OT: how long to change flights in Vancouver?

[Gigi22]

We are arriving from the US and have to go through Canadian Customs, security, etc. in Vancouver. Air Canada has just changed our flight times, leaving us just over 1 1/2 hours to make our connection. We have Nexus.

 

[hdrolfe]

It might be close but according to their website you should be ok (says you need 1 hour 10 minutes). https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/plan/check-in-information/minimum-connection-times.html

 

[AngelDisney]

It depends on whether there’s any flight delay for your first leg. We were told and assured twice (different CS reps) by Cathay Pacific that 50 min was enough time to get to our connected flight since we didn’t have to go through security or check in again. The gates would just be right next to each other. I was skeptical but the flight times worked better with the short connecting time, so I booked it. Unfortunately our first leg got delayed for an hour, and we missed the flight. The airline immediately got us on another two connecting flights to fly back to Toronto but we were 12 hours behind our original return with long layover in San Francisco instead of a direct flight. I lost my extra leg room seat and felt trapped in the middle seat (I hate to disturb my neighbour to use the washroom).

Please keep in mind that things may not go as planned sometimes. I had never booked connecting flights before because I was worried about missing the flight or losing my luggage. I tried it once and it confirmed my worry. I will never book a connecting flight again. If I have to have a layover, I will plan to stay in the city for a few days instead of getting a connecting flight.

 

[SaraMc]

Having Nexus should help. But still I would be prepared for delays.

 

[Gigi22]

It depends on whether there’s any flight delay for your first leg. We were told and assured twice (different CS reps) by Cathay Pacific that 50 min was enough time to get to our connected flight since we didn’t have to go through security or check in again. The gates would just be right next to each other. I was skeptical but the flight times worked better with the short connecting time, so I booked it. Unfortunately our first leg got delayed for an hour, and we missed the flight. The airline immediately got us on another two connecting flights to fly back to Toronto but we were 12 hours behind our original return with long layover in San Francisco instead of a direct flight. I lost my extra leg room seat and felt trapped in the middle seat (I hate to disturb my neighbour to use the washroom).

Please keep in mind that things may not go as planned sometimes. I had never booked connecting flights before because I was worried about missing the flight or losing my luggage. I tried it once and it confirmed my worry. I will never book a connecting flight again. If I have to have a layover, I will plan to stay in the city for a few days instead of getting a connecting flight.

We would all prefer a direct flight, unfortunately there is no such flight. We have to make a connection. Air Canada’s messing around with the departure times of both our flights doesn’t help any. If memory serves, they did exactly the same thing with comparable (same itinerary) connecting flights we took a couple of years ago.

 

[tiggerrr]

I don't know if this will help you, but I've connected in Vancouver from the US to Edmonton close to 60 times on Air Canada in the last 6 years (I used to commute to Las Vegas and Phoenix, and we go to Las Vegas several times a year), both with and without checked bags, and with and without Nexus.

I've never once missed a connection in Vancouver (knock on wood), and I've never once had my bag lost. And most of my connects have been about 90 minutes like yours (some have been less). I've missed in Toronto and missed in Calgary, but never Vancouver. I've found customs to be efficient and, while it is a long walk from customs to domestic gates, it's not as bad as other airports. Nexus will absolutely help you as well.

Absolutely my favorite airport.

Hopefully, your experience is the same.

 

[Gigi22]

I don't know if this will help you, but I've connected in Vancouver from the US to Edmonton close to 60 times on Air Canada in the last 6 years (I used to commute to Las Vegas and Phoenix, and we go to Las Vegas several times a year), both with and without checked bags, and with and without Nexus.

I've never once missed a connection in Vancouver (knock on wood), and I've never once had my bag lost. And most of my connects have been about 90 minutes like yours (some have been less). I've missed in Toronto and missed in Calgary, but never Vancouver. I've found customs to be efficient and, while it is a long walk from customs to domestic gates, it's not as bad as other airports. Nexus will absolutely help you as well.

Absolutely my favorite airport.

Hopefully, your experience is the same.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[Sue M]

I’ve never connected in YVR, it’s my home airport. Arriving home YVR customs is very quick. It’s all done by automated machines. They have lots of them. It spits out a ticket you pass to customs officer.

 

[youngdeb12]

Just connected through YVR this past Saturday from Anaheim going to Prince George on Westjet. As long as you are travelling with the same airline (WJ to WJ and AC to AC) they fast track you through Customs. Once you enter your info on the machines and go through CBSA, they actually bus you from the US side to the domestic terminal. This was the first time we had encountered this and it eliminates the need to go through security again. Our connection was 1hr 15mins, our arriving flight was on time and our connecting flight was delayed, but we would have had more than enough time to make our connection.

 

[otten]

You should be fine assuming no big delays to your inbound flight. Nexus gets you access to faster lines for BOTH customs and security.