Saskatchewan found itself on both ends of the spectrum in a recent ranking.
Regina International Airport (YQR) was labelled as the second-worst airport in Canada, while Saskatoon claimed the top spot, according to a study released in mid-April.
With just one lounge available to passengers and an overall score of 22.36, Regina narrowly edged out New Brunswick's Saint John Airport (YSJ) by a mere 0.28 points. The lowest-ranked airport in the ranking, St. John lacks airport lounges and offers only one dining facility, the researchers noted.
In contrast, Saskatoon's John G. Diefenbaker International Airport (YXE) was hailed as Canada's best, scoring 72.11 points. Notable features include proximity to 15 hotels within a two-mile radius, and access to 24 destinations serving approximately 930,000 passengers annually. Surprisingly, despite its impressive statistics, I have yet to experience it. Have you?
The study evaluated all 25 operating airports across Canada, grading each destination based on six determining factors to assign a score out of 100. Alongside the outlined factors, which seemed to worsen the score for Regina and other low-ranking airports, such as the number of lounges and nearby hotels, the study, conducted by CasinoHunters, considered criteria such as the number of outbound direct flight destinations, dining facilities, on-site car rental companies and operating airlines. Lounges, dining facilities and hotels were evaluated relative to the annual passenger traffic at each airport.
For context, Quebec City's Jean Lesage Airport claimed the second position, Toronto's Pearson International Airport secured sixth place, followed by Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Vancouver International Airport. Winnipeg's James Armstrong Richardson Airport ranked ninth, while Calgary landed in 11th place. Fredericton emerged as the third-worst airport in the ranking.
Despite Regina's airport not being the most impressive, there are several aspects that I, as a consumer, have always appreciated about it.
Firstly, its simplicity stands out. While travel is second nature to me, many find airports daunting. However, Regina Airport's compact layout eliminates any chance of getting lost in its small and cozy confines.
Secondly, the waiting times in Regina are noteworthy. I've only experienced a people jam at the Regina airport once, and even then, the wait was under 30 minutes. In contrast, major hubs have subjected me to security screening lines exceeding an hour, something indeed nerve-wracking with short layovers. Even the full check upon departure in Regina was not more than five minutes, while elsewhere I had it last for a good 15 minutes or more. (All that allows me not to waste hours upon hours when travelling through Regina.)
Thirdly, while having only one lounge, Regina's airport offers several eateries and convenient amenities, including a green pet-walking area and private office-style booths for important calls. There's not much to do, but it covers the essentials — grabbing a meal or a drink to calm those nerves, shopping, or catching up on work.
Fourthly, while there may be fewer nearby hotels, the Regina airport's proximity to the city eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming transfers. For travellers like us from Estevan, reaching the city is still a journey, but once there, finding accommodations near the airport isn't essential, given the city's manageable traffic and ample hotel options.
And since a lot of hotels will allow you to make it to the airport in no time, you don't need to pay extra for that airport's close proximity (when that's the case, hotel prices vary based on many factors).
In addition to these by-design advantages, YQR has seen notable improvements lately, including a major runway reconstruction last year and the addition of new destinations. The recently-launched Regina to Minneapolis-St. Paul route, operating seven days a week, further enhances connectivity.
With a total of 17 destinations, Regina also directly flies to Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando (and sometimes those tickets are way cheaper than going to Calgary or anywhere else in Canada). And I sincerely hope that offering will keep growing as we are back to normal and hungry for travelling.
If I had a say in the rankings, I'd prioritize the variety of destinations and the presence of low-cost carriers, as who doesn't appreciate affordable tickets? But I think the number of lounges and proximity of hotels affects the quality of smaller airports like Regina to a much lower scale.
So, while Regina's airport may have been labelled the second-worst, as a user, I believe it offers a decent facility with room for improvement. (But I'm certainly curious to explore what Saskatoon's airport, hailed as the best in Canada, has to offer.)
