Back in 1987, I was on a charter flight with ATA Airlines from New York to Athens, Greece. That flight we (me and my mom) were on, made a stop here and we went into the airport and got some snacks and drinks.
Dude this building needs to be listed and preserved. Even if it closes as an airport it should stay open as a living example of flying history. Everything is perfectly preserved it's nuts.
I live near, this place is like a surreal dream, you know those surreal dreams with those weirdly clean office buildings you see in dreams? this place is one gigantic one of those
I love the way they talk, it’s a bit comical, but after doing some research I discovered their accent is the result of countless Scottish, Irish, and English people that’s occupied Newfoundland even before it was part of Canada, and over the centuries, those three accents turned into its own unique accent. Very similar to the accents in Nova Scotia where my mother is from, half the time I can’t understand a word her family is saying. My dad was part of the real Canadian Navy and stationed in Halifax, my mother met him there while she was working in Halifax as a young woman, and had attended a naval dance, where they first met. My mother is the only person in her family to leave her hometown, Antigonish, and she comes from a very very big family, growing up with 14 brothers and sisters. I swear to God I am related to the entire town, and half of Nova Scotia! I was there last three years ago to visit my uncle who was in the hospital fighting cancer, as we stood in the hall, I jokingly said to my father, I bet you all these nurses are related to me, and sure enough, I was right, they were all my first cousins! In total I have 112 first cousins alone, just say nothing of the countless aunts and uncles, grandparents, second and third and fourth cousins, but there’s just so many there’s no way I could meet them all, especially since I live in Toronto. East coasters are truly unique, beyond friendly doesn’t begin to describe them. About 10 years ago my sister and I decided to drive from Toronto all the way there, and we had just passed the border into Nova Scotia when our car broke down in the middle of nowhere, or so I thought. We were stranded, so I left the hood of the car open hoping somebody would notice, but within a half hour, this man literally comes running down this old dirt road, his arms flailing in the air, acting as though we were dying, desperate to get our attention. In Toronto, if you see someone do that you run like hell, because it probably means you’re going to be mugged or killed, but this guy was unbelievable. That old dirt road led to his house, this unbelievably beautiful Victorian farmhouse literally in the middle of nowhere. The man offered to put us up for the night, after he allowed us to use his phone to call for help, only to find out that the local mechanic wasn’t opened until Monday, and it was Saturday. So the man let us stay there for two nights, while he and his wife treated us like we were royalty, they couldn’t do enough to try to make our stay comfortable, it was absolutely unbelievable. I kept waiting for the catch, but there wasn’t any. It just so happened that he knew the mechanic very well, it was his son. Before we even got out of bed on Monday morning, his son had arrived with his tow truck, but was actually able to fix our car on the spot, because unbeknownst to us he had snuck there the night before to see what parts we need to fix the car, and had brought them with him on Monday morning. My sister and I woke up, and as we were having breakfast, we look out the window and see some guy driving our car to the front of the house. He gets out, comes in the house, introduces himself as the son of the people taking care of us, told us what was wrong with the car, told us it was fixed and ready to go, and then you won’t believe what happened, he absolutely refused to let us pay him one penny, no matter how much we insisted, he would not take the money, and neither would his parents, Who had taken care of both of us for two days, and had taken us on the person we got a tour of the entire area. If I had to pay for that it would’ve cost thousands, but these people are so selfless, so giving, so kind and kind hearted, they absolutely refuse to except anything from us. Both my sister and I just stood there with tears in our eyes. We realized it was pointless to argue with them, because they were not budging, and drove away in our car feeling so guilty, but the pay off in the end was so worth it. We have kept in constant contact with them ever since that day, and we now consider them part of my family. Their son recently had his own little boy, and they named him after me, A year later they had a daughter and they named her after my sister, this very day we still cannot comprehend how to complete strangers could treat us as if they had no one else their entire lives. There is no way I could ever repay their kindness and love, but we try to do so with every chance we have. The last Christmas just before Covid hit, we had paid for the airplane tickets, so they could fly here, so we could return the favor, and they stayed with us for two weeks, I took them all over Toronto, and to Niagara Falls. We probably spent about $5000 in total, but for my sister and I that’s nothing, we could spend $100,000 and we still never feel like we have to repay them for everything they did for us, because it has nothing to do with money really, and everything to do with love and kindness. We both speak to them at least once a week on the phone, and