2016 in Review

4/6

TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE

The pursuit of excellence permeates everything we do at the airport. Whether adding services that our clients want or tweaking existing programs to reflect changes in our client profile, the Authority is committed to listening, evaluating, and effecting change where and when possible to ensure the best customer experience.

SAVM VIP Passenger Assistance Services

The Authority determined the need for a passenger assistance service, which was reinforced with the requirements identified during One Young World Summit planning. Coincident with the arrival of Summit Counsellors, the Authority introduced its Passenger Concierge Service. The service is provided by SAVM, a Canadian company operating at several major international airports, which offers clients a highly satisfying and stress-free travel experience by assisting them through every step of the airport process. Their services are available to arriving and departing domestic, international and transborder (U.S.) passengers. SAVM’s bilingual customer service menu offers curbside greeting, check-in assistance and gate escort for departing passengers, disembarkation assistance, gate greeting, and other arrival support, among other services.

Infoguides

YOW’s Infoguide volunteers continued to delight our clients with their outstanding customer service delivery and willingness to go above and beyond to solve problems. In all, they logged nearly 7,300 hours in 2016 in their pursuit of happy customers. The entire airport community is grateful for their time and commitment as they reinforce Ottawa-Gatineau’s reputation as a great place to live, work, play, and visit.

Our clients express it best: “I have travelled the world and been to many airports and I have to say that the Ottawa Airport is one of the best I have been through. It is very well designed and very user-friendly. I have also found the folks at the information desk to be very courteous, kind and helpful.”

Employee Excellence

The Authority knows that employees are key to its success. Making sure they understand that their commitment is recognized and that they are valued is critical to our continued success. To that end, we have several employee-focused programs in place that aim to properly introduce new team members to the organization and recognize outstanding contributions to the airport.

New Employee Onboarding

The Authority’s new team member onboarding process is designed to aid in the engagement and development of a gratified employee from the onset.

The process conveys the Authority’s Values, Mission, Vision, and Strategic Directions; it explains our people and our functional areas. The process will add to the employees’ understanding of how they fit into the big picture. On day one, a new employee is presented with his or her New Team Member PASSPORT, which outlines the itinerary for their first few days, including meetings with executives, functional areas, training schedule, and tours.

Top Flight Peer Recognition Program

Top Flight aims to motivate, emphasize, recognize, and share the exceptional contributions of our colleagues. As a peer-driven program, Top Flight gives Authority employees the chance to recognize their colleagues in the following categories: customer service; commitment; safety or security consciousness; innovation and creativity; and teamwork.

As voted on by Authority employees, the 2016 Employee’s Choice Award was presented to Lianne Degen, an Operational Responder, on December 16^th, 2016. Lianne’s nominator wrote:

“Her level of selflessness and commitment to YOW and the OMCIAA is completely outstanding. I have the privilege to be on the same rotation as her. She has never been down or frustrated on each and every shift, always brings a smile and cares absolutely about everyone. She deserves recognition. I cannot choose a category (specifically) she achieves them all, daily.”

Congratulations to all nominees.

Lianne Degen, 2016 Top Flight Award Recipient

Service Quality Marks on the Rise

The enhancements mentioned previously are reflected in the surveys our passengers complete, and YOW continues to rate well. Scores in Airports Council International (ACI)’s Airport Service Quality program have increased over 2015, with a final overall satisfaction score for 2016 of 4.45 (+0.3%) out of 5. Increases of note include ease of making connections with other flights (+5.1%), waiting time at passport/personal ID inspection (+4.6%), courtesy and helpfulness of inspection staff (+4.4%) and value for money of parking facilities (+4.0%).

When the 2016 year-end results were announced by ACI, YOW was thrilled to again be recognized in two categories: 2^nd place Best Airport by Region (North America) and 3^rd place Best Airport by size (worldwide, 2-5 million passengers).

The continued focus on customer service that resulted in these awards is a tribute to every organization that contributes to the customer experience, regardless of how small it might be. Customers pay attention, and they remember.

Back

The Ottawa Airport was the setting for the two-week Canadian Police Canine Association “Train the Trainers” canine behavior shaping course for law enforcement canine teams from across the country. The dynamic and complex airport environment was ideal for specific training exercises, and the teams had the opportunity to hone their skills before taking their newfound tips and techniques back to their respective communities.
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority Annual Report 2016 13 Travelling from Winnipeg was no small feat for Edith who had come to spend her first Christmas in Ottawa. Although this 90-year-old grandmother had looked forward to the trip to visit her son and his family (and to meet her granddaughter’s new boyfriend), moving throughout the terminal with limited mobility had concerned her. The assistance she received and the accessibility of the airport made her passage from the gate to the arrivals area easy and comfortable. As Edith put it, “it’s a lovely place to pass through, and the welcome has been wonderful.”
Saying goodbye is never easy – especially when you’re parting ways for as much as a year. The members of the 2016-2017 National Evangelization Team know that all too well, and the Ottawa Airport has been the back-drop for many of their bittersweet goodbyes as they head off to do their mission work. The youths are like a family, so their time spent together at the airport before they leave is very important to them, and like they put it, “one for the scrapbook”.
Maya and Clara thought that offering a stuffed animal to a child arriving at the airport would be the perfect way to say “Welcome to Canada”. The girls learned of the crisis in Syria and the impact it was having on Syrian children. When they found out that most families would be arriving in Ottawa by air, they decided to launch a ‘Stuffies for Syria’ campaign. They collected more than 700 stuffed animals and handed them out at the airport, along with a lot of compassion and reassuring smiles to some grateful newcomers.
Stittsville native Erica Wiebe was overwhelmed with the warm welcome she received in the arrivals area following her gold-medal win for wrestling at the Rio 2016 Olympics. She was greeted by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and City Councillor Marianne Wilkinson, and about a hundred friends, family, and fans. Having the group cheering and holding flags and signs as she came down the escalator, following a bagpiper, gave her a well-deserved hero’s hometown welcome. She was very gracious and made her way through the crowd, greeting each person who had come out, signing autographs, posing for photos, and even letting people touch her gold medal.
Each step that Boniface and Isaac took at the airport years ago was a step towards a new beginning and a promising future, filled with hope, freedom, and success. Originally from the Congo, they were welcomed at the Ottawa Airport as refugees. Nowadays, visiting the airport means something completely different to them. It bridges the distance between them and their brother and enables them to renew and maintain relationships abroad.
Charities like the Ottawa Food Bank rely on donations from the community in order to provide much-needed support to those who need it. The Ottawa Airport and its campus partners have been supporters of the Ottawa Food Bank for the past seven years, raising funds during the holidays, or donating the coins from the fountains. Our support has helped the 41,500 people who, every month, turn to a food bank when they would otherwise go hungry. Rachael Wilson, the Director of Communications and Development at the Ottawa Food Bank, was thrilled to also receive 800 pounds of non-perishable food items that were donated by airport employees and packed up by volunteers.