ESSENTIALS - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 739

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Getting There
The vast majority of North American visitors to British Columbia arrive by driving or fly-
ing, although you can also reach the province by bus, train, or ferry. Vancouver, in the south-
west corner, is the main gateway. It is 225 kilometers (140 miles) north of Seattle and 1,060
kilometers (653 miles) west of Calgary along the Trans-Canada Highway. From further
afield, Vancouver is 2,055 kilometers (1,277 miles) north of Los Angeles, 4,530 kilometers
(2,807 miles) west of Toronto, and 4,785 kilometers (2,973 miles) west of New York.
AIR
Vancouver International Airport (YVR; www.yvr.ca ) is British Columbia's main gate-
way and Canada's second-busiest airport. Regularly scheduled service to and from Van-
couver is offered by major airlines throughout the world. Victoria may be the capital, but
it comes in a distant second when it comes to international flights; the only destinations
served from its airport are major Canadian cities and Seattle.
From Canada
Air Canada (604/688-5515 or 888/247-2262, www.aircanada.com ) is one of the world's
largest airlines, serving five continents. It offers direct flights to Vancouver from across
the country and to Victoria from Calgary and Edmonton. Canada's second largest airline is
WestJet (604/606-5525 or 800/538-5696, www.westjet.com ). The least expensive flights
land at Abbotsford, 72 kilometers (45 miles) east of downtown Vancouver. Flights also ter-
minate at Vancouver's main airport and in Victoria. These three airports receive WestJet
flights from Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, and
as far east as St. John's, Newfoundland. Central Mountain Air (250/877-5000 or 888/
865-8585, www.flycma.ca ) flies from Calgary to Prince George and Edmonton to Fort St.
John.