Does anybody know if I can proceed directly to US Customs if I am coming into YVR from MNL on Philippine Airlines? Or must I first go through Canadian Customs and then US Customs? I only have a 90-minute layover, but the same plane that comes from Manila continues on to Las Vegas. Any info? Thanks!

Are you continuing on to LAS on the flight, or going to another US destination? If continuing to LAS on the flight, are you sure that you even need to get off the plane in YVR? I thought I read somewhere before that this flight to LAS and the CX flight to JFK allowed passengers to stay on the plane and clear customs at the US destination airport.

Green Lake Guy, in YVR you can skip Canadian Customs and go right to US Customs.

I just did a 90 minute turn in YVR, arriving from PEK on AC, and then continuing on to EWR in the US. I went straight from the plane to US customs/immigration, avoiding CA customs immigration altogether. My bags were checked straight through from PEK to EWR.

So you may be able to so the same. The US customs/immigration clearance for arriving international passengers on certain airlines is separate from the US customs/immigration for passengers originating at YVR. Regardless of whether you need to clear CA customs/immigration, you (and all your fellow passengers on your LAS bound flight) must clear US customs/immigration at YVR. That way your flight arrives in LAS as a domestic flight.

I think that the YVR website indicates indicates the times and airlines that are served by the special US customs/immigration for arriving international passengers.


http://www.yvr.ca/en/navigating-yvr/...rough-yvr.aspx

If you are not getting off the plane, you will likely not go through Canada or US customs at all in YVR. You'll probably go through US customs when you arrive in LAS.

I have a concern about an award ticket I'm holding issued by CO. Will be traveling SFO-YVR-Shanghai-YVR-SFO. On the return portion, will only have 75 minutes to connect from AC to UA. I've never connected internationally before at YVR. Assuming flights are operating on time, will I have time to do formalities at YVR (if any) and make it to my UA flight to SFO? This seems like an awfully tight connection, although it must be a legal one. If I don't make it, will AC protect me on the next flight to SFO? Tried to research this, but couldn't find anything definitive. Thanks!

yes, and yes.

Anywhere else in the world except Canada this would be referred to as
International to International ( from one country to another to another).
Indeed, it actually is.
Only here, where the government needs some justification to charge GST
on flights to one country, but no others, is the " transborder" designation
used.

I have done this several times. Just follow the signs and it will wind you around to US Customs. Will have to "enter" the US by going through another security screen but usually never an issue. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks, Iluv, I appreciate the support. I had never heard this designation before. I did check out the airport map and it looks fairly simple. And I forgot US Customs can be cleared prior to leaving Canada. I've only seen this before in Bermuda and I believe Aruba. I'm not quite sure what "GST" is.

Goods and Service Tax - supposedly only levied on transactions within Canada,
but also applied to airfares from Canada to USA ( but no other "International"
destinations)

The 'transborder' designation is used to diferentiate US bound flights where you pre-clear US Customs and Immigration in Canada. When you clear US Customs and Immigration you are in the "transborder" area.

What about DEN-YVR-AKL? Do you need to clear Canadian Immigration or just go through security. The YVR map is not clear on this. I have a 1:16 connection.

The wizard should tell you:

http://www.yvr.ca/en/navigating-YVR/...rough-YVR.aspx

You will see a Canadian border officer but you won't have to go through the whole customs and immigration rigamorole.

The Canadians really do make it quite easy on you both coming and going. I did a SAN-YVR-PVG-YVR-SAN run and it was very easy. I left a bag of Chinese souvenirs at customs on return and the YVR airport authority returned it to me, in tact, by UPS at my expense of course. The Vancouver Airport is really quite a beauty and is a comfortable place to hang out if one has to.