Vancouver Airport

The Customs line was long. There were several UK and Asian flights at one time. The result was over 300 people in the customs hall and only three people to process them. The agents were curt and rude. There is a covert charge added to all tickets here called an airport improvement fee which used to be collected in cash at the gate but its now added to the fare. It's clear to see where the money has gone plush carpets and waterfalls are all very pleasant but I would have preferred the money to be spent on more staff to man the counters. Pretty airport if you really care about these things.

My review focuses on two matters: Transit passenger handling at immigration and Staff knowledge of the airport and its facilities. I arrived in Vancouver at around 9pm to transit for a transpacific flight at around 2.45am the following morning. On the Air Canada flight I advised the steward that I was transiting and he advised me that I did not need to complete a customs and immigration form. On arrival the transit lane was closed and I was advised to proceed through the normal channel and to advise the immigration officer that I was transiting. I did so. The immigration officer (courteously) advised that I did need to complete the paperwork which I did. When I was called back to immigration it was by another officer who when I told her I was in transit gave me a pink card and told me the paperwork was not necessary. Someone in immigration is confused as am I. After all was done at immigration I proceeded to the lady who had directed me to immigration in the first place. She advised me to proceed up to the next level. When I asked her for the location of the Cathay Pacific business class lounge she advised me that it was upstairs but that I should proceed to gate 64. To make a long story short no one was at gate 64 as the flight was still 5 hours away. I asked several people including a janitor a Customs and Border Officer and a shop attendant where the lounge was. Only the shop attendant could direct me correctly. Amazingly the Customs and Border Officer - though very courteous - laughed as he told me that he was responsible for security but had never been there. Vancouver has a beautiful airport - as do most Canadian cities. However Canadian authorities should see to the education of those working in their airports. It's disconcerting when security officials admit that they don't know the place they're assigned to secure!

Maybe I picked a bad day but on arrival from LHR on a BA flight on entering the immigration hall it was akin to queuing for a ride at Disneyland. People were being herded like animals at a cattle market and this experience made Heathrow look efficient! When I did get to the Officer who processed my entry I would suggest he spends a few weeks at charm school. An awful experience which was appeased by the efficient transportation options into the city.

Flew in from LHR with Virgin. What a pleasant airport this is. Terminal staff friendly. Very clean and modern. I loved the water features on the way to immigration. I was one of the last off our flight and I do not know if any other flights had arrived at about the same time but the line for immigration was short and moved quickly. Within minutes I was on my way downtown via Canada Line skytrain (airport - downtown about 25 mins) I have read a lot of reviews about horrendous queues at US airports and maybe I was just lucky but I am glad I flew into such a nice airport serving a great city.

4.5 hour transfer from SFO to NRT. Facilities clean and convenient effort to make the airport a pleasant place is clearly visible. Big screen was showing Euro 2012 game which is quite a plus at an international facility. The only improvement point is a relative lack of food choices especially since passengers are stuck in separate service zones (int'l US and domestic). Otherwise a good experience.

Recently flew from Chicago to Vancouver and was surprised to see that immigration was less then 10 minutes even though 2 flights from Asia had just arrived and baggage was out right away. Do I see some improvement in this airport or is this a one time thing?

Local resident - use 3 to 5 times per year. Very happy with the airport - it is a welcome place to return through and a pleasant place to leave from. In the context of the norms of all airport processing. Free wifi has long been a YVR staple. Water and sculpture features add a strong sense of identity and make this a nicer place to be than any standard hub. US pre-departure immigration clearance (yes from within the Vancouver airport in Canada) can be a longer wait and not so friendly.

Flying from O'Hare through YVR connecting to SYD. I found YVR very nice clean and a pleasure to be stranded for 6 hours. Everyone very friendly and helpful. I had the option of the train to downtown Vancouver or relax at the airport. Food court ok duty free shopping nice. Clean and open space. Shopping ok.

Arrived from PHX on Westjet. I was expecting a long walk from the gate to baggage claim and I was right. At least the scenery was pleasant to look at. Baggage claim was confusing but did manage to figure it out. Finding the domestic connection bag drop off was tricky I had to ask someone as signage was poor. I thought Toronto Pearson was a long walk but this was easily twice the distance for an airport half the size to the Westjet gates. I was surprised. Overall I would avoid this airport when arriving from the US.

Great airport all around! Open airy with great decor. Lots of shops restaurants and services throughout all terminals. (Although some do shut early). Customs and immigration is average but quick for Canadians using the Kiosk. Information signage is frequent and clear. Electronic information signage changes language frequently to help international visitors.