YVR: Vancouver's International Airport

By Tom Vandermore


Located 30 minutes outside the city, Vancouver International Airport, also known as YVR, is Canada's second busiest airport. 119 cities worldwide are served by it. In the 2010 and 2011 Skytrax survey, it was ranked the top airport in North America. Vancouver International Airport is the second-busiest airport in Canada, with over a million travellers passing through it every month. Some are locals heading out of town, and many are visitors flying in to work, play or explore our beautiful city. Others never see the city, if they just have layovers at YVR.

Scheduled coach transfers, limousine, taxi, car rentals and transit are some of the options to go between YVR and downtown Vancouver.

Between flights, if you have a few hours to kill or a long delay, it's the worst if you are uncomfortable and bored. YVR is a pretty good spot to be stuck though, if you have to entertain yourself. Vancouver International Airport's interior has a local theme, featuring one of the most extensive collections of Pacific Northwest Coast Native art in the world, and blues and greens to reflect the colours of the land, sea and sky. Vast expanses of glass let in large amounts of natural light and the airport uses a great deal of carpeting. One of the most noticeable places for an arriving passenger is the International arrivals hall, a large area where customs and immigration procedures are completed. There is a large waterfall under the escalators down which passengers arrive on their way to the platform.

One of the airport's most impressive features has to be the 114,000 litre aquarium in the main atrium of the international terminal. As part of YVR's partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium, this marine exhibit is the main attraction for most new visitors.

Rather than go through customs in the US, travellers going to or coming back from the United States clear US Customs at Vancouver Airport. Therefore, arriving at your destination in the US is just like any other domestic arrival. You need to take this into account when planning your arrival time at the airport, since this can add a bit of time. This also means that, before you pass through US immigration, you must purchase any duty free that you want to bring. It is unlikely you will be able to buy duty free when you arrive in the United States. You actually have to walk through the duty free store in order to get to US immigration.

Check out the airfield at the Public Observation Area, if you're travelling with kids. The Public Observation Area is a great place to sit back with a coffee and watch a busy airfield in action; it is located in the Domestic Terminal. The space features floor-to-ceiling windows, free telescopes, information panels, interactive kiosks, and an interactive map of the terminal, runways and surrounding areas.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment