Sports in Airports

By: Gilles Trépanier

It’s more than a beautiful phonetic rhyme.  It’s a confirmed trend: pro sports teams extend their visibility by partnering with airport authorities and restaurant operators.  The idea is to prolong the visitor experience by offering strong, well-known local brands to air travelers. In Canada, the most recent thematic restaurant opened at the Calgary Airport a few days ago.

By partnering with HMSHost, the Flames organization wanted to offer Calgary travelers a great thematic culinary experience based on the Flames brand image. “We are eager to bring the Calgary Flames hockey spirit into the terminal building and offer travelers a place to relax and enjoy a stimulating dining experience with a game-day inspired menu. It’s a restaurant that really represents Calgary and we thank the Flames and the Calgary Airport Authority for their partnership,” said Neil Thompson, HMSHost’s Vice President of Operations.

Other major Canadian airports are in the game as well. Vancouver Airport features a large Canucks-themed restaurant. 

Edmonton Airport has traded hockey for football, where the local Eskimos brand has been digging its spikes in! 

.  Montreal ADM has naturally opted for Les Canadiens, a team that’s over a century old.

The only major airport in the country without a sports-themed restaurant is Toronto. But we’ve heard through the grapevine that a project is under development. Options abound in Toronto: Raptors, Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, and Argonauts. Which of these teams will promote their brand with an exciting restaurant inside Toronto’s Pearson Airport?