Vancouver passengers can get through airport security faster using YVR’s new app

This past summer was one of the busiest for airports around the world, especially for Vancouver’s International Airport (YVR): daily passenger volumes increased approximately 170 percent in August, relative to the start of the year. Pair this with post-pandemic labour shortages and you have a more-than-healthy number of passengers waiting in security lines before they can board their flights.

Enter YVR Express: a new appointment system for security screening to get passengers on their flights to the U.S, faster. It’s a free program that allows travellers to gain front-of-the-line access to pre-board screening.

Booking: Any passengers flying to the U.S between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. can schedule an appointment up to 72 hours before departure. The system will ask for flight information, the number of people in the party, and an email address. Travellers can then select a booking time, and a QR code will be sent via email.

Boarding: After check-in and baggage drop-off, jetsetters can head to their assigned checkpoint within 15 minutes of their appointment, with QR code in hand. From here, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) will conduct their security screening before passengers get to their departure gate.

Take-off: YVR hopes to expand the program to domestic and international flights in the coming months, “so that all passengers at YVR have more control over their travel journey,” says Robyn McVicker, vice president of passenger journey at Vancouver Airport Authority.

YVR Express was built in partnership with Copenhagen Optimization, a Danish airport software company, and Clear Secure, an American biometric technology company.