Flying from Vancouver, BC to LAX or Orange County, CA

[lovevacadays]

Last year I booked a cruise on Princess that ends in Vancouver, BC. I got a great deal! I was just checking airline prices on Kayak and couldn't find any flights from Vancouver to LAX or Orange County. How can this be? Any suggestions? Will I have to fly from Vancouver to Seattle and then home? If so, I may cancel this cruise as I booked it to experience a small ship and just relax.

[lovevacadays]

Well. Just got my own answer. Flights aren't available yet. I'm seeing they are available 330 days prior. I have to be patient......

[Ashland]

When flights become available...check on Air Canada YVR-LAX.

[cruising cockroach]

Be prepared to change flights or pay a lot. This route has seen huge cuts in service.

[CruisingCoral]

I would look into the Princess motor coach transfer from Vancouver to the SeaTac Airport in Seattle. It's only $40 and flights from Seattle to LA are much cheaper than from Seattle. I am going on an Alaska Southbound cruise which ends in Vancouver and I'm doing that transfer and got a flight on JetBlue to Long Beach from Seattle for only $80!

 

 

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[kenish]

The only YVR-SNA nonstop is on Westjet. Alaska connecting through SEA is very easy and convenient, and if SNA fares or times aren't attractive check their flights into LGB, ONT, or LAX as well.

 

From South OC my drive time to San Diego is only 10 minutes longer than LAX. You may want to check YVR-SAN as well.

[waterbug123]

Will I have to fly from Vancouver to Seattle and then home? If so, I may cancel this cruise as I booked it to experience a small ship and just relax.

 

Would you really cancel the entire trip, simply because you had to book a connecting flight on the way home? :confused:

[scottbee]

Last year I booked a cruise on Princess that ends in Vancouver, BC. I got a great deal! I was just checking airline prices on Kayak and couldn't find any flights from Vancouver to LAX or Orange County. How can this be? Any suggestions? Will I have to fly from Vancouver to Seattle and then home? If so, I may cancel this cruise as I booked it to experience a small ship and just relax.

 

Airlines don't open until typically 330 days out (which you've found out).

 

As for flights to SNA, it's only very very recently that SNA has been an international airport allowing flights originating from outside the country. There has been a long long (10+ yr) fight to allow YVR-SNA.. Alaska announced it 10 yrs ago, flew one flight out of YVR, and then the US said "Oh, and you'll need to stop elsewhere to clear customs" just before the flight took off, they had to divert to SEA", and after that Alaska abandoned the route after 1 day.

 

The only airline operating the route YVR-SNA is WS/Westjet; and that's very very recent (within the last year); after changes in SNA

 

However, if you need to, the change in Seattle is pretty straightforward, and as you pre-clear in Vancouver; the connection is essentially a domestic connection in SEA with your luggage checked through.

[Zach1213]

The only airline operating the route YVR-SNA is WS/Westjet; and that's very very recent (within the last year); after changes in SNA

 

Forgive me for being ignorant about SNA, as I don't think I've ever been there...but what changes? The flight should clear US immigration/customs in Vancouver, arriving in to SNA like any domestic flight. I wouldn't think it would require any changes at SNA whatsoever.

[kenish]

There has been a long long (10+ yr) fight to allow YVR-SNA.. Alaska announced it 10 yrs ago, flew one flight out of YVR, and then the US said "Oh, and you'll need to stop elsewhere to clear customs" just before the flight took off, they had to divert to SEA", and after that Alaska abandoned the route after 1 day.

 

Not sure where you got that info. AS flew the route for 1-2 years (I flew it once). International facilities were *not* required at SNA thanks to preclear in Canada, nor is it required today. The reason the route was dropped was lack of traffic. About 5 years ago Air Canada flew YYZ-SNA and it fizzled after a year. That was more understandable; they never advertised in the local market. Perhaps they did in Canada. The same pattern was repeated by WestJet this year, when they dropped YYC-SNA flights. Hopefully the YVR flights will stay.

[cruising cockroach]

Forgive me for being ignorant about SNA, as I don't think I've ever been there...but what changes? The flight should clear US immigration/customs in Vancouver, arriving in to SNA like any domestic flight. I wouldn't think it would require any changes at SNA whatsoever.

 

The airport still has (or had) to have international airport of entry or customs landing rights airport designation preclearance or no.

 

That's why you see all these podunk (an actual hamlet in upstate New York) airports in the u.S. being called "international" because they are so designated and not because they have any actual international flights.

 

FWIW, airnav.com updated SNA's information and it isn't designated IAE or CLR.

[cruising cockroach]

Not sure where you got that info. AS flew the route for 1-2 years (I flew it once). International facilities were *not* required at SNA thanks to preclear in Canada, nor is it required today. The

 

Happened back in 2002:

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alaska-airlines-mileage-plan/25773-sna-yvr-discontinued-after-one-day.html

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alaska-airlines-mileage-plan/26741-what-happened-sna-yvr.html

 

 

As for customs requirements, see my post above. Airport has or had to be designated international airport of entry or customs landing rights.

