The airline ticket showed me arriving in Prince Rupert, British Columbia at 7:20 pm. According to my watch and the words from the Captain of the little "Buddy Holly" aircraft we were flying, we were going to be on-time. It had already been a long travel day to get to Prince Rupert, which is only 45 kilometers away from Ketchikan, Alaska. Don't believe me? Check a map.
I was seated next to a lawyer for the two-hour flight north. Chris was not just any lawyer, but a Crown Prosecutor based out of Prince Rupert. He, if you can believe this, has the good fortune of visiting the Queen Charlotte Islands (some 120 km offshore in the Pacific Ocean) every month for a week at a time. He gets there by single-engine float plane. Life changes when you live in remote communities.
Anyway, back to my story.
Chris told me we would be landing on an island. In my mind, I pictured a cute little island and a cute little bridge that would carry us to the mainland in a few short minutes once we landed at Prince Rupert. I didn't ask anymore questions. I should have.
At 7:20 pm we landed and everyone got off the plane. Last flight of the day coming into Prince Rupert and last flight leaving. The airline has a schedule to keep so once our bags were offloaded onto baggage carts, the outbound bags were loaded onto the plane before we got ours. Not much you can do with only ONE baggage handler.
After the plane was loaded up with the outbound bags and passengers, a large steel door opened and we watched our bags come down the "baggage carousel." It wasn't a carousel. It was really a very wide stainless steel slide that looked more like a deli counter than a baggage centre.
Once I got my bag, I walked with it for about twenty feet when I handed the bag to a bus driver who loaded it on the bus (the only way in or out of the airport). We each took our seats on the bus, including airport staff (last flight of the day and everyone goes home).
We drove for about 5 minutes until we came to the ocean and a ferry awaiting our arrival. We could feel the gale-force winds coming off the ocean. Two large motor coaches were loaded on the ferry as well as a one-ton cube van. Then we settled in for the twenty-minute ferry ride to the mainland and the town of Prince Rupert. That ferry ride was a little more fun with waves smacking the sides of the ferry and splashing over top like a Hollywood movie. Once to the other side, the bus drove up the ramp and a few more miles to the center of town where we offloaded the bus. A short shuttle drive to my hotel and I looked at my watch: 9:15 pm. It took almost two hours between landing and arriving at the hotel. The distance? No more than 5 or 6 miles. Was I in Toronto?
Once the sun came up the next morning, I saw the reason for the airport on Digby Island: it's the only flat piece of land as far as the eye can see. The Prince Rupert airport was an adventure for sure. But once in Prince Rupert, I found that this is one of those places that everyone must see at least once.
When you do visit Prince Rupert, do yourself a favour and stay at the Crest Hotel - a four-star hotel overlooking the ocean from almost every room. Fabulous facility, incredible food and breathtaking views. Hotel Manager Scott Farwell and owners Steve and Tina Smith have assembled an incredible staff of people who get the big picture - it's all about the guests. (That’s why they hire speakers to come and speak to their staff and improve their guest-service experience).
You will not be disappointed. And you'll get to tell your own story about getting to and from the Prince Rupert airport. Trust me, people won't believe you.
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