Sitting at Montreal, Dorval AKA Pierre E. Trudeau airport

I remember this airport from the 1960’s when flying was an exotic adventure for a few lucky people and if you flew overseas well that was as if you were going to the moon. I had one uncle who worked for Air Canada and he and my aunt would travel to Italy, Portugal and France, they were like astronauts to us kids. No one travelled much further than somewhere in Canada and usually by train or to the USA, even then a lot of people drove to Florida in winter.

To me the airport in Montreal will always be Dorval named after a French Aristocrat who owned the land in the area during the French Regime in Canada (1534-1763). Currently it has been re-named and re-built completely as the P.E. Trudeau airport after our late Prime Minister of the 1970’s. Dorval is also the oldest city on the West Island of Montreal, founded in 1667 by les Messieurs de Saint-Sulpice, the Sulpicians and led by French Nobles, Father François Salignac de Fénelon founded a school and a mission post for the Indians. Pierre Le Gardeur de Repentigny was the owner of “La Presentation” at the time. In 1691, Jean-Baptiste Bouchard d’Orval bought the “La Présentation” land. The word “d’Orval” which was the name of a small hamlet where he was born in Aisne, France. 

The airport use to have a restaurant called the Kebec on the second floor, the specialty was roast beef with all the fixing and the décor was sumptuous with views of the runways, going to this restaurant prior to a flight was a big thing, it was exciting and glamorous. You had a huge meal with cocktails and wine and then took your flight. No security lines in those days, once you were checked-in that was it. There was also one hotel at the airport a Hilton and every Sunday night they had a radio show on CJAD live from the Jupiter Lounge with big band dance music, it was part of the marvel of air travel and the glamour that went with it, Will loves to say that in those days Gentlemen and Ladies flew on aircrafts, men wore tie and jacket and ladies had nice dresses and pearls. We are very far from this era today, the glamour is gone and people dress as if they are cleaning out the garage, many are also very self-absorbed.

Today the Hilton Dorval is gone, it has been replaced by a newly built Marriott and the airport terminal itself has been completely rebuilt, you could not say where the old terminal buildings were. It still has that Canadian homey feeling, big but not too big, it is practical, modern and has a no nonsense approach.

Went through security easily, lots of staff, well organized, helpful, they tell you what to do to speed things along. The food options are very different nowadays, mostly fast food, but I note a lot of options for vegetarians and people wanting to eat healthy, fresh fruits, etc..

Despite the number of passengers it is relatively quiet.

So onwards to Zurich a city I have not visited since 1975.

Again this time I will only see the airport terminal between 2 flights. Zurich Airport is sleek and clean as a whistle, just what you expect in Switzerland with that funny singsong low German-Swiss they speak.