The Ottawa International Airport is turning to a third-party aviation services company to fill lounge space left vacant a year ago when Porter Airlines pulled up roots from YOW.
Swissport, a Switzerland-based company that handles ground and cargo loading services at airports around the globe, will open its new lounge in the Ottawa airport next month. In addition to its loading services, Swissport also operates passenger lounges around the world with Canadian locations in Montreal and Calgary.
The Aspire Lounge will be open to passengers flying through Ottawa on any airline and in any ticket class. Customers can either purchase a single-use seat in the lounge or subscribe to an annual package for access to complimentary services such as food and beverages, private meeting rooms and lockers.
The 3,700-square-foot lounge, located past the security gates at YOW, has a capacity of 90 seats.
Until a year ago, the lounge was operated by Porter. The airline, which had occupied the space for a decade, announced it would shutter its Ottawa lounge operations as travellers were opting to take earlier flights to Toronto rather than spend more time at the airport.
The Ottawa International Airport Authority put the vacant lounge space out to tender for a third-party operator last February, with Swissport emerging as the successful bidder.
By: Craig Lord
Source: www.obj.ca
