Oct 3, 2021, 9:32 am
Last edit by: Adam Smith
Background
Before COVID, flights were distributed as follows:
During the early days of COVID, the airport made the decision to consolidate operations in the eastern/southern area of the airport. The A pier was closed. WestJet flights were moved to the B pier and C pier. The segregated international area in D was eliminated.
There are many references below to piers and gate numbers. Please note that most YYC gate maps that you will find online are out of date. Many of the prominent Google results still reflect the numbering system from before the new international pier was built, and YYC’s own interactive map has not been updated to reflect any of the COVID-related changes discussed in this thread, because the airport authority is useless and incompetent. For those not familiar with the airport, this is the most useful map the original author of this wiki has found.
Current Situation - Gate Allocation
Although operations are getting back towards normal, the airport authority appears to be sticking with some of its moronic decisions taken during COVID.
The A gates are in somewhat limited use, with most domestic flights going from the B, C, and D piers. Domestic flights can now depart from anywhere between A11 and D97. There appears to be little in the way of logic as to where each airline is operating at any time.
International flights still depart exclusively from D gates.
Transborder flights continue to depart exclusively from the E gates. However, gates 84 and higher are no longer used exclusively for transborder flights. Those gates may be used for domestic, international, or US flights.
Construction is under way on the ramp between the B and C piers, limiting use of certain gates.
Gate Allocation & Layout - Impact on Passengers
YYC is an extremely poorly designed airport, especially the new international wing that was opened several years ago, and is not a great airport to fly through at the best of times. However, many design flaws are compounded by the current situation.
The current dispersal of flights around the airport frequently requires long walks. Approximate distances from the C security checkpoint to:
There are moving walkways that cover part of the distance from the base of the C pier to the bases of the B and D piers, and from the base of the B pier to the base of the A pier, but a fair amount of walking is still required as the walkways only cover a portion of the distance, and there are no moving walkways within the piers themselves.
There are several elevation changes that may be unpleasant for those with mobility issues, including an uphill ramp moving from the C pier to the D pier (just before gate 70), and a long uphill ramp (about 2 stories of vertical movement) moving from the area around gates 80-83 to 84+ (obviously these ramps are downhill in the opposing directions). Many of the ramps around YYC lack customary handrails and flat rest areas as the airport was/is exempt from building codes.
LINK Shuttle
Unlike most major airports that have some sort of train system to shuttle passengers around the airport, YYC relies on oversized golf carts, which the airport authority refers to as the LINK shuttle (some in the AC forum derogatorily refer to these as "meep meeps" since they look like something out of a cartoon).
Also note that the shuttle only runs to the start of the D pier, before gate 70. Therefore up to ~500m of walking could be required to reach one's gate.
Current Situation - Check-In
AC and WS domestic check-in are at their usual locations at C and A respectively.
Flair and Air North are at door 8 (next to AC, between B and C).
Flights to the US (all airlines) - check-in desks in usual locations at E.
International flights are at the D area, including AC and WS
Current Situation - Security
Hours for checkpoints can be found here.
Priority security:
At YYC, only the Verified Traveller lane at the C checkpoint offers expedited screening. The other VT lanes simply get one to the front of the line quicker.
Those looking to avoid body scanners may wish to use the B checkpoint, where there are none.
Connections
As a result of the issues described above, connecting through YYC can be a nightmare at the moment. Some domestic connections require moving from a gate at the end of the A pier to the east end of the D pier, e.g. A20 to D95, which involves around 1.5 km of distance. Many connections will require lengthy walks. Please plan accordingly.
Sterile transit (i.e. International to International, or ITI, connections without clearing Canadian immigration/customs) is not available, since there is no longer a segregated international departures area. It is unknown when, if ever, this will return. All connections therefore require entering Canada.
ITD OSS, a.k.a. One-Stop Security, which allows passengers to connect from an international flight to a domestic one without re-clearing security, is available. Passengers must be travelling on a single ticket and should be eligible if they are coming from the US or Europe. From Mexico or the Caribbean, it’s less clear. Note that OSS requires both an eligible origin and eligible airline combination - WS to WS and AC to AC are fine. KL to WS is eligible. But KL to AC, for instance, is not eligible.
