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Rain fell, wind blew, some flights delayed, how about you?

The wind was blowing, the snow (and rain) was falling.

The wind was blowing, the snow (and rain) was falling.

For travellers to and from the Comox Valley Airport though, the Christmas holiday travel rush went as smoothly as possible, says its CEO.

"It's always a very busy, but very happy time of the year," explained Fred Bigelow, CEO of the Comox Valley Airport Commission. "Overall, everything went really well."

Although the final numbers for delays and cancellations aren't quite in, Bigelow said some departing and arriving civilian and military flights were affected by the pre-Christmas ice storm in Eastern Canada.

"There was a ripple effect, but it's quite typical for this time of the year. When the weather gets quite bad, nobody turns a wheel."

Bigelow said typically when the weather takes a turn for the worst, such as the massive period of fog during late fall, delays are to be expected.

During those times, some passengers were rerouted through other airports such as Victoria and bused to the Comox Valley.

He added a '10 tips for holiday travel' checklist issued by the airport aided passengers in handling the busy travel season.

As for looking ahead into the new year, Bigelow noted there is interest in adding a second sunspot destination. Currently, Westjet flies direct to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

"We used to also have Air Transat, and the demand is certainly there. It's so convenient to fly from Comox rather than leave from the lower mainland," he added.

photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com

 



Erin Haluschak

About the Author: Erin Haluschak

Erin Haluschak is a journalist with the Comox Valley Record since 2008. She is also the editor of Trio Magazine...
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