[scottbee]

Happened back in 2002:

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alaska-airlines-mileage-plan/25773-sna-yvr-discontinued-after-one-day.html

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alaska-airlines-mileage-plan/26741-what-happened-sna-yvr.html

 

 

As for customs requirements, see my post above. Airport has or had to be designated international airport of entry or customs landing rights.

 

Thanks for the post, saved me digging up the old threads and references.

[kenish]

Thanks Cruisin and Scottbee. I had never heard of the "1 day wonder" fiasco nor the regulatory reasons it happened. AS eventually established YVR-SNA service that lasted about a year...as mentioned, I flew it once and I definitely recall it being nonstop with no SEA involvement.

 

As FYI (not disputing the IAE or CLR requirements), SNA now has full-on international facilities and there are nonstop flights from MEX, GDL, SJD, YVR, and previously YYC and YYZ. Either airnav.com is incorrect, or there's some other regulatory provision in place. The Canada flights started quite awhile before the Mexico flights.

Edited May 20, 2014 by kenish

[scottbee]

Thanks Cruisin and Scottbee. I had never heard of the "1 day wonder" fiasco nor the regulatory reasons it happened. AS eventually established YVR-SNA service that lasted about a year...as mentioned, I flew it once and I definitely recall it being nonstop with no SEA involvement.

 

As FYI (not disputing the IAE or CLR requirements), SNA now has full-on international facilities and there are nonstop flights from MEX, GDL, SJD, YVR, and previously YYC and YYZ. Either airnav.com is incorrect, or there's some other regulatory provision in place. The Canada flights started quite awhile before the Mexico flights.

 

Almost guarantee that your YVR-SNA was one-stop SEA (with nothing much happening there - same plane), and SNA-YVR was non-stop.

 

As for full intl into KSNA, it's about 5yrs now (AC started it with short lived YYZ-SNA)

[pcur]

I would look into the Princess motor coach transfer from Vancouver to the SeaTac Airport in Seattle. It's only $40 and flights from Seattle to LA are much cheaper than from Seattle. I am going on an Alaska Southbound cruise which ends in Vancouver and I'm doing that transfer and got a flight on JetBlue to Long Beach from Seattle for only $80!

 

 

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I was going to suggest this, too. We just flew from SEA to Oakland on Southwest. Quick and easy. Southwest is our favorite domestic airline even when their flights are a little higher. They allow two pieces of free luggage per person, and they are almost always on time or early, unless their is a weather issue.

[kenish]

They allow two pieces of free luggage per person, and they are almost always on time or early, unless their is a weather issue.

 

FYI, this is really declining as Southwest starts resembling "legacy" airlines. The latest DoT stats show Southwest is next to last for ontime arrivals and departures among 14 major US airlines. Since 2009 both have declined about 10 percentage points. They are worse by a significant amount, not hair-splitting statistical error. They also have many specific flight numbers that are chronically delayed; by comparison, AA, UA, and DL which are similarly sized, have none. 5.2% of Southwest flights are late 70% or more of the time, while AA, UA, and DL are .1% or zero.

 

Two regional airlines (American Eagle and Skywest) are similar to Southwest for on-time performance, but their flight operations are very different and it's interesting info, but apples-oranges.

 

Southwest has the worst record among major airlines for mishandled and permanently lost luggage by a significant amount. (Express Jet and American Eagle are even worse BTW).

 

On the good side, Southwest and DL have very low rates of complaints filed with DoT; AA and UA are many times worse!

 

I'm not "Southwest bashing", but pointing out they are not the airline of 5 years ago.

Edited May 25, 2014 by kenish

[scottbee]

I would look into the Princess motor coach transfer from Vancouver to the SeaTac Airport in Seattle. It's only $40 and flights from Seattle to LA are much cheaper than from Seattle. I am going on an Alaska Southbound cruise which ends in Vancouver and I'm doing that transfer and got a flight on JetBlue to Long Beach from Seattle for only $80!

 

Much Cheaper? Not sure I understand where you get your numbers from

 

Flying from the LA area to Vancouver isn't significantly different than flying from LA to SEA for pricing. Example (June 25 oneway non-stop LAX-YVR):

 

Southwest/SEA: $103 (one stop, 2 bags free)

Delta/SEA: $108

Alaska/SEA: $129

Westjet/YVR: $132 (1 bag free)

Air Canada/YVR: $139

Alaska/YVR: $139

 

Going the other way, you run into a lot of American taxes on international arrivals by air; so the comparison doesn't hold up as well, as fares are typically 30-50$ more

 

Can't say I see the logic of a $50+/4 hour+ Quick Coach transfer to save just a few dollars to fly in/out of SEA.

 

Are airfares a little bit more out of Canada? Sure, but that's because the Canadian federal government doesn't subsidize airports/ATC, it's completely paid for by the airlines.