Connecting to the US always requires re-clearing security at the E gates, regardless of where you're coming from. US security is located before the CBP area.
When Will Things Get Better?
Probably never, given the incompetence of the airport authority.
Despite the A gates in use, there doesn't actually appear to be any immediate desire to eliminate the use of the D gates for domestic flights. On November 1, 2021, the useless airport authority actually published a video highlighting the use of the D gates for domestic flights, and modifications to the international terminal to create a specific exit pathway for domestic passengers back to the A, B, C gates, among other changes.
Lounges
The following lounges exist at YYC. You should consult your airline for further details on access, but a rough summary follows:
Customers connecting from a domestic flight to a transborder one are physically able to access one of the domestic/international lounges, but beware that getting to your flight requires re-clearing security and going through US customs. TB passengers originating at YYC may be able to access the domestic/international area before their flight, but are at the whim of CATSA. Before COVID, this was generally not a problem, but since COVID, CATSA may have adopted a different policy. YMMV.
Before COVID, flights were distributed as follows:
- A: WestJet domestic flights
- B: shared between WestJet, Air Canada, and others, domestic flights
- C: Air Canada domestic flights
- D: international flights (excluding US)
- E: transborder (“TB”, i.e. to the US) flights
During the early days of COVID, the airport made the decision to consolidate operations in the eastern/southern area of the airport. The A pier was closed. WestJet flights were moved to the B pier and C pier. The segregated international area in D was eliminated.
There are many references below to piers and gate numbers. Please note that most YYC gate maps that you will find online are out of date. Many of the prominent Google results still reflect the numbering system from before the new international pier was built, and YYC’s own interactive map has not been updated to reflect any of the COVID-related changes discussed in this thread, because the airport authority is useless and incompetent. For those not familiar with the airport, this is the most useful map the original author of this wiki has found.
Current Situation - Gate Allocation
Although operations are getting back towards normal, the airport authority appears to be sticking with some of its moronic decisions taken during COVID.
The A gates are in somewhat limited use, with most domestic flights going from the B, C, and D piers. Domestic flights can now depart from anywhere between A11 and D97. There appears to be little in the way of logic as to where each airline is operating at any time.
International flights still depart exclusively from D gates.
Transborder flights continue to depart exclusively from the E gates. However, gates 84 and higher are no longer used exclusively for transborder flights. Those gates may be used for domestic, international, or US flights.
Construction is under way on the ramp between the B and C piers, limiting use of certain gates.
Gate Allocation & Layout - Impact on Passengers
YYC is an extremely poorly designed airport, especially the new international wing that was opened several years ago, and is not a great airport to fly through at the best of times. However, many design flaws are compounded by the current situation.
The current dispersal of flights around the airport frequently requires long walks. Approximate distances from the C security checkpoint to:
- D70 (base of D pier) 300m
- D76 (south end of D pier) 500m
- D80 500m
- D97 (east end of D pier) 800m
- WS lounge (base of B pier) 150m
- B39 (end of B pier) 350m
- A20 (end of A pier) 600m
There are moving walkways that cover part of the distance from the base of the C pier to the bases of the B and D piers, and from the base of the B pier to the base of the A pier, but a fair amount of walking is still required as the walkways only cover a portion of the distance, and there are no moving walkways within the piers themselves.
There are several elevation changes that may be unpleasant for those with mobility issues, including an uphill ramp moving from the C pier to the D pier (just before gate 70), and a long uphill ramp (about 2 stories of vertical movement) moving from the area around gates 80-83 to 84+ (obviously these ramps are downhill in the opposing directions). Many of the ramps around YYC lack customary handrails and flat rest areas as the airport was/is exempt from building codes.
LINK Shuttle
Unlike most major airports that have some sort of train system to shuttle passengers around the airport, YYC relies on oversized golf carts, which the airport authority refers to as the LINK shuttle (some in the AC forum derogatorily refer to these as "meep meeps" since they look like something out of a cartoon).
Also note that the shuttle only runs to the start of the D pier, before gate 70. Therefore up to ~500m of walking could be required to reach one's gate.
Current Situation - Check-In
AC and WS domestic check-in are at their usual locations at C and A respectively.
Flair and Air North are at door 8 (next to AC, between B and C).
Flights to the US (all airlines) - check-in desks in usual locations at E.
