New service lets travellers skip security line at Vancouver airport
There's a new way for travellers to skip the sometimes-lengthy security lineups at Vancouver International Airport.
The YVR Express service lets travellers book an appointment for their security screening up to 72 hours before their flight, allowing them to jump to the front of the queue once they arrive.
The appointments are expected to "reduce wait times for security checkpoints" while "creating a more predictable experience for both passengers and staff," the airport said in a news release.
Over the summer, YVR saw massive lineups caused by a mix of staffing shortages and an influx of travellers, many of whom were flying for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials said passenger traffic over the Labour Day long weekend approached pre-pandemic levels, with more than 67,000 travellers flowing through YVR on the Sunday alone. The airport saw about 77,000 passengers per day in 2019.
While the YVR Express service will likely be an appealing option to many travellers, it's only available for those bound for the U.S. – at least for now.
In a statement, Robyn Mcvicker of the Vancouver Airport Authority said officials "aim to expand YVR Express to our domestic and international security checkpoints at the airport over the coming months so that all travellers at YVR have more control over their travel journey."
To book a screening appointment, travellers have to enter their flight details and email address online. They are then given a QR code they can use to claim their reservation within 15 minutes of their allotted time.
YVR officials acknowledged the delays and congestion that have frustrated travellers over recent months, but said the airport has "not experienced the level of operational disruption that has systemically impacted major airports worldwide through the summer," despite a massive spike in demand.
Passenger traffic increased by roughly 170 per cent from January to August, they said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.