they’re constantly texting and emailing each other. They are an elderly couple now, both in their late 70s, I don’t know anything about technology, so my sister and I bought them each a tablet add a cell phone for Christmas several years ago, and flew out there to spend New Year’s Eve and the week after with them, and taught them how to use the technology. Every sense that we’ve been inseparable. It’s amazing how something is innocuous as a broken down car could lead to such a life altering events. Those two people are just a small representation of what almost every person in the East Coast is like, and that includes Newfoundland. These people will intentionally go out of their way to do anything necessary to help you, to make you feel at home, to make you feel loved, and to make damn sure that you know you are not strangers, but a part of their family, and I am beyond grateful for the rest of my life. It’s been difficult during Covid, because were so desperate to go see them, especially since Chuck, that’s the older gentleman, has been quite ill and in the hospital, but for almost 2 years we haven’t been able to get there because of so many Covid restrictions, but we’ve bought airline tickets that we can use any time over the next two years, so the minute they allow travel again, will be the first ones on the airplane. I can honestly say that both my sister and I love them as much as we love our own parents, and their son has become one of my best friends. Because I’m openly gay, am I sister is divorced with two children, two things that used to be so stigmatized in the old days, we thought for sure nobody would want to welcome us, but they don’t give a damn about things like that there, all they care about is the quality of your character, they don’t care about anything except that, and they’ve made it abundantly clear that they are thrilled to death to have us as part of their family. I took my husband with me to meet them five years ago, because he’s Latino, and gay, he was convinced that they would hate us, despite how many times I told him not to worry, ever since that day he still can’t get over how incredibly loving and welcoming they were, and even offered to pay for our wedding, because we are common-law and never actually held a ceremony, and they wanted to throw us an entire wedding, and sent us on a honeymoon. We just could not except such a generous offer, and they understood why, and keep in mind, these people aren’t rich, as a matter of fact, the husband made his living fishing most of his life, not a career that you can make a fortune in, but to them money is irrelevant. I could talk for hours, but I trust my point is made, people on the East Coast, and of Canada and the United States, are all like that, and when you come from the big city it hit you really hard, to the point where you just stand there in complete disbelief that there are people like that in this world. If you’ve never been to that part of the world, you have got to put it on your bucket list, please trust me, it will be one of the best things you’ve ever done!
I was on my way back from Floriday going home to Scotland and our Lockheed L101-2 Tristar stopped for fuel and there I learned of Princess Diana's death.
Stopped at Gander International back in 2001 on a flight that was flying to Orlando, tried chocolate moose milk ice cream and bought some souvenirs, till this day I cant find anywhere that sells moose milk ice cream.
Nice airport...was in Gander for a week in March 2014 and was nice to see. There is a nice little restaurant there where the locals come as well. I flew in March 2014...it was so cold...yikes
The Queen did not open the airport, she opened the new terminal. As mentioned in the video, the airport has been there since 1936 and was used extensively in WW2 to get bombers over to England. After the war, when passenger flights started, they had to stop in Gander for refueling.
They turned 9/11 into a musical? Hey, sure. Why not....cause ...humans....what about all the crashed in and around Gander? Several hundreds of ppl have lost their lives around there over the years.
I will never forget my stay in the Church hall that gave us shelter during 9/11 and the hospitality and goodwill of the people.
This guy is like if a hug was a person....☺
I love how he’s like “well they got rid of the building, so we’re claiming rights” what a lovely man
His accent 😂 what a great act of humanity it was exactly 19 years ago opening their hearts and homes to those in need
Very proud of our heritage and hospitality.
Love the people of Gander!,
i’m from toronto and so thankful for them
I love this guy! I need to visit this airport that brought us that Tony award winning show!
Back in 1987, I was on a charter flight with ATA Airlines from New York to Athens, Greece. That flight we (me and my mom) were on, made a stop here and we went into the airport and got some snacks and drinks.
Dude this building needs to be listed and preserved. Even if it closes as an airport it should stay open as a living example of flying history. Everything is perfectly preserved it's nuts.
I live near, this place is like a surreal dream, you know those surreal dreams with those weirdly clean office buildings you see in dreams? this place is one gigantic one of those
He's wonderful!
for some reason I lost it laughing that his wife had to come home so he could get dressed.
I have officially put this on my bucket list of places to go. Just to say I've been there.
Thank You! Great video, been here on stopovers with ATA many times. Good Luck Gander!
I wanna visit gander.
