Vancouver International Airport (YVR) welcomes more than 16 million arrivals to Canada each year and is the largest gateway between Canada and Asia.
Despite the volume of flights it handles, it’s well laid out, organized and efficient. It’s also not hard to look at: the interior features one of the most extensive collections of Pacific Northwest Coast Native art in the world, there’s plenty of natural light, and arriving passengers are treated to a special welcome with soothing water features and birdsong.
The International and Domestic terminals are located in one building divided into two sections, and an additional South terminal serves mostly smaller regional carriers that fly within British Columbia. The International Terminal serves most US-bound flights and houses US Border Preclearance facilities (so passengers departing Vancouver for the US will actually clear US customs before they board the plane).
Airlines operating out of Vancouver International Airport include:
Air Canada
Air China
Air New Zealand
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Continental
Delta Airlines
Horizon Air
Japan Airlines
KLM
Lufthansa
Swiss Airlines
United Airlines
US Airways
WestJet
Cities with direct connections to Vancouver include:
Canada: Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec, Toronto, Whitehorse, Winnipeg
US: Anchorage, Newark, Memphis, San Diego, San Fransisco, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas-Forth Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis, New York-JFK, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver, Houston, Kona and Honolulu
Asia/South Pacific: Beijing, Hong-Kong, Tokyo Auckland
Europe: London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Athens
Latin America: Mexico City, Cancun, San Jose del Cabo
Amenities at Vancouver International Airport
As airports go, YVR shops and services offer a fair deal for travellers: you’ll find regular street pricing throughout the airport.
There are two restaurants/lounges and several coffee shops/cafes (including Tim Hortons and Starbucks) in the domestic terminal. In the US-bound terminal there are two restaurants/lounges, Starbucks and Tim Hortons, and several fast food outlets like Orange Julius and Cinnabon. There’s also a nice selection of restaurants offering interesting carry-on food options such as sushi boxes, paninis and salads.
There are several bookstores, boutiques and duty-free shops located in each terminal, as well as a bank and currency exchange, pharmacy, and medical and dental clinics.
Free wi-fi is available throughout Vancouver International Airport.
Getting to and from Vancouver International Airport
The International and Domestic terminals are served by the YVR–Airport Station of the Canada Line, one of the lines of Vancouver’s SkyTrain rapid transit network. Taxis and courtesy shuttles are also available.
