Flights within British Columbia

For onward travel connections throughout British Columbia, Air Canada Jazz (www.flyjazz.ca), a connector airline for Air Canada (604/688-5515 or 888/247-2262, www.aircanada.ca), serves most major BC cities from both Vancouver and Victoria international airports. Pacific Coastal (604/273-8666 or 800/663-2872, www.pacific-coastal.com) has flights to Vancouver’s South Terminal (connected to the main terminals by shuttle) and Victoria International Airport from Campbell River, Comox, Cranbrook, Port Hardy, Powell River, Williams Lake, and many remote coastal towns further north. Hawk Air (250/635-4295 or 800/487-1216, www.hawkair.ca) offers scheduled flights between the South Terminal and Terrace, Prince Rupert, and Smithers. Also from the South Terminal, KD Air (604/688-9957 or 800/665-4244, www.kdair.com) flies daily to Qualicum (Vancouver Island), with a connecting ground shuttle to Port Alberni. Orca Airways (604/270-6722 or 888/359-6722, www.flyorcaair.com) flies from the South Terminal to Tofino/Ucluelet.

Between Vancouver and Victoria

The flight between Vancouver and Victoria is a short one—even shorter than the drive from downtown Vancouver to the airport. For this reason, most business travelers and savvy travelers in the know choose the various seaplane services as a link between the two downtown cores. From farther afield, some flights are routed through Vancouver International Airport, but most will require a change of planes in Vancouver.

Air Canada (888/247-2262, www.aircanada.ca) and its connector airlines, as well as WestJet (800/538-5696, www.westjet.com), fly the route multiple times daily. Both airlines also fly to Victoria from most western Canadian cities. Pacific Coastal (604/273-8666 or 800/663-2872, www.pacificcoastal.com) flies into Victoria from the South Terminal at Vancouver International Airport.

Smaller airlines, including those with floatplanes, provide a handy direct link between Victoria and Vancouver, departing from the downtown Vancouver waterfront and landing on the Inner Harbour. These include Harbour Air (250/274-1277 or 800/665-0212, www.harbour-air.com) and West Coast Air (250/388-4521 or 800/347-2222, www.westcoastair.com). Both Victoria terminals are on Wharf Street.

From Seattle, Kenmore Air (425/486-1257 or 866/435-9524, www.kenmoreair.com) offers scheduled floatplane flights between the north end of Lake Washington and Victoria’s Inner Harbour.

© Andrew Hempstead, from Moon Western Canada, 3rd Edition