Vancouver Airport

Customer Reviews

No Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 250 reviews
4/10
No Skytrax Rating
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6/10

"serious lack of vegan food"

(Australia)

Verified Review | Serious lack of vegan food! I like to take food on the plane because the airlines are forever mixing up the specialty meals and I find at least 50% of flights are unable to provide vegan food no matter how many times you confirm it. Considering the great food and plentiful options I've found around Vancouver and Whistler I was really shocked to discover that the only vegan options at the airport was hot chips or subway.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2017
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
3/10

"1.5 hours for luggage to arrive"

(New Zealand)

1.5 hours for luggage to arrive after 13 hour flight into Vancouver Airport. This was midday on Saturday. No plane problems apparently. Just not enough staff. This is really poor and annoyed us as we missed out on seeing something we really wanted to see. Departing domestic at quiet time the next day. Queues again. Put more staff on.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2017
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"not what I expect from this facility"

(Canada)

Poor service! I had to wait 20 min in the plane for ground staff to arrive and then more than 30 min for the luggage. All of this at midnight with a 1 year old. I wonder if we can ask for our airport tax back? Certainly not what I expect from this facility.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitNovember 2016
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
6/10

"35 minutes before the first bags are dispensed"

(Canada)

Verified Review | Arriving on a domestic flight from Calgary. Once again, pleasant experience on arrival as YVR is generally very easy to navigate. The reason I scored this experience a 6/10 is because the trauma baggage claim at YVR has caused me. No matter where I arrive from, with Priority Baggage Handling or not, I always find myself waiting for at least 35 minutes before the first bags are dispensed. I try not to check bags if I have to fly into/via YVR but for a lot of my trips, I can't really avoid it. Airport was really peaceful upon arrival, with a number of restaurants to choose from on the departures level. As a whole, baggage claim was the complete bummer, but everything else is expected and good as per usual.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitNovember 2016
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
7/10

"hour to get through immigration"

(Canada)

Verified Review | Arriving into Vancouver Airport on Cathay Pacific CX838 from Hong Kong on Labour Day. As midday hours are one of the busiest times at YVR, I was expecting a line-up at Immigration and baggage claim. However, it was worse. An overflow area of foreign citizens had to be set up to accommodate the number of travellers that day. It took me an hour just to get through immigration and then there comes baggage claim. Even with my frequent status with the airline and my luggage being considered as "Priority", my bags weren't dispensed by the time I got through immigration. Not the first time this has happened, it's every single time I fly inbound internationally. YVR definitely needs to work on that. Other than that, easy navigation, great wifi accessibility, and great airport staff to navigate arriving passengers.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitSeptember 2016
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
9/10

"very well designed airport"

(Canada)

Verified Review | This was my very first domestic travels from Vancouver International and I'm not disappointed. Contrary to my experiences when travelling internationally, security officers were really helpful and greeted all passengers in both English and French. Security lines are definitely shorter and the walk from security to the gate was very short. In addition, there was a wide range of restaurants and souvenir shops to choose from, which is good since I forgot my umbrella and desperately needed one. However, more gate seating would be nice. The good thing about YVR is that there's wifi everywhere, along with the great selection of shops/restaurants, makes long waits bearable. Overall, very well designed airport, easy to navigate, clean, all sorts of accessibilities. If only the international portion of the airport would improve, it would make the most ideal airport ever.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitNovember 2016
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
4/10

"waited for 10 minutes and none arrived"

(Canada)

My wife and I recently arrived from Mexico. We are both handicapped with mobility issues needing wheelchair assistance for longer walks. Since we were walking with the aid of a luggage cart we were told not to go to the wheelchair entrance but the regular line having to stand with difficulty for about 20-25 minutes to get through customs. Once we were through customs were were transported to the waiting area before boarding our plane. In Cancun we had 2 wheelchairs waiting for us at the airplane door. Two attendants transported us on our wheelchairs through customs, they picked up our luggage and dropped us off at our bus. When leaving Cancun we were met at the bus by two attendants with wheelchairs. Again they took our luggage. Took us through customs and were wheeled to the loading area at our gate. When it was time to load the plane they wheeled us to the entrance of the plane. Arriving back in Vancouver we had one wheelchair waiting and the called for another. We we transported by golf cart from the exit ramp of the plane to our luggage pickup and told that was a far as he goes. The driver said he would call for 2 wheelchairs. We waited for 10 minutes and none arrived. Found an attendant and we were told we have to go to our airline desk which was closed to get chairs. Found two wheelchairs in the area but they were locked up. We made our way to the bus pickup. I suggest that the personnel at the airport take a lesson from the Mexicans on how to treat and serve people.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitAugust 2016
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
4/10

"not a good start to our long journey"

(United Kingdom)

Skipped breakfast to arrive with plenty of time for lunch before our 11hr flight from Vancouver to London Gatwick. There were no restaurant or bar facilities in D Gate, so our meal options consisted of Burgers, Subway, Hanami or Pizza Slices, not really substantial enough for a long haul flight. This was due to refurbishment of all the bar and restaurants. Ridiculous for an International airport. I noted that all these facilities where available across a walkway to E Gate (USA Flights), but we were prohibited from crossing just to eat. Not good enough. Why refurbish them all at once? Not a good start to our long journey home.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitAugust 2016
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
10/10

"process was quick and easy"

(United Kingdom)

Excellent transit as usual at Vancouver airport. I had separate airline bookings so I had to exit the secure area and check in again, and the process was quick and easy. The food is great, but as of June 2016 the international departures section was getting work done on its restaurants, so the selection was below what it usually is.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJune 2016
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
yes
4/10

"alternative arrangements could be made"

(United Kingdom)

Verified Review | Flying back to UK had a flight delay of 3 and a half hours, there was nowhere to get a beer or glass of wine. The bar was closed for refurbishment. A big international airport in a big city like Vancouver with one bar beggars belief. Surely if a facility is going to be closed for some time alternative arrangements could be made.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJuly 2016
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no