Spring breakers head for airport and warmer temperatures

Calgary airport was busy Friday as thousands of travellers on spring break made a dash for some sun.

“It’s better to leave this weather than stay in it,” said Tannis Crawford, one of many airport patrons heading to Mexico.

Crawford’s son was one of more than 130,000 Calgary public school system students trading in books for the beach. The pair were among many taking spring break as a chance to get away.

“Of course we are excited to get away,” Crawford said. “He’s turning 13 while we are gone, so it’s his birthday trip. We left dad at home. I work at his school, so it’s nice to get a break and some one-on-one time.”

At the Travel Lady Agency, it was all hands on deck to keep their customers’ trips on track. Owner Lesley Keyter said most people booked long in advance and are looking to head somewhere without winter weather.

“It’s pretty much (all) to warmer destinations, I’d say,” she said. “We do a lot of cruises. We have some families that are heading out on cruises, getting away for a little while. We also have teachers that can only be away at that time as well.”

Keyter said this spring break is especially busy, as travel continues to see a post-pandemic boom for WestJet, the airline that says it’s experiencing a three per cent jump in spring break travel from last year.

DAY CAMPS

But not everyone can get away.

For those families staying home, day camps can be vital.

“Idle minds, you know,” said Kyle Corner, vice-president of experience at Telus Spark. “Get into all sorts of mischief, so we like that mischief to be here and that curiosity directed towards science, so experiment, play, keep those young minds busy.”

While Telus Spark is hosting activities all week long, it says its day camps filled almost immediately.

For Calgary public school students staying in town during spring break, day camps offered by the City of Calgary are filling up fast

It’s a similar story with the City of Calgary. Its range of day camps are also almost at full capacity.

“Demand for the day camps is very high this year,” said Lynette Birth, complex co-ordinator at the City of Calgary. “We have a handful of spots open, so hopefully, folks can get in and get on the waitlist at Calgary.ca/daycamps.”

Whether its day camps or travel, students are keeping busy – although escaping the cold does seem like an extra bonus.

“It’s freezing out here,” said Elle Isfeld, who was heading to Japan.”So I’m good to leave this place.”

“It’s going to be great,” said Lisa Lindsay, heading for Mexico. “I just want to lay on the beach with a margarita.”

As far as airport turbulence in the form of delays and cancelled flights, there wasn’t much to report Friday. Because of the weather, planes do have to de-ice and that caused some minor delays, but most flights were leaving on time.

The increase in volume can also create human bottlenecks, so Calgary Airport staff are advising travellers to arrive a little earlier than usual and pack their patience just in case.