I love the way they talk, it’s a bit comical, but after doing some research I discovered their accent is the result of countless Scottish, Irish, and English people that’s occupied Newfoundland even before it was part of Canada, and over the centuries, those three accents turned into its own unique accent. Very similar to the accents in Nova Scotia where my mother is from, half the time I can’t understand a word her family is saying. My dad was part of the real Canadian Navy and stationed in Halifax, my mother met him there while she was working in Halifax as a young woman, and had attended a naval dance, where they first met. My mother is the only person in her family to leave her hometown, Antigonish, and she comes from a very very big family, growing up with 14 brothers and sisters. I swear to God I am related to the entire town, and half of Nova Scotia! I was there last three years ago to visit my uncle who was in the hospital fighting cancer, as we stood in the hall, I jokingly said to my father, I bet you all these nurses are related to me, and sure enough, I was right, they were all my first cousins! In total I have 112 first cousins alone, just say nothing of the countless aunts and uncles, grandparents, second and third and fourth cousins, but there’s just so many there’s no way I could meet them all, especially since I live in Toronto. East coasters are truly unique, beyond friendly doesn’t begin to describe them. About 10 years ago my sister and I decided to drive from Toronto all the way there, and we had just passed the border into Nova Scotia when our car broke down in the middle of nowhere, or so I thought. We were stranded, so I left the hood of the car open hoping somebody would notice, but within a half hour, this man literally comes running down this old dirt road, his arms flailing in the air, acting as though we were dying, desperate to get our attention. In Toronto, if you see someone do that you run like hell, because it probably means you’re going to be mugged or killed, but this guy was unbelievable. That old dirt road led to his house, this unbelievably beautiful Victorian farmhouse literally in the middle of nowhere. The man offered to put us up for the night, after he allowed us to use his phone to call for help, only to find out that the local mechanic wasn’t opened until Monday, and it was Saturday. So the man let us stay there for two nights, while he and his wife treated us like we were royalty, they couldn’t do enough to try to make our stay comfortable, it was absolutely unbelievable. I kept waiting for the catch, but there wasn’t any. It just so happened that he knew the mechanic very well, it was his son. Before we even got out of bed on Monday morning, his son had arrived with his tow truck, but was actually able to fix our car on the spot, because unbeknownst to us he had snuck there the night before to see what parts we need to fix the car, and had brought them with him on Monday morning. My sister and I woke up, and as we were having breakfast, we look out the window and see some guy driving our car to the front of the house. He gets out, comes in the house, introduces himself as the son of the people taking care of us, told us what was wrong with the car, told us it was fixed and ready to go, and then you won’t believe what happened, he absolutely refused to let us pay him one penny, no matter how much we insisted, he would not take the money, and neither would his parents, Who had taken care of both of us for two days, and had taken us on the person we got a tour of the entire area. If I had to pay for that it would’ve cost thousands, but these people are so selfless, so giving, so kind and kind hearted, they absolutely refuse to except anything from us. Both my sister and I just stood there with tears in our eyes. We realized it was pointless to argue with them, because they were not budging, and drove away in our car feeling so guilty, but the pay off in the end was so worth it. We have kept in constant contact with them ever since that day, and we now consider them part of my family. Their son recently had his own little boy, and they named him after me, A year later they had a daughter and they named her after my sister, this very day we still cannot comprehend how to complete strangers could treat us as if they had no one else their entire lives. There is no way I could ever repay their kindness and love, but we try to do so with every chance we have. The last Christmas just before Covid hit, we had paid for the airplane tickets, so they could fly here, so we could return the favor, and they stayed with us for two weeks, I took them all over Toronto, and to Niagara Falls. We probably spent about $5000 in total, but for my sister and I that’s nothing, we could spend $100,000 and we still never feel like we have to repay them for everything they did for us, because it has nothing to do with money really, and everything to do with love and kindness. We both speak to them at least once a week on the phone, and they’re constantly texting and emailing each other. They are an elderly couple now, both in their late 70s, I don’t know anything about technology, so my sister and I bought them each a tablet add a cell phone for Christmas several years ago, and flew out there to spend New Year’s Eve and the week after with them, and taught them how to use the technology. Every sense that we’ve been inseparable. It’s amazing how something is innocuous as a broken down car could lead to such a life altering events. Those two people are just a small representation of what almost every person in the East Coast is