I often travel through this airport making connecting flights to/from the Asia/US. While the acrimonious Canadian Customs and Immigration treats anyone like garbage, it’s pretty much like this anywhere else on the major Canadian airports, so that is not my issue here. YVR has basic amenities including free Wi-Fi and plug outlets on the bench for computers. The free Wi-Fi is okay during off-peak hours, but the connection gets clogged around noon and in the evening rush hours (speed >1Mbps, latency over 200ms to Vancouver server on speedtest.net). I would like to get out to the city once in a while when I have long layover, but the 25 minutes ride on the subway ("SkyTrain") costs $9 one-way from the airport, because the tourists are forced to pay so-called $5 Airport AddFare. I live in Boston and the MBTA, provides free transit service to the tourists from the Logan Airport, but Vancouver does the opposite by charging tourists and waiving the $5 fare to the locals using passes and multiple tickets. Way to go Vancouver for overcharging tourists to fund their transit system. Anyway, this airport may be decent for travellers, whose home/destination is Vancouver, but it is not the best airport to be staying on the layover as there is nothing to do to kill time inside the airport with slow Wi-Fi and duty-free shops targeted for females and the Chinese tourists plus the costly subway fare to leave the airport.

The native artwork, the abundance of glass and steel, and the large open spaces make one feel very relaxed in this modern airport, but it is very confusing to navigate, especially for passengers making connections.