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Support your Prince Rupert airport

Anyone who has travelled from the Prince Rupert Airport to Vancouver will know it's no secret that the terminal is in need of updating.

Anyone who has travelled from the Prince Rupert Airport to Vancouver will know it's no secret that the terminal is in need of some serious updating.

The airport is the first impression people get of our fair city when arriving in Prince Rupert, and the impression is probably not one that paints a pretty picture. It would be tough to argue that the interior is outdated, the washrooms look straight out of the 1960s and the building as you walk off the tarmac doesn't indicate you've arrived at a town on the go. That's not to mention picking up your bag after someone has dropped it through an open frame as opposed to picking it off of a luggage carousel, but I digress.

If Prince Rupert is to continue to have a viable airport, the Prince Rupert Airport Authority needs this $7 million loan from the city. No question about it.

But what the airport authority needs just as much is, quite simply, the continued support of the people and businesses who live here. That, in fact, is something more important than the loan and is the only way this loan is going to work.

People living in Prince Rupert and choosing to fly out of Terrace is a real head-scratcher. People have commented that flying out of the Northwest Regional Airport is cheaper or faster than good ol' YPR. That's simply not the case, although some choose to tell themselves that in order to justify taking their money out of town.

Yes, you have to wait at the Prince Rupert airport when arriving or departing and sometimes that wait can be up to an hour. By the time you take the bus and ferry ride into account, it could be two hours. Newsflash: It takes about 90 minutes to drive to the Terrace airport, and you need to check in at least half an hour in advance. There is no time being saved.

Flights may or may not be cheaper out of Terrace and there is no user fee associated with it. But the cost of fuel and paying for parking easily cancel out any savings there may be.

For years, people have stressed the importance of shop local.

Support Prince Rupert, fly local too.