Harbour Air is a seaplane company with a terminal in Victoria’s Inner Harbour and connections to Vancouver, Whistler and other cities on Vancouver Island.
Harbour Air Float Planes
Harbour Air is the continent’s first carbon neutral airline and the largest all-seaplane airline on the planet! It offers short-haul flights between Victoria’s Inner Harbour, Nanaimo, the Gulf Islands, Whistler and Vancouver.
Founded in 1982, Harbour Air began as a charter service for BC’s large forestry industry. Over the years it branched out into becoming a much large commercial enterprise. The airline officially became carbon-neutral in 2007, and in 2019 announced plans to convert its planes’ engines to electric power. That development is still ongoing.
On sunny days Harbour Air offers the most incredible views of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
Harbour Air Plane Tours
For an aerial view of many places in British Columbia check out Harbour Air’s tours! The airline offers tours of Victoria, Whistler, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Salt Spring Island and Sechelt.
In Victoria there are a number of tours you can select depending on how long you want it to be. They range from a 30-minute tour with a 20-minute flight to a day-long tour with two 35 minute flights (which takes you from Victoria to downtown Vancouver where you can spend the day exploring the city).
Tips & Advice
Below are some suggestions to help you make the most of your Harbour Air experience.
TIP #1: On sunny days arrive early and stand in the front of the line to get a window seat. Another option is to pay an extra $10 or so to reserve a window seat.
TIP #2: If you are a post-secondary school student, inquire about their discounted standby prices for students.
TIP #3: Keep an eye out for the airline’s Turbo Tickets! This sale usually takes place twice a year during fall and spring. You can get up to four tickets per person for a very reduced cost. The tickets allow you to get on as a standby passenger or you can trade them in for $50 credit towards a booked flight. These usually go live at midnight and are typically sold out within three minutes so you need to act super fast when it happens.
Other Information
For more information, see the Harbour Air website.
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The seaplane company offers flights to both Vancouver International Airport (in Richmond) and Coal Harbour (in downtown Vancouver). To learn more about things to do at those destinations, check out the following articles on the VancouversBestPlaces.com website:
