Travelers going in and out of Calgary have a new place to fly, now that a new, multi-million dollar air terminal is set to open at the end of this month.
Officials say the design of the new facility will make flying easier for travelers, but it hasn’t been an easy task to build.
Over 11 million hours of construction work were needed to put together the large new building, rivalling the size of some of the big terminals in Europe.
Automation seems to be the name of the game at the new building too, with self-check in kiosks throughout the terminal for your bag and boarding passes.
One of the biggest concerns for travelers has also been streamlined too. The security check at the terminal has six lines and agents can work with four people at a time to speed things along.
“This is one of the innovations that was successfully test previously and it was appreciated by business class travelers who don’t have a lot of items and want to be on their way quickly and the passengers that need more time,” said Mathieu Larocque with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.
Once you’re through security, the terminal opens into a huge concourse filled with restaurants and duty-free shops, something the airport says travelers are looking for.
Over 15 million passengers a year fly through Calgary and that number is expected to rise dramatically in the coming years.
Officials say the new terminal will accommodate for at least twenty years of growth.
Airport officials have been field testing the systems and even flying airplanes to the new gates, but the official opening is on October 31.
