YVR creates online dashboard for real-time security waits, parking availability

YVR Airport creates online dashboard for real-time security wait times and parking availability

Vancouver International Airport (Shutterstock)

For years, there has been an online dashboard listing expected wait times at Metro Vancouver hospitals in real-time, allowing the public to make better-informed decisions to avoid unnecessary waits.

As of this week, a similar tool is now available to help provide departing passengers with a smoother journey through Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

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The “Operational Snapshot” dashboard page on YVR’s website provides real-time wait times to pass through all three Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) security areas in domestic, international, and US transborder, as well as the real-time parking availability on each of the three levels of YVR’s main parkade.

For instance, as of the time of writing, just after 2 pm on Thursday, June 29, the CATSA security screening wait times are about one minute for domestic, about five minutes for international, and about two minutes for US transborder.

Currently, there are also 15 parking stalls available on P1 of the parkade, 150 on P2, and 128 on P3.

The dashboard also provides scheduled and forecasted daily statistics on daily passengers, flights departing/arriving, and on-time performance for departures. For these metrics today, a total of 76,047 passengers are anticipated, a total of 722 flights are scheduled to depart and arrive, and the on-time performance for departing flights is 75%.

CATSA also recently created its own online dashboard for security screening times at various major airports across the country.

vancouver international airport yvr operational snapshot example

Example of the real-time “Operational Snapshot” of Vancouver International Airport, as of 2 pm on June 29, 2023. Click on the image for a real-time update. (Vancouver International Airport)

YVR’s new online dashboard is all part of the airport authority’s growing use of new digital technologies to improve its operational efficiency, especially ahead of the busy peak summer season, which is anticipated to see the return of pre-pandemic 2019 passenger volumes.

The airport authority anticipates it will see seven million passengers over the three-month period from July to September. YVR saw 7.6 million passengers over the same period in 2019, and just over six million passengers over the same period in 2022.

The busiest days for travel in Summer 2023 are forecast to be Sundays in August, with the top destinations from YVR being Toronto, Calgary, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Delhi, London, and Hong Kong.

Over the 2023 Canada Day long weekend, YVR is expecting 77,457 passengers on Friday, 76,243 on Saturday, 77,489 on Sunday, and 74,624 on Monday.

YVR is also encouraging passengers to use YVR Express and advance declarations through Mobile Passport Control and ArriveCAN to help speed up their journey through the airport.

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