International flights are at the D area, including AC and WS
Current Situation - Security
Hours for checkpoints can be found here.
Priority security:
- A checkpoint: ???
- B checkpoint: 1 line for Verified Traveller + families
- C, D, and E checkpoints: 1 line for Verified Traveller, 1 line for families + airline priority (business class, status, etc)
At YYC, only the Verified Traveller lane at the C checkpoint offers expedited screening. The other VT lanes simply get one to the front of the line quicker.
Those looking to avoid body scanners may wish to use the B checkpoint, where there are none.
Connections
As a result of the issues described above, connecting through YYC can be a nightmare at the moment. Some domestic connections require moving from a gate at the end of the A pier to the east end of the D pier, e.g. A20 to D95, which involves around 1.5 km of distance. Many connections will require lengthy walks. Please plan accordingly.
Sterile transit (i.e. International to International, or ITI, connections without clearing Canadian immigration/customs) is not available, since there is no longer a segregated international departures area. It is unknown when, if ever, this will return. All connections therefore require entering Canada.
ITD OSS, a.k.a. One-Stop Security, which allows passengers to connect from an international flight to a domestic one without re-clearing security, is available. Passengers must be travelling on a single ticket and should be eligible if they are coming from the US or Europe. From Mexico or the Caribbean, it’s less clear. Note that OSS requires both an eligible origin and eligible airline combination - WS to WS and AC to AC are fine. KL to WS is eligible. But KL to AC, for instance, is not eligible.
Connecting to the US always requires re-clearing security at the E gates, regardless of where you're coming from. US security is located before the CBP area.
When Will Things Get Better?
Probably never, given the incompetence of the airport authority.
Despite the A gates in use, there doesn't actually appear to be any immediate desire to eliminate the use of the D gates for domestic flights. On November 1, 2021, the useless airport authority actually published a video highlighting the use of the D gates for domestic flights, and modifications to the international terminal to create a specific exit pathway for domestic passengers back to the A, B, C gates, among other changes.
Lounges
The following lounges exist at YYC. You should consult your airline for further details on access, but a rough summary follows:
- Accessible to customers on domestic or international flights:
- Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge: base of C pier
- WestJet Elevation lounge: base of B pier
- Aspire (formerly international) lounge: D gates, entrance near D80
- Accessible to customers on transborder flights ONLY:
- Aspire TB lounge: E gates, do a 180 to the left after coming out of duty-free
Customers connecting from a domestic flight to a transborder one are physically able to access one of the domestic/international lounges, but beware that getting to your flight requires re-clearing security and going through US customs. TB passengers originating at YYC may be able to access the domestic/international area before their flight, but are at the whim of CATSA. Before COVID, this was generally not a problem, but since COVID, CATSA may have adopted a different policy. YMMV.
Flying through YYC (security, connections, customs, etc) Sep 2021 onwards
Aug 6, 2024, 12:28 am
#184
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 17,135
Major damage to the terminal tonight due to the huge hailstorm we had here. B gates and some C gates evacuated. Story from the Herald here.
Unclear what operational impact this will have in the coming days.
Unclear what operational impact this will have in the coming days.
Aug 6, 2024, 11:35 am
#185
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 17,135
Looking at departures on the YYC website today, looks like no flights using B. C gates in use, but only seeing flights at C55-59, so perhaps C51-54 are not usable.
Aug 6, 2024, 7:55 pm
#186
Join Date: May 2017
Location: AC WESTERN TRIANGLE BABYYYY
Programs: Final year with AC*G
Posts: 938
I’m at YYC right now, I wish I had more stories to update. They erected a wall right outside the B concourse and leading up to the wall is a bunch of random airline/airport stanchions chained together haphazardly to block off the wide mouth of the former hallway. There’s buckets here and there to contain leaks but they looked dry to me lol
The walkway between A and C is still usable which is how I saw all this
The shuttle still stops at B
The digital “walking travel time” signboards at the check-in area indicate that B is closed. Interesting how they had that graphic ready in their software lol
The C gates facing B are not in use.
