Like at most major Canadian airports, passengers bound for the US go through American customs and immigration prior to boarding their flights. The flight will then be treated as a domestic US flight for practical purposes.
Vancouver International Airport has three terminals: The domestic terminal, which was constructed in 1968 and recently given a top-to-bottom renovation; the International Terminal, which was newly constructed in the early 1990s, and the South Terminal, which is a portion of the original terminal that is still in use. The International and Domestic terminals can effectively be considered to be one building divided into two sections, while the South terminal is located in a remote part of the airport
On September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks south of the border closed down North American airspace, there was no choice for Vancouver International Airport but to be part of Operation Yellow Ribbon, since it was the only major Canadian airport on the West Coast that could handle the planes, resulting in a huge volume of trans-Pacific traffic being diverted there--34 flights carrying 8,500 passengers--more passengers than any other Canadian airport involved in the operation--coming from Asia to the United States.
Passengers travelling through YVR to destinations outside BC are required to pay an Airport Improvement Fee of $15. Passengers travelling within BC and to Yukon pay only $5. These fees are now included in the price of a ticket.
Air Canada (Canada) (Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Prince George, Saskatoon, Toronto, Whitehorse, Winnipeg)
Air Canada Jazz (Canada) (Campbell River, Castlegar, Comox, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, Sandspit, Smithers, Terrace, Victoria, Williams Lake)
Zoom Airlines (Glasgow, London Gatwick, Manchester UK)
International Terminal
Air Canada (United States & International) (Anchorage, Beijing, Boston, Cancun, Denver, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Nagoya, New York Kennedy, Osaka, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San Diego, San Francisco, Seoul Incheon, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo Narita, Varadero)
