Has anyone had experience going through Vancouver on a connecting flight? I bought a ticket through Lufthansa from PDX to Munich, the first leg of which is an Air Canada flight connecting through Vancouver then straight to Munich. I am assured by Air Canada that my boarding pass for the Lufthansa flight will be issued at PDX but that I must go through customs at Vancouver. As I look at the terminal map for Vancouver, I can’t find where I would be ushered through customs. The Air Canada flight will land at Gate E95, and the Lufthansa flight will leave from Terminal D, both of which are after security. If anyone has had actual experience with a similar situation at Vancouver, I would appreciate any information such as whether or not you had to go through customs, how long going through customs took, and, if you did have to go through customs, whether or not you had to collect your luggage first. Any information will be very helpful and greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
Can't answer your specific question about connecting but I flown to/from YVR as a terminal point and starting point. What may be causing your concern is YYC and a number of other Canadian airports with service to the US are pre-clearance locations for the US Customs and Immigration service. The American's pre-clear travelers to the States such that pre-cleared flights land in the US from Canada in the same fashion as flights form other US domestic airfields. The US treats flights from Canadian pre-clearance sites as if they are any other American flight.
What this means is the Canadian airports run passengers arriving from the States through Immigration Control. I am guessing that even though you are connecting to a Canada to Europe flight, there is not an "airside" route between your arrival gate Terminal E and your connection's departure gate Terminal D. As said, this is a guess on my part having flown to/from YVR and YYC and destinations.
Customs should not be a big deal in any event. Not having connected I can't answer your checked luggage question. The PDX agent should be able to advise you as to checked luggage.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
smijan4,
I haven't travelled that same route, but I've been through YVR many times over a period of many years, so have a good idea of the layout. I've made many flights from PDX but usually use Horizon/Alaska since that's easier from my area, but have connected through YVR at times as well. When flying domestically, A/C uses the "A" gates, so that's the area I use most often (I'll be there again next week).
Your flight to Vancouver will likely be on either a DH-3 or Q-400, so keep that in mind when packing your carry-on items. The DH-3's especially have small overhead bins (I can't recall if Air Canada uses a Valet Cart as Horizon does - that's a good way to handle larger carry-on items). You'll likely arrive on the apron and then walk into the terminal from there. The terminal map indicates 5 minutes to the "D" gates and then another 5 minutes to the specific departure gate.
As you're travelling with Air Canada and Lufthansa, you'll be ticketed on a code share arrangement which means you likely won't have to deal with your checked luggage in Vancouver. You'll check your bags at PDX and won't see them again until they appear on the carousel at MUC. Are you clear on the quickest method to get from MUC into the city of Munich?
On the flight from PDX to YVR you may be issued a Customs card, but I doubt it on this route as you're arriving at Gate E95 which is in the After Security area. I don't believe there's a CBSA checkpoint there? You should easily be able to walk to the "D" gates area, which will only take a few minutes. I don't believe you'll have to go through security again, which is always nice. However you could encounter a random CBSA spot-check (seems to happen on a more regular basis these days).
Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
15 posts
Thank you both very much. Not going through customs makes the most sense, but different websites give different responses, and whether or not I have to go through customs will determine how I pack. Thanks again for taking the time to answer.
Posted by
YVR
1 posts
Just came across this so I don't know if you have already done the flight. You can find the information you need by going to:
http://www.yvr.ca/en/navigating-YVR/passenger-guides/connecting-through-YVR.aspx
It does appear that you don't need to pick up your luggage though you will need to fill out a customs card. However, unless you have something special to declare, you should get through customs quickly.
Gate E95 is part of the small satellite terminal for the Canada-US short range flights (generally propeller planes). It's attached via a walkway to the main US departures area. It's probably about a 10 - 15 minute walk from the gate to the international area and then another 5 - 10 minutes walk to the gate for your Munich flight.