Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is riding high this week after being recognized as the Best Airport in North America for the eighth consecutive year by the Skytrax World Airport Awards. This is the first time in the history of the award that an airport has received the accolade for eight consecutive years.

"This impressive accomplishment is shared with the 23,000 people who work and volunteer at YVR as well as our amazing community, passengers and partners,” said Craig Richmond, President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. "On behalf of YVR, I thank you and offer you a big congratulations! I am so proud of the YVR team for breaking our own record of most consecutive wins. This is particularly meaningful this year as we saw 22.3 million passengers come through our terminal—two million additional passengers from the year before."

The Skytrax World Airport Awards, which are generally considered a global benchmark of airport excellence, are selected based on more than 13.8 million passenger surveys conducted in 550 airports around the world. The survey measures performance in 39 airport functions, including check-in, security, border clearance processes, comfort, efficiency, signage, transportation availability, passenger amenities and friendliness. It is the largest independent airport customer satisfaction survey in the world. 

YVR also was ranked among the top three for Best Airport Staff Service in North America.

Also repeating its top-ranked performance is the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, which has been awarded Best Airport Hotel in North America. This is the sixth time in seven years that the Fairmont has earned the coveted recognition.

"To win this prestigious award for the sixth time in just seven years is a great achievement for Fairmont Vancouver Airport,” said Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax. “These awards recognize hotels that combine convenience, comfort and top quality service as an integrated package for today's air travellers and Fairmont Vancouver Airport was a high performer in all the categories to win the Best Airport Hotel in North America title this year."

Fairmont Vancouver Airport, the only hotel inside the Vancouver International Airport, features 386 triple-soundproofed guestrooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling views of the runway, ocean and mountains. The hotel, which bills itself as the "not your usual airport hotel," offers guests day use rooms, a quiet zone floor, fitness centre, swimming pool and a spa with jet lag recovery treatments.

"We are delighted to be the beneficiary of this award," says Patrick Gosselin, general manager of Fairmont Vancouver Airport. "This belongs to each and every one of our employees - they are the heart and soul of the hotel and provide the service excellence to our guests."

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