Vancouver International Airport

At Vancouver International Airport, you can keep in touch with family, friends, business colleagues, or anyone else you need to speak to. The airport offers sophisticated communications facilities that enable you to stay connected at all times. Use the amenities at Vancouver International Airport or your own mobile computer to make contact at any time.

Communications equipment provided by Vancouver International Airport includes more than 400 voice payphones. At various locations throughout its international and domestic terminals, the airport also offers more than 20 eMillennium payphones with high-speed Internet access. Using a mouse and keyboard, you can surf the net or send and receive emails on a 6.5-inch LCD screen at any of these stations. There is a nominal access charge for using the eMillennium payphones, with access to the website of Vancouver International Airport from the home page provided free of charge.

Wireless Internet access is also available through your mobile computer at Vancouver International Airport. You can use your computer's 802.11b wireless network card in the airport's lounges and public areas to establish contact with the Internet. With your own equipment, therefore, or using the facilities provided by the airport, you'll find it easy to keep in touch when you're at Vancouver International Airport.

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For busy travelers, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel at Vancouver International Airport provides the perfect home away from home. You don't even have to leave the airport to take advantage of its hospitality. With its lobby extending into the U.S. departures level concourse of Vancouver International Airport, the hotel is convenient, comfortable, and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

If you're in need of a good night's sleep between flights, the hotel at Vancouver International Airport is the place to stay. With no traffic hassles, you can move straight into one of its well appointed, soundproof rooms and relax, recharging your batteries for the next leg of your journey. For business people who need to keep in touch with the office, or for anyone who wants to catch up on emails, or spend some time surfing the net, every room has high speed Internet access available. A business centre is also available, as well as an executive meeting room.

Facilities at the hotel include a health club where you can make the most of the chance to get some exercise before visiting the luxury day spa, a perfect opportunity for relaxation in the midst of a busy schedule. You don't even have to stay the night to enjoy the facilities of the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel at Vancouver International Airport. You can arrange to meet friends for a drink or a meal at the hotel, to farewell them before their flight, or to welcome them to Vancouver.

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Looking after children is no problem at Vancouver International Airport. The only problem is persuading them to leave! Your youngsters will be more than happy to sample the facilities and entertainment available at the airport while waiting to board their flight and, after enjoying the activity, will be content to relax and take it easy once they are en route to their destination.

Throughout Vancouver International Airport, you'll find a number of play areas where children can unwind and burn off some energy before having to be relatively inactive during a flight of several hours. The play areas are located after the security checkpoints, so you won't have to worry about collecting the children and taking them a long distance through the airport when your flight is called. Remember the play areas are not supervised, so a responsible adult will need to keep an eye on the children while they are using the areas.

For parents of babies who need a comfortable crib where they can nap for a while, or a convenient change area, Vancouver International Airport has a nursery opposite the USA airline check-in on the USA departures level. There is no supervision of the nursery, but parents are welcome to use its facilities from 6am to 9pm any day. Change tables are also provided in all the public washrooms at Vancouver International Airport

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As well as checking your flight time and making sure your documents are in order, try to take time out at Vancouver International Airport to appreciate its interior design. Whether travelers are arriving or leaving, the international terminal's interior provides a lasting impression of British Columbia. Examples of Northwest Coast Aboriginal Art are well to the fore, and show that the airport's development was planned around using its spaces to display the art.

The Vancouver International Airport Authority established an Art Foundation more than 10 years ago to foster and promote Aboriginal art. For those arriving for the first time, the artwork at Vancouver International Airport is a dramatic and colorful foretaste of the native wildlife and the natural scenery they will see during their stay in Canada. The finishing materials used in the building demonstrate some of the natural resources of British Columbia.

The artistic theme continues in Vancouver International Airport with art cases displaying work by various well-known British Columbia artists and others who are just beginning to be recognized in the art world. Provided by art galleries around Vancouver, the display art is available for public sale. Give yourself time to browse around, and you may find yourself leaving Vancouver International Airport with something special to display in your home as a lasting memento of your journey.

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For most air travelers, time is an important factor. You need to be at the airport with time to spare to do everything necessary before boarding your flight, but you also need to stay as calm as possible, so you can board your flight in a relaxed state of mind. Vancouver International Airport can help you move through the formalities quickly to make sure you complete them in good time and without becoming stressed.

When departing on a flight, you can use the airport's FasTrack programs to get through Vancouver International Airport without wasting time. You can, for example, take advantage of free, common-use self-service kiosks rather than lining up at the check-in counter. These provide you with a boarding pass that you take directly to your gate at the airport. The easy-to-use kiosks are available not only throughout the Vancouver International Airport but also at other hotels and airport locations.

