Is One Hour Enough for SEA to VAN Connection?

[Retirement2016]

We are flying from SAN to SEA to VAN in August, 2023 for our Alaska Cruise. Our original connecting flight booked through E-Z Air for SEA to VAN had 1 hour and 40 minute layover.  Now the flight only has 1 hour and 10 minutes layover.  We are not familiar with SEA airport.  Is one hour enough to make the flight to VAN?

[Shelly97060]

Yes, you should be fine.  One hour is considered the minimum time for a connection to an international flight at SEA. 

[cruisingrob21]

Should be okay - which airline?  Delta? Alaska? Air Canada/United?

 

If you were to miss it for some reason, there are several flights each day on each carrier.  Since you are with E-Z Air that should help ensure that they hold the ship or get you to the next port if everything were to go wrong for some reason.

[Retirement2016]

1 hour ago, cruisingrob21 said:

Should be okay - which airline?  Delta? Alaska? Air Canada/United?

 

If you were to miss it for some reason, there are several flights each day on each carrier.  Since you are with E-Z Air that should help ensure that they hold the ship or get you to the next port if everything were to go wrong for some reason.

 

Sorry, I typed the incorrect Vancouver Airport code.  It should be YVR.  Anyone know how to edit the subject line?

 

We are on Alaska Airlines SAN to SEA then Skywest (Alaska's partner) from SEA to YVR (Vancouver) We are travelling one day early.

 

From our own personal experience, booking E-Z Air is not a guarantee that you will board the ship.  Last June, flying three days earlier, our flight from LAX to LHR was cancelled TWICE.  E-Z Air could not find a flight to get us to Southampton port in time.  They refused to book us a flight to the next port in Norway.  This cruise is to use the FCC from the Northern Europe cruise.  

 

We will keep our fingers crossed that everything will go as planned.

 

 

[startedwithamouse]

Yes, plenty of time.  There are flights leaving a couple times an hour from SEA to YVR. 

[Mud_Shark]

Yes, enough time, and you don't have to pre-pass customs in SEA, as you will do so in Vancouver, so no delay there.

 

 

[Retirement2016]

Thank you everyone for their replies.  Everyone stated we will be fine, that's good news to us.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Technically it’s considered enough, however, I always seek layovers there of 1.5-2 hrs to be safe. Seattle has gotten so bad with plane traffic that we often are delayed 10-30 min sitting on the tarmac waiting for a gate. There goes the transit time; you’re stressing to race to the next gate which could mean down the way or could mean a train ride or a trek to another terminal. Not fun

IMO. 

[LeeW]

On 12/20/2022 at 12:53 PM, cruisingrob21 said:

Should be okay - which airline?  Delta? Alaska? Air Canada/United?

 

If you were to miss it for some reason, there are several flights each day on each carrier.  Since you are with E-Z Air that should help ensure that they hold the ship or get you to the next port if everything were to go wrong for some reason.

 

Just note that EZ Air can't put you on a plane to next port for cruises leaving from Vancouver unless the ship is coming back to Vancouver at the end of the cruise.  If you are on a one-way cruise to Whittier you would be boarding in a US port and debarking in a different port, which is a violation of the PVSA.

 

 

[justafem]

1 hour ago, LeeW said:

 

Just note that EZ Air can't put you on a plane to next port for cruises leaving from Vancouver unless the ship is coming back to Vancouver at the end of the cruise.  If you are on a one-way cruise to Whittier you would be boarding in a US port and debarking in a different port, which is a violation of the PVSA.

 

 

I'm almost positive the US PVSA has nothing to do with Canada.  

[LeeW]

1 hour ago, justafem said:

I'm almost positive the US PVSA has nothing to do with Canada.  

Wrong.  If you miss the ship in Canada and all the other ports including the debark port are in the US then you would be taking a trip from one US port to another, illegal.  The EZ Air guarantee doesn't apply if PVSA will not allow it.  People do miss the ship in Vancouver all the time on one-way itineraries and they are not allowed to board in another port.

 

If the cruise is roundtrip Canada, you can legally get on the ship in Skagway, Juneau or Ketchikan and end in Vancouver. 

[Retirement2016]

40 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Wrong.  If you miss the ship in Canada and all the other ports including the debark port are in the US then you would be taking a trip from one US port to another, illegal.  The EZ Air guarantee doesn't apply if PVSA will not allow it.  People do miss the ship in Vancouver all the time on one-way itineraries and they are not allowed to board in another port.

 

If the cruise is roundtrip Canada, you can legally get on the ship in Skagway, Juneau or Ketchikan and end in Vancouver. 

 

 Thank you for the info.  There are number of airlines flying from SEA to YVR.  Last resort will be Amtrak.  I'm keeping a positive attitude.

