Flying to Vancouver BC

[Tonic Please]

Hi. I'm flying to Vancouver on March 1st, and I have a question about the flight.

Well, 2 actually. I can either fly northwest from gatwick, go via minneapolis (sp?), OR fly direct to vancouver but it is 250 pounds more, and I could do with that for the hours im doing on my pilots lisense. (keeping it current you see :) )

My attitude was "well i dont mind changin flights for 2 hours if it saves me almost 250 quid!" nothing wrong with that eh? Well, I have just spent half hour reading the thread in rumours and news about air marshalls and lav congregating etc, and US attitudes to this stuff going on, and I came to the conclusion that it might be worth flying to direct to Vancouver!

Well, is this NONSENSE going to be the same on the Air Canada flight? Or is it a bit more leniant. Wil i get through customs in one day? I must admitt that the thought of going through America just for 250 quid less prob isnt worth it :rolleyes:

Does anyone agree? I mean i still want that 250 quid, so i might ask my grandparents to pay the difference. I pay 350 and they pay 250

:} Anyway, thats my problem.

Be interested to see some views and advice.

Dan

[Tan]

Go direct to Vancouver the money you save isn't worth the potential hassle that you might encounter with US security....

[owlhere]

I flew to Vancouver about a year ago and encoutered the same dilemma. Financial prudence won through and I opted for the changeover (in Seattle).

So I spent hours queueing, going through countless x-rays and security checks (don't take a laptop!), really dog-tired, no refreshments in the changeover lounge, no American dollars etc etc.

So it comes down to how much you need the dough. If you can get your grandparents to pay I would try that - or ask them to move to Europe.

Have a good trip...

[takenthe5thamendment]

Dan,

Definitely fly direct if you can possibly afford it.
I went out to Las Vegas at the beginning of December and decided to go via Philadelphia (a 2 hr changeover) to save a few quid.

Got stuck there for 8 hours due to snow on the way out. :{

[Bluejay]

Dan

Not sure how much you have been quoted for your trip to YVR or for how long, however go to www.ba.com the quote I have just come up with is £378.70 in economy with the following flight details:

Outbound
BA085 LHRYVR 01MAR04

Inbound
BA084 YVRLHR 08MAR04

Bear in mind that this quote is based on the date range I selected, there was some flexibility on travel dates for the same fare so it is worth a look.

Hope this helps

Rgds

Bluejay

[Tonic Please]

Thanks Bluejay. Thats fantastic. I am going to go ahead and book that flight. Its well within the budget, and its direct !!

Fantastic! :O Thanks again

Dan

[bealine]

Well Done Bluejay! Another popular myth that British Airways is expensive shot down in flames!!!

[Bluejay]

Your more than welcome Dan, have a good trip. Vancouver is beautiful. Also if you have anything that can get you a discount and if you need to then it is worth staying in the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel, its within the terminal and with Industry Discount I got a room there for just over CDN$100.

Have a good holiday eh!

Bluejay

[Tonic Please]

Well BJ, thanks to your research, I have managed to get a flight on Feb 2nd to 13th for exactly the same price!! Also, I got a reply from Victoria Flying Club Manager, and he said that all I would need to do is a check-ride with an instructor (or it might be the CFI thinking about it) to make sure I am safe to fly, and I can go ahead and take friends and family up for the first time! I thought I had to do 5 TO's and LDG's but apparently this is just for the night rating.

Thanks again. It has bought my holiday one month closer, and saved me a lot of money.

Awesome eh! :p Man you gotta love Canada.

Smooth skies,

Dan :cool:

[Pax Vobiscum]

The other 'fun' thing about being an international transit pax in the USA is trying to explain to immigration why you can't fill in the "Place of first night's stay in the US" question on the form (and that was before all the current brouhaha). International transit pax are few and far between and the officials on duty aren't always the "best of the best of the best".

Glad you've found a keenly-priced direct flight - that would always be my first choice.

[Frankfurt_Cowboy]

You want to try connecting after an intermediate internal flight, once flew MAN-PHL-BWI-YYZ. Thought the immigration guy at PHL's head was about to explode, supervisors were called!!!!