For arrivals at Vancouver International Airport, membership of the Canpass program provides an easy way for low-risk, pre-screened travelers to move through Immigration and Customs. This enables you to use a kiosk with a touch screen to answer questions, while your identity is confirmed with an automatic photo. If you hold Canpass membership, you will also be able to access the priority lanes at the pre-board screening checkpoints at Vancouver International Airport. This facilitates security screening for all departures, including domestic and international.

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Vancouver International Airport is large, but it is also extremely well laid out, making it easy to find your way around. If you plan to use your car to get to the airport, you'll find clear signage along the various approaches. For those whose routes will take them through Vancouver itself, remember it is a large city and that you should allow at least an hour to get through it. There are various types of parking facilities at Vancouver International Airport, from a curbside drop-off area to long-term parking, if you choose to leave your car there while you are away.

If you want to travel by road without having to drive yourself, more than 400 taxis operate around the clock every day to serve Vancouver International Airport. They are easy to find in their locations outside the domestic and international terminals. For those who feel like a taste of comfort and luxury, limousine services are located outside the terminals arrivals areas. There are also a number of car rental outlets available at Vancouver International Airport.

Travelers who are meeting friends at the large and busy Vancouver International Airport usually find it helpful to arrange to find each other at a specific point. The bronze sculpture known as Haida Gwaii, in the centre of the international terminal on the departures level, is a favorite spot. The reception lobby on the arrivals level of the international terminal and the arrivals level of the domestic terminal are other convenient and easy-to-find meeting places at Vancouver International Airport.

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As well as traveling by road, there are various other options available for getting to and from Vancouver International Airport. There are scheduled bus services to areas such as Washington State, Whistler, Vancouver, and Vancouver Island. Bus route 424, which connects the airport with the Airport Station bus terminal near the Delta Hotel, picks up and drops off passengers at the ground level of the domestic terminal. Travelers can also take advantage of courtesy shuttle services, offering transport to the South Terminal, the long-term parking lot, and other airport locations.

For connecting passengers traveling between the domestic/international terminals and the South Terminal, Vancouver International Airport and the South Terminal airlines provide the South Terminal Shuttle. This operates as a same-day service, with passengers requiring a travel voucher issued by a South Terminal carrier. The South Terminal shuttle does not provide a service to the floatplane facilities on the Fraser River.

As well as traveling by car or bus around Vancouver International Airport, visitors to the airport can use the marked cycling lanes and separate cycling routes that have been developed over the past few years. A number of bicycle racks are available at various locations around the airport. Areas where cyclists will find racks include the Airport Station bus loop, the M parking lot, the South Terminal's Air Services building, and Level 2 outside the international terminal.

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Filling in time between flights is never a problem at Vancouver International Airport. There is shopping to suit all budgets, with outlets offering a great variety of goods. In between making purchases, or after you have completed all your shopping, you can relax and enjoy a drink, snack, or meal at one of Vancouver International Airport's many eateries.

The items available for purchase at Vancouver International Airport cover a diversity of needs and requirements. You can shop for the latest fashions, stock up on books and confectionery to pass the time on your flight, or buy the travel accessories you need to make your trip more comfortable. If you want a souvenir of your visit, or if you're looking for gifts to take home, the shops at Vancouver International Airport will ensure you find what you are looking for. For those wanting a few necessities to take home without having to stop to shop along the way, there are convenience stores at the airport to meet your needs. Duty free shopping at Vancouver International Airport is, of course, a special part of your airport shopping experience, and offers a range of items including fragrances, cosmetics, liquor, tobacco, clothing, toys, electronic goods, and food.

Once you've done your shopping, take time to sit down and enjoy the varied dining experiences at Vancouver International Airport. Whether you have only a short time to spare, or an hour or more between flights, you'll find something to suit. You can meet friends in a bar for a farewell drink, have a quick, casual meal, a coffee, a takeaway meal, or savor the fine dining in Globe@YVR, the signature restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel in the international terminal at Vancouver International Airport.

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Services at Vancouver International Airport cover a wide range of needs, ensuring that travelers have the help and facilities they need during their time at the airport. For financial services, for example, you will find ATMs throughout the airport as well international currency exchange services. The business traveler can access fax and photocopying services at any time and can arrange to use conference facilities at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel.

Vancouver International Airport also ensures that that it has services to cater for the health needs of its visitors. At the airport's pharmacy, you can have prescriptions filled, buy cosmetics and health care items and use the pharmacy's photo finishing service. If you find yourself with a dental problem, you can obtain help at the dental centre at Vancouver International Airport. For primary health care, minor injuries, vaccinations, travel medicine, and other needs, visit the airport's medical centre, where appointments are not necessary.

For relaxation between flights, Vancouver International Airport has a health club with pools and fitness equipment, and a spa where you can enjoy a range of treatments including manicures and massages. There are also lounges where you can wait in comfort, and areas where video games are available to pass the time. If you want to spruce up, Vancouver International Airport provides a number of services including laundry, dry cleaning, shoeshine, and shoe repairs.

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