I've ditched the ferry idea and am now sending two people from YYJ to YVR on AC Jazz. How much time should a prudent person allow to transfer from the arrival at C38 to US checkin (Continental in this case) on a Friday morning. I know there is customs pre-clearance. The CO site suggests a generic 3 hours which seems excessive; NW (on whose ticket they are flying) suggests either 1:15 or 2 hours depending on how you interpret their guidance.

Would arriving @ 8:24 be sufficient for an 11:10 departure? Even with checked luggage? (The bags can't be checked through to the US departure area because the flights are on separate tix and AC can't tag for CO.)

There is a flight one hour earlier, although at about 50% more in $$.

For me I would definitely take this flight, but I have elite status which gives me a shorter queue most of the time.

Thanks again for your help.

I'd say that (2:45 hours) should be sufficient time, even if it's cruise season (ends in late September). Allow 4 minutes to walk from a/c to luggage claim, 15 minutes for bags, 6 minutes to walk to U.S. terminal, 15 minutes to check in, 15 minutes for ICE/BCP, 10 minutes for security, 7 minutes to gate. It'd help if you have printed BPs ahead of time and filled out the U.S. customs forms (shaves a few minutes here and there). Nothing practically available to them (or to you) really saves time at YVR other than check-in (normal elite stuff) otherwise. What could get interesting is if their flight is cancelled and they have to travel on the following (hour later? flight). Still should be enough time depending on how long it takes to get reclaim bags.

Thanks for your immediate response. Hopefully they can get check-in online, but my wife just tried today flying out of YYC on CO but on a NW ticket and she had to check in in person. It also turns out that the record that CO had indicated paper ticket even though it was an e-ticket puchased on nwa.com.

Does AC Jazz still offer a cart for "carry on" items that won't fit in the Dash 8's? I know that Canadian carry-on size limits are more restrictive than most US ones so I'm not sure that would even be feasible for them, but I recall using it in past years. It would save the bother & time of having to reclaim baggage.

AC definitely likes to use their monopoly power on the YYJ-YVR route. Much the same as Alaska/Horizon on YYJ-SEA. From AUS, sometimes one-half of our air fare is the last "little" flight into and out of YYJ.

One other question. I know this is trivial, but if one has already paid the AIF for YVR but is connecting (< 4 hours), do you know if there is any mechanism for it to be refunded? If not, I'll just consider it a $30 donation to the beautification of YVR, which is not a bad airport.

Yes, AC has an equivalent of QX's valet service.

As for the AIF, I don't think you can claim it back (it used to be "same calendar day"). Part of the downside of having it included. See this schedule of tariffs:
http://www.yvr.ca/pdf/business/tarif...anuary2007.pdf

Thanks again. I'll try and convince my son and his SO to travel lightly.

Bruce