Tens of thousands of passengers made their way through the terminals of the Calgary International Airport on Friday as the airport established a new record that placed it among the busiest in Canada.
On Friday, the airport welcomed its 16 millionth passenger of 2017. In recognition of the milestone, passengers boarding a WestJet flight destined for Belize were treated to a surprise party outside their gate complete with prizes. All passengers received gift bags including airport merchandise, airport gift cards and a free night hotel stay and one passenger was randomly selected to receive two tickets to a WestJet destination of their choosing.
The milestone coincided with the busiest travel day of the year for the Calgary International Airport.
“On an average day, we’re about 40,000 passengers,” said Robert Palmer of the Calgary Airport Authority. “Today, we’ll be up over 50,000 passengers.”
Palmer recommends that passengers travelling during the busy holiday seasons review their flight details before arriving at the airport and allow themselves additional time at the airport.
“The most important thing is to get here early,” said Palmer. “You want to give yourself a little more time.”
“Check your airline website. Check to see that the flight’s on time, what the check-in time is, (what) the baggage allowances are and weather advisories.”
Palmer says the airport authority is predicting three to four per cent growth in 2018 and is exploring adding additional airline partners. Currently, WestJet and Air Canada account for nearly 85 per cent of all air traffic at the airport and 70 per cent of all travel involving the airport is domestic.
With files from CTV's Stephanie Wiebe
