Richmond Vancouver International Airport Parking

Vancouver Airport is located approximately 12km, or 7.5 miles from Downtown Vancouver, and is the second busiest airport in Canada. It has won numerous awards for its service, including the Skytrax ‘Best North American Airport’ award in 2007 and 2010, and the ‘Best Canadian Airport’. The airport serves as a major gateway to this large and important city of the country, and is extremely well equipped with facilities for the millions of passengers which pass through it every year. Vancouver Airport parking facilities are also available in a number of areas, and are convenient for use by all motorists. Airport parking is also available for short-term and long-term stays.

The airport road is Grant McConachie Way, and to get here there are various roads available from the city and beyond. From the north, or Downtown Vancouver, Granville Street can be used, and from areas far north, such as Whistler or Squamish, the Highway 99 past North Vancouver can be used. The Highway 99 is also used from the south. Other roads of importance for the airport include SE Marine Drive and Highway 7. Vancouver Airport is located on Sea Island, in Richmond, and along the western coastline of Canada. It is north of American cities such as Seattle, Everett and Bellingham, and north of Canadian areas such as White Rock and Surrey. The airport is also to the southwest of Kelowna and Kamloops, and west of Chilliwack. Motorists driving to Vancouver Airport will find plenty of parking options available, including areas nearby to the terminal buildings and long-term parking lots. Various other parking services are available as well.

Vancouver Airport Parking

There are three terminal buildings at Vancouver Airport. One is the South Terminal, located at some distance from the Domestic and International Terminals which are the main passenger buildings of the airport. The South Terminal is a regional hub for small aircraft, float planes and helicopter operations, as well as for charter operations. The scheduled airplanes operating from this terminal include KD Air Corporation, Orca Airways Ltd and Pacific Coast Airlines Ltd. There is a convenient parking area for the South Terminal, adjacent to the building, and hourly or daily parking is available. The South Terminal is connected to the Domestic and International buildings by a YVR airport shuttle bus that is free for use by passengers of the airport.

Nearest parking to the Domestic and International Terminals is the parkade, a three-level parking building located directly across from the terminals. The three levels are referred to as P1, P2 and P3. P1 is a covered area that may only be used for hourly parking stays, and an hour of parking in P1 will cost $8.50 or $9.50, depending on where the parking payment is made. Cheaper rates are available when the self-service express pay machines are used. They are found at the pedestrian entrances throughout the parkade. Up to $2.00 per day can be saved by using the self-service machines. P2 is also a covered parking area, and a week of parking here will cost $190.00. P3 is open-air parking, and will cost $176.00 for a week.

The parkade of Vancouver Airport is open twenty-four hours a day, and offers accessible parking options on all levels. There are also convenient self-service check-in kiosks available in the parkade. For motorists who would prefer not to park, vehicles may stop momentarily outside the terminals, and drop-off departing passengers and their luggage items. Vehicles may not be left unattended on the roads past the terminals.

The Vancouver Airport Economy Parking lot is very convenient for terminal access as well. It is not as close to the terminals as the parkade, but it is within walking distance. There is also a partially covered walkway to the terminal buildings. The Economy car park is open seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day, and a week of parking here will cost $138.00. The daily rate charged is $21.25.

The third main parking lot at Vancouver Airport is the long-term parking area, located furthest from the Domestic and International Terminals. This parking area is not within walking distance of the terminals, and is therefore served by an airport shuttle bus that can be used free of charge. The bus operates 24 hours a day, and runs approximately every ten to fifteen minutes. It is also fully accessible to passengers with reduced mobility and passengers in wheelchairs, and the drivers of the buses are trained to assist passengers with mobility challenges. Check-in kiosks are available at the long-term car park so that passengers can check-in for their flight ahead of time. A day of parking in the long-term car park will cost $15.75, and a week of parking will cost $102.00. It is therefore the cheapest Vancouver Airport car park.

Additional Vancouver Airport parking options include valet parking services and business class parking. Gateway Valet & Concierge offers their services at the Domestic and International Terminals. Passengers can simply drop off their vehicles at curb-side and head for the check-in desks. There are booths for the company in front of the Link Building on Departures Level 3, and at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel entrance at the International Terminal, on Departures Level 3 as well. Their services are available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Business Class Parking is more economical for persons who use the airport car parks on a regular basis. The rates for this type of parking are charged monthly, and allow unlimited access to the parking grounds.

Since that the city of Vancouver is dedicated to a ‘greener’ Canada, there are many cycling paths available, and passengers/visitors arriving at the airport will find bicycle racks on the Level 2 roadway nearby the International Terminal, at the stations of Canada Line Templeton and Sea Island, in the ‘M’ parking lot nearby the Domestic Terminal and at the South Terminal. Further details regarding Vancouver Airport parking can be obtained by contacting the airport at 604-276-7739 (during business hours), or by sending an email to parking@yvr.ca.