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City Guide - Vancouver - Air | ||
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Air Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Tel: (604) 276 6500 or 276 6101 (information). Fax: (604) 276 6505. Web site: www.yvr.ca The airport is located 15km (nine miles) southwest of the city centre and is a major gateway between Pacific Rim and North American destinations. It serves 16 million passengers annually, making it Canada's second busiest airport. Major airlines: The national airline is Air Canada (tel: (604) 688 5515 or (888) 247 2262; web site: www.aircanada.ca), which took over Canadian Airlines International (tel: (604) 279 6611 or (800) 426 7000; toll free; web site: www.cdnair.ca) in January 2000. At the time of writing, flights can still be booked from either company but the flight itself may be on the other carrier's plane. To minimise difficulties, exact flight details and frequent flier status should be verified in advance. Among the 40 other carriers serving the airport are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and WestJet. Approximate flight times to Vancouver: From London is 9 hours 40 minutes; from New York is 6 hours 25 minutes; from Los Angeles is 2 hours 40 minutes; from Toronto is 4 hours 50 minutes and from Sydney is 18 hours 30 minutes. Airport facilities: These include a hotel, duty-free and other shops, newspaper stands, restaurants, bars, nursery, bank, bureaux de change, ATMs, chapel, hair salon and visitor information. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Thrifty. Business facilities: In addition to airline lounges, there is the CDS Business Centre (tel: (604) 303 4511; fax: (604) 303 4512) in the international terminal. Services include fax, photocopying and computer workstations. Arrival/departure tax: An airport improvement fee is payable upon departure (C$5 for flights within British Columbia; C$10 to North America; C$15 for overseas). Transport to the city: Bus 100 connects to downtown-bound buses, as well as to 22nd Street and New Westminster SkyTrain stations. Departures are every 15 minutes at peak times, every 30 minutes evenings and weekends and fares cost C$1.75-3.50. A coach service to downtown Vancouver hotels and the main bus depot is provided by Airporter (tel: (604) 946 8866 or (800) 668 3141) every 15 minutes 0630-2130, then every half hour until 0010 (journey time - 25-45 minutes). Fares cost C$10 one way and C$17 return (concessions available). The taxi fare to downtown is approximately C$25-30 (journey time - 25 minutes). A limousine service is also available from Limojet Gold (tel: (604) 273 1331; web site: www.limojetgold.com) for a flat rate of C$32 to the city centre. |