[Retirement2016]

6 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Technically it’s considered enough, however, I always seek layovers there of 1.5-2 hrs to be safe. Seattle has gotten so bad with plane traffic that we often are delayed 10-30 min sitting on the tarmac waiting for a gate. There goes the transit time; you’re stressing to race to the next gate which could mean down the way or could mean a train ride or a trek to another terminal. Not fun

IMO. 

 

We originally had a flight with 1 hr 40 min. layover until Alaska Air changed their flight schedule.  I looked into E-Z Air for flights with 2 hour layover in SEA, but those flights are costing $650 extra per person for business class.  At this time, I'm not willing to pay those added price.  I'm pretty sure the flight schedules are going to change again (cruise is August, 2023), hopefully in our favor.

[cr8tiv1]

It's a good thing you are watching your flight information.  SEA is huge.  Are you flying to Vancouver on Alaska Air or do you have to change terminals?

 

Good Luck.  Smart to check alternatives.  Shouldn't have weather related delays in the summer.

[Retirement2016]

44 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

It's a good thing you are watching your flight information.  SEA is huge.  Are you flying to Vancouver on Alaska Air or do you have to change terminals?

 

Good Luck.  Smart to check alternatives.  Shouldn't have weather related delays in the summer.

 

We are flying Alaska Air to SEA, then Skywest (Alaska Air partner) to YVR.  I don't believe Alaska Air flies to Vancouver.

[cr8tiv1]

Hope this helps.  But I don't see Skywest anywhere.  

 

https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airports/seattle-tacoma-sea-airport/

 

[Steelers36]

On 12/20/2022 at 1:25 PM, Retirement2016 said:

We are flying from SAN to SEA to VAN in August, 2023 for our Alaska Cruise. Our original connecting flight booked through E-Z Air for SEA to VAN had 1 hour and 40 minute layover.  Now the flight only has 1 hour and 10 minutes layover.  We are not familiar with SEA airport.  Is one hour enough to make the flight to VAN?

 

On 12/20/2022 at 1:45 PM, Shelly97060 said:

Yes, you should be fine.  One hour is considered the minimum time for a connection to an international flight at SEA. 

Flying or connecting from a US airport to Canada is like flying domestic.  No special zones or immigration, etc.  It helps to be flying same airline, or at least partner airlines (like UA/AC, for example).

[ijscheer]

25 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Flying or connecting from a US airport to Canada is like flying domestic.  No special zones or immigration, etc.  It helps to be flying same airline, or at least partner airlines (like UA/AC, for example).

I disagree.  We recently flew Detroit-Toronto-Vancouver (Air Canada), and at Pearson (Toronto) had to go through Immigration.  It's on the reverse trip that you clear Immigration/Customs at the Canadian airport, so it's like flying domestic.

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, ijscheer said:

I disagree.  We recently flew Detroit-Toronto-Vancouver (Air Canada), and at Pearson (Toronto) had to go through Immigration.  It's on the reverse trip that you clear Immigration/Customs at the Canadian airport, so it's like flying domestic.

I think you need to re-read your post and compare to the OP's trip.  The OP is flying SAN-SEA-YVR and asking about the connection time in SEA.  That is a US-CAN routing.

 

You wrote about connecting in Toronto (YYZ) and that is a whole other beast.  That said, it has been greatly streamlined from say 10 years ago.  Of course you have to clear immigration on arrival in Canada, but that is not what the OP is posting about. 

 

And no, flying from CAN to US is not like flying domestic as you pre-clear US Immigration/Customs in the Canadian airport and you then move into a secure section of the terminal that is strictly for US flights.  Upon arrival in US, then you are like a domestic passenger.

[ijscheer]

I was not referring to OP's trip.  I was referring to your statement, as quoted.  And for the Can-US flight we were definitely not in a secure section of the terminal.  We had to walk/ride through most of the terminal to reach our gate. 

 

[Retirement2016]

15 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Hope this helps.  But I don't see Skywest anywhere.  

 

https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airports/seattle-tacoma-sea-airport/

 

 

Thank you for the info.  Skywest Airlines is a regional airlines used by Alaska, United, AA and Delta Airlines to YVR.

[cr8tiv1]

44 minutes ago, Retirement2016 said:

 

Thank you for the info.  Skywest Airlines is a regional airlines used by Alaska, United, AA and Delta Airlines to YVR.

Yes, that is correct.  The question needs to be….where will you connect?  There are trains that take you from terminal to terminal.  Hopefully, you will be close to your next gate and there are no delays. Recently, my flight into SEA was about 50 minutes late.  

[Retirement2016]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Yes, that is correct.  The question needs to be….where will you connect?  There are trains that take you from terminal to terminal.  Hopefully, you will be close to your next gate and there are no delays. Recently, my flight into SEA was about 50 minutes late.  

 

It looks like Alaska Air and Skywest use more than one terminal at SEA.  We will probably change our flight schedule closer to departure.  Alaska Air update their schedule quarterly.  Air travel used to be so much less stress!  In our 30+ travel within U.S. and overseas, we have never missed a flight until last June.