Vancouver Airport (YVR)
Vancouver Airport (YVR) has a Domestic Terminal with the piers A, B and C, an International Terminal with the pier D and the pier E for the United States, and a South Terminal for the small planes. The Canada Line SkyTrain runs from the station between the two main terminals, and the children's play areas are open 24 hours.
Morsilla Travel may earn a commission from its partners; it does not change the price you pay.
Updated 21 October 2026
The terminals at Vancouver Airport
Vancouver International Airport is split into three areas. The Domestic Terminal has the piers A, B and C and takes the flights inside Canada, the International Terminal has the pier D for the flights to the rest of the world outside the United States, and the pier E inside that same building takes the flights to the United States, with the preclearance there. The South Terminal, which the airport also calls Airport South, is where the small regional planes, the helicopters and the seaplanes leave from.
The Canada Line station is between the Domestic and the International terminals: turn left for the domestic flights and right for the United States and the international ones. A free courtesy shuttle also joins the South, the Domestic and the International terminals, so you do not have to walk between them.
Getting to and from Vancouver Airport
The Canada Line SkyTrain runs from the YVR Airport station to downtown Vancouver in under 30 minutes, and to the city of Richmond in 18 minutes. If you come from Aberdeen, Capstan, Lansdowne or Richmond-Brighouse, you change at the Bridgeport station. The Sea Island Bus Station is next to the airport, and the NightBus N10 covers the hours when the Canada Line is closed.
The taxis and the ride-share pick-ups are at the terminals, and the rental cars are in a separate area that the airport's own shuttle joins. Travelling on Sea Island only is free on the Canada Line, and leaving the airport on it has the Canada Line AddFare, which the airport collects when you buy the ticket.
What happens when you arrive at YVR
Keep your passport and any form you filled in on the plane with you the whole way, from the aircraft door to the exit.
The airport's own travel planning page asks you to arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before a flight to the United States or abroad, and its terminal maps show the check-in counters, the gates and the information desks of each area.
Vancouver Airport with children
The children's play areas are open 24 hours a day: one before security on Level 3 of the Domestic Terminal, one after security near the gate C46 and one after security in the International Terminal near the gate D54. The Mamava nursing pods are after security, near the gates B28 and C41 and in the US terminal near the gate E77, and you open them with a free app or by calling the airport.
There is a changing table in every washroom, and the quiet rooms near the gates B28, C40, D67, D71 and E85 are there for when the noise is too much. The free baggage carts are before the security checkpoints, and you can take the stroller through the security and leave it at the gate of the plane.
Plan your stop at Vancouver Airport
The airport's own site says the airlines and the destinations change, so check your flight on the airlines and destinations page before you travel. And check with the embassy or consulate about the documents your family needs for the entry rules of every country on your route.
Sources
- Official page of Vancouver International Airport on the airlines and the destinations: the carriers that fly from each pier, with Air Canada, WestJet, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada Jazz, Porter Airlines, Flair Airlines, Air North, Central Mountain Air, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Air Transat and Sunwing on the domestic piers, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and Sun Country Airlines on the United States pier, and Air France, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Icelandair, Condor, Edelweiss, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Air India, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Air, Philippine Airlines, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, ANA, Qantas, Air New Zealand, Aeromexico and Fiji Airways on the international pier. — yvr.ca (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official page of the airport on the public transport: the Canada Line SkyTrain and the YVR Airport station between the domestic and the international terminals, the change at Bridgeport, the Sea Island Bus Station, the NightBus N10 and the Canada Line AddFare. — yvr.ca (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official page of the airport on travelling with children: the children's play areas, the Mamava nursing pods, the nursery rooms, the changing tables, the strollers and the baggage carts. — yvr.ca (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official page of the airport on the terminal maps: the check-in counters, the gates, the shops and the information desks of the domestic, the international and the US areas. — yvr.ca (checked 21 October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How many terminals does Vancouver Airport have?
Three areas: the Domestic Terminal with the piers A, B and C, the International Terminal with the pier D and the pier E for the United States, and the South Terminal for the small regional planes, the helicopters and the seaplanes.
Which airlines fly from Vancouver Airport?
Air Canada, WestJet, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada Jazz, Porter Airlines, Flair Airlines, Air North, Central Mountain Air, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Air Transat and Sunwing on the domestic piers, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and Sun Country Airlines on the United States pier, and Air France, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Icelandair, Condor, Edelweiss, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Air India, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Air, Philippine Airlines, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, ANA, Qantas, Air New Zealand, Aeromexico and Fiji Airways on the international pier.
How do I get from Vancouver Airport to the city by train?
With the Canada Line SkyTrain, from the YVR Airport station between the Domestic and the International terminals: under 30 minutes to downtown Vancouver and 18 minutes to Richmond. If you come from Aberdeen, Capstan, Lansdowne or Richmond-Brighouse, you change at Bridgeport station.
What is there for children at Vancouver Airport?
Children's play areas open 24 hours a day, before and after security, Mamava nursing pods near the gates B28, C41 and E77, a changing table in every washroom, quiet rooms near the gates B28, C40, D67, D71 and E85, and free baggage carts before the security checkpoints.
What do I do first when I land at YVR?
Keep your passport and any form you filled in on the plane with you the whole way, from the aircraft door to the exit, and follow the signs to the baggage claim or to the Canada Line station, which is between the two main terminals.