Info for Vancouver Disembarking with Seattle flight

[mtclimbermom]

We live in Seattle area, but I have seen it asked a few times how much time is needed to get from Vancouver to Seattle airport. The border usually goes quickly, but one cannot count on it. Yesterday our ship arrived in Vancouver for our final day. We were off the ship by 8 am. We were at our parked car by 9 and heading to the border. After a multi hour wait at the border, we were finally on the US side by 1:00 pm. After a 30 min stop at McDonalds, I have small children, we were on our way to the Seattle area. We hit Seattle traffic and did not drive by the Seattle airport until after 4 PM. Besides our one 30 min stop at McDonald's, it took us 8 hours to get to the Seattle airport from the Vancouver pier. Glad we did not have a flight to catch and were just driving by. I would never count on an afternoon flight out of Seattle if one if arriving in Vancouver in the morning.

[cruising cockroach]

That was a non-holiday Monday morning? Which crossing? How far away from the CBP booths did they line up start, and how long of a wait did the signs say?

[Creeks]

I took the shuttle bus from the pier in Vancouver to the Seattle airport this June, but I don't remember what time in the afternoon we arrived at SeaTac. I had scheduled an evening flight so I could see family in Seattle for a few hours. All went very smoothly, but there could have been a wait at the border if several buses were in front of us. We had to go inside and go through security with our carry-ons.

[mtclimbermom]

It was a non holiday Monday when we crossed. We crossed at Hwy 15. The signs said 70 min at the Peace arch and 50 min at Hwy 15, so we thought we would give Hwy 15 a try. The sign was wrong. Our friends made it through the Peace Arch in an hour and a half, we took more than twice as long.

[cruising cockroach]

It was a non holiday Monday when we crossed. We crossed at Hwy 15. The signs said 70 min at the Peace arch and 50 min at Hwy 15, so we thought we would give Hwy 15 a try. The sign was wrong. Our friends made it through the Peace Arch in an hour and a half, we took more than twice as long.

 

So that was the "truck crossing"? So looks like those estimates are very bad if they lines are really long.

[Dan G]

the signs can be off significantly. Listen to radio station 1130 to hear traffic reports every 10 minutes or so. If you take the train hm it avoids the border totally and that is normally the best way to go.

[Putterdude]

That kind of a wait at the border southbound on a weekday morning at what I would guess should have been pre- 1000 would be unusual. In the normal course of events one might expect a 60 to 90 min wait. Rest of the OP time would be about right driving into Seattle's traffic.

[scottbee]

We live in Seattle area, but I have seen it asked a few times how much time is needed to get from Vancouver to Seattle airport. The border usually goes quickly, but one cannot count on it. Yesterday our ship arrived in Vancouver for our final day. We were off the ship by 8 am. We were at our parked car by 9 and heading to the border. After a multi hour wait at the border, we were finally on the US side by 1:00 pm. After a 30 min stop at McDonalds, I have small children, we were on our way to the Seattle area. We hit Seattle traffic and did not drive by the Seattle airport until after 4 PM. Besides our one 30 min stop at McDonald's, it took us 8 hours to get to the Seattle airport from the Vancouver pier. Glad we did not have a flight to catch and were just driving by. I would never count on an afternoon flight out of Seattle if one if arriving in Vancouver in the morning.

 

As a Canadian, I have no pull with a the US Congress to get this fixed, but as a Seattle area resident, you should complain to your elected officials about it. It's purely a lack of staffing issue.