With the holiday season well underway, officials at the Calgary International Airport are sharing tips to keep travel-related stress to a minimum.
YYC says it’s important to travel wth unwrapped gifts only, give yourself lots of time to get through security, and ensure you can easily access all necessary documents.
“Leave your presents unwrapped or easily accessible in gift bags; our officers may need to examine the contents and we’d leave the unwrapping to your loved ones,” said Tracey Thomas with the Canadian Border Services Agency.
Thomas also recommends leaving all cannabis products at home.
It’s the busiest time of the year at the airport, but Canadian Air Transport Security Agency spokesperson, Dominique Huras, says some changes made to baggage checking guidelines back in June, are making for a much smoother boarding process.
“Part of that is because with the excess of carry-on baggage that we used to have boarding the aircraft, we would end up having delays because not all the baggage would fit on the aircraft,” she explained.
Officials say some recent changes to the airport’s self-serve technology will also improve wait times and stress levels.
Travelers who haven’t been to YYC since this summer’s disastrous hailstorm may see some changes. However, airport authority CEO Chris Miles says, not to worry.
“We’re not expecting to see an impact from the hail itself in terms of capacity or having to curtail flights, you will see areas of the terminal where we are still repairing initial damage,” he said.
Miles says Concourse B won’t be up and running again until July 2026.