If Canada’s airports want to get up to speed, they’re going to need to provide a smoother landing
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The coming 24 hours are going to be one of the busiest periods for Toronto’s private aviation handlers. With the Toronto International Film Festival in full swing, the city’s hotel lobbies, restaurants and screening venues have been clogged with oversized SUVs fresh from Pearson Airport celebrity pick-ups. Come early Monday morning, the tempo will increase as scores of hand-selected CEOs, entrepreneurs and sovereign-wealth-fund honchos touch down for the start of the Canada Investment Summit. While some will arrive on Globals and Gulfstreams, breezing into Canada with little customs and immigration friction, others will likely fly commercial and experience the rather sad and outdated “Welcome to Canada” that jars as a first impression. Clunky tech aside, the country’s border staff have long looked to their US counterparts not only for commando-style uniform inspiration but also for their gruff and curt greeting. On Friday afternoon I landed in Toronto and pretended that I was working for one of the big sovereign wealth funds. If this had been my first trip to the nation’s financial capital, I would have been shocked by the uninspiring terminal, with its chaotic arrival corral and poorly managed queues. I might have been impressed that everyone arriving in Canada was treated the same but I would have questioned why Canadians didn’t appear to see any upside to holding a passport (they pile in with everyone else) or why there was no fast track for big investors. Canada’s biggest airports have long lagged behind their equivalents in other corners of the world, suffering not just from a lack of investment but also from a lack of vision and ambition. If the country wants to get serious about welcoming the world and shoring up investment, it needs to create a softer, friendlier landing for the curious and deep-pocketed. The federal agencies need to create their own look, rather than aping the aggressive codes of US law enforcement. Frontline staffers need to channel their inner-Canadian perkiness (or it needs to be taught to newer Canadians) to distinguish themselves from their neighbours. The top brass need to benchmark against Singapore and Hong Kong when it comes to making it from gate to idling Alphard in less than 10 minutes. Finally, the airports all need to be spun off and run as proper hospitality businesses.
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Speaking of things being spun off, I flew to the motherland on Portugal’s TAP and what a prize it will be when the Portuguese government finally decides that the airline should be a bit more Germanic or Frenchie. With bids in, we should hear soon whether Lufthansa or Air France-KLM is the chosen partner to not only get TAP back into the black but also to make it a more serious player in Africa and Latin America. In light of a recent lunch, it seems that opinion is divided among Portugal’s big business families. Some feel that the French will have too much control as Vinci runs the country’s airport concessions. Others feel that the Germans are simply not Latin enough, that their style will jar with the Portuguese world’s ginga vibes. During the seven-hour flight to Toronto, I did a thorough audit and, while there is much that is already right (TAP has won Monocle’s “most handsome crew” award a couple of times), there is much that is wrong and in need of some speedy correcting (an hour and 15 minutes into the flight and still not a G&T in hand?). Count on us to cover this transformation in depth.
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And finally, if you’re missing a bit of basic back-to-work wardrobe inspiration, the latest edition of Uniqlo’s Lifewear magazine is just out. The Japanese retailer has once again proven that it’s serious about taking – and holding – the world’s number-one position in the decent-value, good-quality fashion space. Add the issue to next weekend’s reading pile along with our just-out, Japanese-themed Konfekt special.
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