Vancouver International Airport seeks feedback on holiday travel disruptions

Were you affected by the chaos at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) over the holiday season? If so, its administrators want to hear from you.

YVR launched a public engagement campaign Tuesday aimed at collecting people’s input on travel disruptions in December and January.

Trouble at the airport began the week before Christmas when an intense snowstorm grounded planes and resulted in a massive wave of delays and cancellations with lengthy ripple effects.

Some passengers were left stranded in their aircraft for hours, while others were stranded at the airport for days or separated from their bags for weeks.

Airport officials blamed an unexpectedly large volume and rapid accumulation of snow and challenges de-icing aircraft as the instigators of a chain of problems.

Airport CEO Tamara Vrooman promised an “after-action review” into the disruptions, which includes the new public feedback process.

“We know passengers want an efficient experience when travelling, with all the various organizations involved in aviation working effectively together … We also need to ensure the voice of the traveller is heard,” Vrooman said in a media release Tuesday.

“Through this public engagement process, we will hear directly from passengers on how they want to be helped and supported, as well as informed, during times of operational disruption.”

The airport is now looking to hear from people who travelled through the airport in December 2022 or January 2023, or who were affected by the holiday travel disruptions.

It said it will collect that feedback through a variety of methods, including an online feedback form, virtual focus groups and panels, and written submissions “to help ensure a diversity of experiences are included.”

The first phase of consultation, which began Tuesday and runs to Jan. 30, is asking people to “share input on key areas of interest and methods of engagement” and to register for Phase 2.

Phase 2 will run from Jan. 31 to Feb. 21, and ask people to weigh in on “communication, service, and support requirements.”

The airport said that feedback, along with recommendations from the after-action review, will be made public in the coming months.

Travellers can find out more and participate in the review at the YVR public engagement website.