourist destinations, such as Banff. The airport of the city is particularly nearby the areas of Saddle Ridge, Martindale, Castleridge, Vista Heights, Tuxedo Park and Beddington Heights, however, departing passengers can easily reach the airport from any area of the city by the Deerfoot Trail Highway. The Trans-Canada Highway 1 and the Stoney Trail Highway NW and NE are nearby as well. Motorists driving to the airport will find plenty of parking options available. The cheapest is the Economy Parking Lot, while the nearest areas to the terminal are the Parkades 1 and 2. All parking areas are within walking distance of the terminal and check-in areas.

Alternatively, passengers on Calgary Airport departure flights can take public transport to the airport. Buses operated by Calgary Transit travel from the Crowfoot and McKnight-Westwinds CTrain Stations, and from downtown Calgary, while the Allied Airport Shuttle is a new service travelling from various designated points in the city. Passengers who have stayed at hotels may be able to take a courtesy shuttle bus to their departure flight, and tourists who have been visiting areas such as Banff will find long-distance buses available from various companies. Shorter distances can easily be travelled by taxi or airport sedan as well. Associated Cab is the official Calgary Airport taxi company.

Calgary Airport is served by a large number of airline carriers, including Air Canada, Air Canada Express and WestJet, for which the airport is a hub and headquarter location. These three airline companies offer departure flights to Frankfurt, Las Vegas, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Montréal, Ottawa, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto, Vancouver, Kelowna, Kamloops, Phoenix and Winnipeg, as well as the closer destinations of Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. Additional airline companies and their destinations from Calgary Airport include Alaska Airlines to Seattle, American Airlines to Dallas/Fort Worth, British Airlines to London-Heathrow, Compass Airlines to Minneapolis, SkyWest Airlines to Salt Lake City, KLM to Amsterdam and United Airlines to Chicago, Denver and San Francisco.

In the past three years, Calgary Airport has served just over twelve million passengers per annum, with 2011 ending with the highest number of travellers. The airport handles mainly domestic passengers, while transborder and international passengers account for about 3.5 million of the total passengers recorded each year.

Calgary Airport consists of a large terminal building covering a total surface area of just over 140,000 square metres. The building has four concourses, and passengers could depart from any one of these areas. However, Air Canada and Air Canada Express operations are mainly handled from Concourse B, while many flights to the United States leave from Concourse C, as this is the area where the U.S. Border Preclearance facilities are available. Passengers will therefore not need to pass through border control procedures when they arrive in the U.S. Many of the airport’s domestic flights leave from Concourse A, and Concourse D handles further international and U.S.-bound departure flights. Passengers can check-in at conventional check-in counters, or make use of online check-in facilities. Airline companies with online check-in options include American Airlines, Air Canada, Air Transat, British Airways, Canadian North, Delta, KLM, Northwest Airlines, United, US Airways and WestJet.

Passengers on flights from Calgary Airport are subject to an Airport Improvement Fee, or AIF, which is now approximately $25.00. The fees will be charged when airline tickets are purchased from airline companies or their agents. The fees do not apply to passengers who are connecting through Calgary Airport, or for children under the age of two who are travelling for free. The AIF is dedicated to improvements and the expansion of the airport, necessary to equip the airport with facilities for increased passenger traffic. A new International Terminal is scheduled to be built at Calgary Airport in the near future, and a new runway is currently under construction. It will be the longest runway at any airport in Canada, and therefore capable of handling aircraft of all sizes.

Several top quality airport lounges are available to passengers on Calgary Airport departure flights. They include the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Concourse A (Gates 11 – 19), the Servisair Chinook Lounge for all passengers departing from Concourse D and the Servisair Rocky Mountain Lounge in Concourse C, for U.S. departures. The lounges offer comfortable seating, complimentary light snacks and beverages, newspapers and magazines, televisions, conference rooms and various business equipment and services. Further facilities at Calgary Airport include luggage wrap services, wireless internet access, currency exchange services on the departures level, full service bank machines, a medical clinic and Flippers Arcades, equipped with the latest video games and pinball machines. A wide range of shopping and dining opportunities are available as well. The entire airport complex is accessible to passengers with reduced mobility. Assistance at the airport is provided by staff at information counters and by White Hat volunteers, who circulate the terminal.

Live Calgary Airport departure schedules can be found online, and the airport can be contacted for information at 403 735 1200. A toll-free number for the airport is 1 877 254 7427.