like, and that includes Newfoundland. These people will intentionally go out of their way to do anything necessary to help you, to make you feel at home, to make you feel loved, and to make damn sure that you know you are not strangers, but a part of their family, and I am beyond grateful for the rest of my life. It’s been difficult during Covid, because were so desperate to go see them, especially since Chuck, that’s the older gentleman, has been quite ill and in the hospital, but for almost 2 years we haven’t been able to get there because of so many Covid restrictions, but we’ve bought airline tickets that we can use any time over the next two years, so the minute they allow travel again, will be the first ones on the airplane. I can honestly say that both my sister and I love them as much as we love our own parents, and their son has become one of my best friends. Because I’m openly gay, am I sister is divorced with two children, two things that used to be so stigmatized in the old days, we thought for sure nobody would want to welcome us, but they don’t give a damn about things like that there, all they care about is the quality of your character, they don’t care about anything except that, and they’ve made it abundantly clear that they are thrilled to death to have us as part of their family. I took my husband with me to meet them five years ago, because he’s Latino, and gay, he was convinced that they would hate us, despite how many times I told him not to worry, ever since that day he still can’t get over how incredibly loving and welcoming they were, and even offered to pay for our wedding, because we are common-law and never actually held a ceremony, and they wanted to throw us an entire wedding, and sent us on a honeymoon. We just could not except such a generous offer, and they understood why, and keep in mind, these people aren’t rich, as a matter of fact, the husband made his living fishing most of his life, not a career that you can make a fortune in, but to them money is irrelevant. I could talk for hours, but I trust my point is made, people on the East Coast, and of Canada and the United States, are all like that, and when you come from the big city it hit you really hard, to the point where you just stand there in complete disbelief that there are people like that in this world. If you’ve never been to that part of the world, you have got to put it on your bucket list, please trust me, it will be one of the best things you’ve ever done!
Absolutely lovely story.
Thanks for sharing.
I stopped in Gander for a Scotland to Florida flight.
That's what brings me to this video.
I was on my way back from Floriday going home to Scotland and our Lockheed L101-2 Tristar stopped for fuel and there I learned of Princess Diana's death.
This guys so sweet, he seems like a fun laugh.
I love this guy
Stopped at Gander International back in 2001 on a flight that was flying to Orlando, tried chocolate moose milk ice cream and bought some souvenirs, till this day I cant find anywhere that sells moose milk ice cream.
Nice airport...was in Gander for a week in March 2014 and was nice to see. There is a nice little restaurant there where the locals come as well. I flew in March 2014...it was so cold...yikes
Gander was the crossroad to freedom for me January 1988
We diverted to gandor in 1997 when are flight developed a problem 6 hours we were there
And here we are, where the world has come together...
I remember going from London to Miami, and getting an ice cream at the airport
Gander Airport had a very interesting history during World War II.
I fly to Gander CYQX in my flight simulator as a refuel point for trips to and from Europe. It's just a 5 hour hop to Ireland from there!
Nfld accent on poINT
love the newfie accents!
This guy must act in the Simpsons he has a fantastic animated voice
My dad and my pop work at the airport at the start where they show those statues of birds I have sat on them not joking
The Queen did not open the airport, she opened the new terminal. As mentioned in the video, the airport has been there since 1936 and was used extensively in WW2 to get bombers over to England. After the war, when passenger flights started, they had to stop in Gander for refueling.
‘He was supposed to be moose hunting on Sept 11...’
Me: Of course he was moose hunting LMAO
This is the second terminal on the same location. The original airport was the town. Be nice if they could've held on to more of it.
I've been in that bathroom I'm soon going back to that airport to go to Halifax
I just realised the music playing while they’re talking about 9/11 is the instrumental of ‘38 Planes’ from Come From Away
Can you get a HUBER in Gander, or Taxi only?
Joe Patroni Only taxi, no Uber in Newfoundland
No Huber, that sux. Tanks
I hate come from away but I like the gander airport
I live in switzerland buy go to gander every year foe 3 week and I love it and I had to piss my self watching this video
I was here in 1970, it's in better condition than me, where has my life gone.
So this is what it looks like to be a stranded passenger during 9/11 airspace lockdown
man I'm proud to be Canadian watching this
back when air travel was truly a pioneering exercise
now the journey across the pond is done with Airbus A321neo - boring
They turned 9/11 into a musical? Hey, sure. Why not....cause ...humans....what about all the crashed in and around Gander? Several hundreds of ppl have lost their lives around there over the years.
What are you talking about
Come From Away is one of the best musicals I have ever seen and it depicts how incredible the people from Gander are.