# Best connecting flights to Victoria



## Cathyb (Jun 30, 2011)

Which city is best to fly into and connect when going from Santa Ana (SNA) in California to Victoria, BC. 

 Alaska Airlines connects in Seattle and United in San Francisco.  Would be traveling in the August 2012 timeframe if weather could be a factor.

A concern I have is the fog in SF delaying the connecting flight. 

Also, when connecting -- anyone know if Alaska connections are all in one place?  Same with United when going international (Canada)?  How does that work?  Do we do all the paperwork, passport stuff, in Orange County?  Sorry, so many questions!

Thank you for any suggestions   .


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## Luanne (Jun 30, 2011)

Would the costs of the flights be comparable?  To me that might be the big deciding factor.  I usually don't worry too much about fog delays at SFO, but I know they do happen.  But what I'd probably look at is how many flights are out of SFO to Victoria, in case the connection was missed.

In SFO United flights to Canada leave from the domestic terminal.  So you wouldn't need to change terminals.  I just did a look up for SEA/TAC and it looks like there are three terminals Alaska uses.  They don't seem to have a desinated International terminal.

Also, I've never flown into Canada, only driven across the border or taken the train.  In those cases we didn't show our passports until we crossed the border.  And when we took the ferry from WA to Victoria again, passports weren't checked until we go to Canada.


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## sue1947 (Jun 30, 2011)

*Air plus ferry instead of flying all the way*

Have you thought about flying to Seattle and then taking the Victoria Clipper the rest of the way?  It's pretty easy and much better scenery.  
   Flying into Victoria is usually quite expensive and the airport is about 20 miles outside of the city.   It will probably cost at least $200 more to fly to Victoria over Seattle and the Clipper is usually around $100. 
   The Clipper lands right in the Inner Harbor and is within walking distance of some timeshares and most motels.  The ride up through Puget Sound and the San Juans is gorgeous with a good chance of seeing Orcas. 
   You don't need a car for getting around the city; most of the sites are within walking distance of the Inner Harbor so you can save quite a bit on car rentals by just renting for the day if needed.

I've also found that the flights from SNA to SEA are usually pretty cheap; they seem to come up on the fare sales pretty regularly.  You would fly into SEA and then take a cab from the airport to the Clipper dock which is at the north end of the downtown waterfront.  You would add a cab ride in Seattle instead of a cab ride in Victoria or rental car in Victoria.  

Sue


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## Greg G (Jun 30, 2011)

One odd thing that happenend when we flew into Victoria International Airport (YYJ)  was we got held over in immigration/customs because they wondered why my wife and I had so much luggage for 2 weeks.  We had 2 large bags(max size allowed), 1 medium size bag and a small carry on roller bag.  I said we typically always take that even for a week.  1 large bag for each of us for clothes,  1 medium for bathroom stuff (mostly the wife's stuff), and the carry on roller bag has lap top, camera, etc in it.  They said ok and we were on our way.

Greg


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## Cathyb (Jun 30, 2011)

*luanne*



Luanne said:


> Would the costs of the flights be comparable?  To me that might be the big deciding factor.  I usually don't worry too much about fog delays at SFO, but I know they do happen.  But what I'd probably look at is how many flights are out of SFO to Victoria, in case the connection was missed.
> 
> In SFO United flights to Canada leave from the domestic terminal.  So you wouldn't need to change terminals.  I just did a look up for SEA/TAC and it looks like there are three terminals Alaska uses.  They don't seem to have a desinated International terminal.
> 
> Also, I've never flown into Canada, only driven across the border or taken the train.  In those cases we didn't show our passports until we crossed the border.  And when we took the ferry from WA to Victoria again, passports weren't checked until we go to Canada.



Thank you, good ideas!  I was raised in SF so I guess that is why I think of foggy days there -- may be over-reacting   We took the Oregon/Victoria car ferry 3 years ago and enjoyed it; however I am trying to decide the 'easiest' transition from one mode of transportation to another as my husband has developed early dementia and travel is getting challenging for us.


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## Cathyb (Jun 30, 2011)

*Sue*



sue1947 said:


> Have you thought about flying to Seattle and then taking the Victoria Clipper the rest of the way?  It's pretty easy and much better scenery.
> Flying into Victoria is usually quite expensive and the airport is about 20 miles outside of the city.   It will probably cost at least $200 more to fly to Victoria over Seattle and the Clipper is usually around $100.
> The Clipper lands right in the Inner Harbor and is within walking distance of some timeshares and most motels.  The ride up through Puget Sound and the San Juans is gorgeous with a good chance of seeing Orcas.
> You don't need a car for getting around the city; most of the sites are within walking distance of the Inner Harbor so you can save quite a bit on car rentals by just renting for the day if needed.
> ...



Sue:  Could you go into more detail on the transition from Alaska Airlines plane landing at Seattle and us getting to the Clipper.  
1.Is taxi the best way?  

2.How much time should we allow for plane to land and us taking a taxi to the ferry?  As mentioned in the earlier post here, we have done the car ferry to Victoria and on to Worldmark Victoria but we were driving our car then.  Need to find the least complicated method to do this due to husband's condition.  Thank you for all your suggestions!


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## Luanne (Jun 30, 2011)

If you are going to fly from SNA to SEA/TAC, also check into Southwest.  It may be cheaper than Alaskan.  You don't get assigned seats, but you do get 2 free bags checked...each.


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## Cathyb (Jun 30, 2011)

*Greg*



Greg G said:


> One odd thing that happenend when we flew into Victoria International Airport (YYJ)  was we got held over in immigration/customs because they wondered why my wife and I had so much luggage for 2 weeks.  We had 2 large bags(max size allowed), 1 medium size bag and a small carry on roller bag.  I said we typically always take that even for a week.  1 large bag for each of us for clothes,  1 medium for bathroom stuff (mostly the wife's stuff), and the carry on roller bag has lap top, camera, etc in it.  They said ok and we were on our way.
> 
> Greg



Wow, would I be trapped too.  We are traveling to Victoria, Seattle and five nights in Depoe Bay -- so have several climates to pack for.  Thanks for the warning.


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## jlp879 (Jun 30, 2011)

I'd just take whatever flight is cheaper.

Generally fog is not too much of a factor at SFO, especially in August.

If you are changing planes in Seattle, I think you are going to fly to Victoria on one of their smaller planes and you may have to change terminals.  Not sure about this one.  In San Francisco, no, as United has their own terminal.

I have never flown directly to Victoria, only through Vancouver, and all customs paperwork and inspection is done in Vancouver so I am assuming this would be the same for Victoria.  It's a smaller airport, but still called an international one, so this makes me think customs happens upon disembarking.


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## sue1947 (Jul 1, 2011)

*SEA airport to ferry*

Taxi is your best bet.  There is light rail/buses, but it's too hard to schlep your bags.  Taxi from the airport to the ferry dock might be half an hour with no traffic.  Traffic can be pretty bad so give yourself at least an hour and maybe even some extra and you might have time for a very nice walk along the waterfront.  
From the Victoria boat dock for the Clipper (same place as the car ferry from Port Angeles comes in in case that was the one you took), to the Worldmark is an easy 5-10 minute walk.   If your husband has mobility issues, there should be taxis available for the short ride.  

Sue


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