YVR preps for spring break rush
Posted March 8, 2023 2:04 pm.
Last Updated March 8, 2023 2:07 pm.
With spring break just days away, many in B.C. and beyond are gearing up for travel.
Recent reports have said Pearson International in Toronto will be limiting the number of flights going in and out of the airport to better handle congestion. However, Vancouver International (YVR) says that won’t be the case for its operations.
“At YVR we’re operating at full capacity. We work with our airline partners all along the way to ultimately deliver the schedule they’re putting forward and those schedules are set through regulations with Transport Canada and Nav Canada, as well as the realities of our infrastructure. So at this time, no limits on flights arriving to and from YVR. We’re operating at full capacity,” explained Alyssa Smith, communications manager, at YVR.
Up to 60,000 passengers expected through YVR a day
Smith says YVR is getting set for another busy travel period, with between 880,000 passengers expected to be travelling through between March 10 to 24.
“That equates to about 58,000 to 60,000 passengers on average per day. So for us here at YVR, we’ve got our full contingent of guest experience folks. Of course, all of our operations teams will be up and running,” she added.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority announced in February that it was putting a hard cap on flights in and out of Pearson during peak travel times. It also said it would be limiting the number of passengers in a given hour who arrive at each terminal internationally and depart for the United States.
The move is an attempt to avoid the level of chaos the country’s busiest airport saw last year.
It’s unclear just how many flights will be cut, or if any flights that have already been booked will be affected. Air Canada and WestJet have both made adjustments to their flight schedule.
While YVR says it’s not changing any of its capacity for the coming break, it is still working to get back in the good graces of many travellers after a hectic holiday season, plagued by delays and cancellations due to weather.
The airport is asking people to be prepared and do a few things to “help them streamline their experience.”
“The typical travel reminders hold in terms of arriving early, planning for parking, and making sure you’ve got all your identification and boarding passes ready to go. But there’s actually three additional travel tech components that travellers can prepare for,” Smith explained.
Those three new technologies include “mobile passport control” for those heading to the U.S.; submitting your Canadian customs and immigration declaration electronically through the ArriveCAN app if coming back from an international flight; and using the YVR Express app to pre-book security screening times.
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Meanwhile, Smith says YVR is “nearly on track” to being back to pre-pandemic levels, with Smith noting capacity is currently hovering at about 88 per cent compared to 2019.
“There’s a variety of reasons that people are now choosing to travel or not to travel. But, certainly, we are seeing a strong return to air travel,” she told CityNews.
She adds Vancouver International is not going to be among those increasing airport fees to make up for revenue lost through the pandemic.
The Airport Improvement Fee in Vancouver was raised by $5 in 2020 to $25.
-With files from Michael Ranger
