I always look for airports when I write about them, partly out of habit and partly because I’m afraid of missing an important detail. When I was writing Any Landing You Can Float From, I looked at the Google Maps entry for Goose Bay, just looking for information.
What I didn’t expect to find was that Goose Bay Airport has 127 reviews, with an average rating of four point two stars.
Who reviews an airport in the middle of nowhere?
Marilyn is the most recent, with a disgruntled three stars.
I don’t like doing this, but it needs to be done. I’m not sure if this is the only airport that is so strict about passengers carrying their own water through security and I say this with great chagrin and disappointment.
Nick offers five stars but his review is a little lukewarm.
As good an airport as you would expect from a small city. The place is very clean and the workers are very polite. There’s just not much to do other than get on the plane.
To be fair, there really isn’t much to do there.
To understand why Goose Bay Airport exists, we have to go back to World War II.
The United States and Canada needed to bring short-range aircraft to Europe to support combat operations, which at the time could only be carried out by cargo ships.
British military aircraft purchased in North America were flown to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, disassembled, shipped across the Atlantic, and reassembled in England.
The solution: build a series of airfields that serve as a springboard for refueling.
The British built an airfield at Reykjavik, Iceland, within reach of Ireland and southwestern England. However, the gap between Newfoundland and Iceland was still too great, so the US military began upgrading existing British airstrips in Greenland and Canada began development of a new airfield in Labrador.
Eric Fry led the research team that selected the new site in Labrador, at the western end of the Terrington Basin, about five miles from the strait between the basin and Goose Bay. He suggested calling it Goose Bay Airport, in line with RCAF Gander in Newfoundland.
The North Atlantic ferry route opened in 1942. Large numbers of aircraft began flying to Europe, starting at Stephenville Air Base or RCAF Station Gander in Newfoundland, with stops at RCAF Station Goose Bay (Labrador), Bluie West 1 (Narsarsuaq, Greenland) and Reykjavik (Iceland).
The point is that Goose Bay Airport exists specifically for planes that can’t get there on their own.
Enna’s review shows relatively low expectations for an airport and Goose Bay rates it five stars.
The landing pad we sat on was flat and clean. The sunset was beautiful.
That was not the experience for everyone.
It was a difficult flight along the North Atlantic ferry route. The cabins were not manned by experienced ferry pilots but by newly trained military recruits who would pilot the plane into battle.
долго думал (more or less ‘thought for a long time’) took a star away from the pilot, which seems a bit unfair:
So guys, I was here in 09 when I flew from my little podunk town of Causeni, Canada, but the moment I remember it I can’t breathe because the pilot blocked my access to oxygen. Minus one star for this situation and my thanks for the hot stewardess Susie and for her good sandwiches.
In 1942, RCAF Goose Bay was “full” with aircraft en route to support the Allies in World War II. Commercial flights began in 1950, when Trans-Canada Air Lines included Goose Bay on its round-trip transatlantic service.
Bruce appears to have been a child on a military transport. Remember that in 1962 the airport was still “lively.”
I was here in ’62 when it was a bustling place. flying from mcguire afb to rhein main ab. I landed here around 2am to refuel before jumping across the pond. I lost my little sister in the terminal but we found her after a while. Mom takes 4 kids around the world on another adventure. There was 4 inches of snow on the runway as we walked back to the plane and it was still snowing as the landing gear slowly retracted into the belly. I fell asleep thinking about Goose Bay, never to return.
Meanwhile, in 2022, T is less impressed with children.
May I suggest a whiteboard instead of a piano to entertain the children?
Today, Air Borealis, Air Canada Express and PAL Airlines offer commercial flights from Goose Bay.
Cheyla gives it five stars, although not much happens in Goose Bay yet.
Small but nice airport. There is a small cafeteria to eat. There are also a couple of car rental companies located inside. We landed around 11:30pm and security was kind enough to call us a taxi. Please note that there are only 3 taxis in Goose Bay so you may have to wait a bit for a taxi 🤣
Johan doesn’t seem to believe in the three taxis and gives Goose Bay one star.
Worst place to fly. I don’t have a real taxi service. People queuing waiting for a taxi that will never arrive.
I was surprised to discover that most commercial planes that land at the airport are unscheduled and never intended to stop at Goose Bay.
JK shows his gratitude for this with five stars.
Many thanks to Goose Bay and his people for helping flight DL0245 last night. Your kindness made a terrible situation so much better. The lovely local lady called Clarizz even shared her chips and salsa. ❤️
Of course, I had to find out what happened. Flight DL0245 was a scheduled passenger flight from Catania, Italy, to JFK in New York.
The aircraft operating the flight was a 767-300 registered in the United States as N1200K. It also has comments.
Quite an old bird: first flight 03/22/1998…
28 years old this year. That’s nothing. Delta will likely take her flying about five more years before she retires, especially with delays in delivery of wide-body jets.
They were cruising at FL380 (~38,000 feet) over the Labrador Sea when one of the cabin crew reported a smell of burning electricity in the aft cabin. The flight crew diverted to Goose Bay and landed safely about forty minutes later.
Maintenance inspected the aircraft and replaced two of the galley ovens. Neither AVHerald nor JK mention what happened to the passengers after sharing Clarizz’s chips and salsa, but the 767 was relocated to JFK the next day.
It’s still flying. In fact, right now, the 767 is carrying passengers from San Francisco to New York and is expected to land at JFK eleven minutes early.
A famous detour later made into films was Uzbekistan Airlines Flight HY101, which was flying to New York City on September 11, 2001. The passengers and crew were calmly sailing toward their destination when the September 11 attacks took place. Initially, the captain was told to divert to Boston. Shortly afterward, presumably when U.S. airspace was completely closed, the airline dispatcher told the flight crew that they needed to divert to Gander International Airport.
None of this explains why goose bay It has three reviews that refer to the event.
Thank you for this airport! Because on September 11, 2001, they helped an Uzbek passenger plane.
The airport received two five-star ratings and one one-star rating, which is an average of three stars.
Tough crowd.
Goose Bay Airport is doing what it was built to do: catch planes in need. I guess 4.2 stars isn’t it awful.
But if any of you are there, please do me a favor: leave a review.