D gates fully utilized (not sure if that’s normal for a Tuesday at 7PM?) with lots of domestic travel, the concourse is a zoo
There’s yellow “caution” tape all along the walkway which I assume had leaks last night, but people have since breached them because these areas contain coveted power outlets and seating
Anyway, the main reason I came to this thread was to ask if there was a domestic Verified Traveller line where you didn’t have to take your computers/liquids out?
I usually depart Calgary via E checkpoint so that’s already required, but A only had “front of the line” service, today, and if I had known that the other checkpoints had full NEXUS treatment I would have done the walk. Five laptops fit into one backpack is hard on the wrist LOL
EDIT: If the E concourse includes D/E swing gates then I didn’t check there lol
The walkway between A and C is still usable which is how I saw all this
The shuttle still stops at B
The digital “walking travel time” signboards at the check-in area indicate that B is closed. Interesting how they had that graphic ready in their software lol
The C gates facing B are not in use.
D gates fully utilized (not sure if that’s normal for a Tuesday at 7PM?) with lots of domestic travel, the concourse is a zoo
There’s yellow “caution” tape all along the walkway which I assume had leaks last night, but people have since breached them because these areas contain coveted power outlets and seating
Anyway, the main reason I came to this thread was to ask if there was a domestic Verified Traveller line where you didn’t have to take your computers/liquids out?
I usually depart Calgary via E checkpoint so that’s already required, but A only had “front of the line” service, today, and if I had known that the other checkpoints had full NEXUS treatment I would have done the walk. Five laptops fit into one backpack is hard on the wrist LOL
EDIT: If the E concourse includes D/E swing gates then I didn’t check there lol
Last edited by asovse1; Aug 6, 2024 at 8:58 pm
Aug 6, 2024, 9:43 pm
#187
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 17,135
Thanks for the update, that's way more than I've seen anywhere else.
If the C gates checkpoint was still open, that would have been the place. You can find details about all VT checkpoints in the VT thread. Next time call me if in doubt about something like this though! 
Anyway, the main reason I came to this thread was to ask if there was a domestic Verified Traveller line where you didn’t have to take your computers/liquids out?
Aug 7, 2024, 2:52 pm
#188
Join Date: May 2017
Location: AC WESTERN TRIANGLE BABYYYY
Programs: Final year with AC*G
Posts: 938
I love how active this thread can be, sometimes. Thanks for the tips, Adam!
oh, i just remembered that i captured a BeReal, standing right at the stanchions
i'll add it here for completeness
in the earlier post i said that "[YYC] erected a wall" now i'm not actually sure if this was something they constructed overnight or uh...slide out from the walls
oh, i just remembered that i captured a BeReal, standing right at the stanchions
i'll add it here for completeness
in the earlier post i said that "[YYC] erected a wall" now i'm not actually sure if this was something they constructed overnight or uh...slide out from the walls
Last edited by asovse1; Aug 7, 2024 at 2:58 pm
Aug 29, 2024, 2:40 am
#190
Join Date: Mar 2023
Location: Under the Big Oak Tree
Programs: Air Bukovina Elite, Circassian Air Gold, Carthaginian Airlines Platinum
Posts: 652
Sep 1, 2024, 7:04 am
#191
Join Date: Jun 2024
Location: YVR
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 31
Whats the current situation with domestic connections? Booked a 40 min layover in late October and I'm only learning now how much of a mess the airport is... should've known better given the recent hailstorm damage...
Sep 1, 2024, 11:56 am
#192
Join Date: May 2017
Location: AC WESTERN TRIANGLE BABYYYY
Programs: Final year with AC*G
Posts: 938
Last couple of times I’ve gone through with domestic connections the hailstorm damage hasn’t hindered me. Perhaps the walkway (if you elect to walk rather than take a shuttle) is 1-2 metres narrower at some points.
Unless somewhere here has new minimum connection time info, the recent damage hasn’t (and in my opinion, shouldn’t) impact your 40 minute connection.
Unless somewhere here has new minimum connection time info, the recent damage hasn’t (and in my opinion, shouldn’t) impact your 40 minute connection.
Sep 2, 2024, 9:23 am
#193
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 6,028
I haven’t been through YYC since the storm, but you could have an A-C or D domestic connection before and you could have an A-C or D connection now, so I don’t see how the longest connection could be worse. The issue would be more gate capacity, but I don’t think YYC was bursting at the seams for gates anyway.