Victoria FBO Car Service at YYJ and Inner Harbour Seaplane Transfers

Victoria FBO car service for private aircraft, floatplanes and charter passengers

A Victoria FBO car service matters because Victoria's private arrivals are unusually varied. Some passengers land a business jet at Victoria International Airport on the Saanich Peninsula. Some come in by floatplane at an airport seaplane base, and others arrive at the Inner Harbour on a harbour seaplane. Each ends in a different place, and each needs a vehicle that has been told where to wait.

LimousineCanada.ca takes reservations online. You enter the aircraft registration or the operator's reference, the FBO or terminal you are using, the drop-off address and the number of passengers and bags. The booker answers with a single all-in Canadian-dollar fare and assigns a chauffeur to meet you.

This page explains the businesses listed at the airport, how we coordinate with them, what the fares to town, the ferry and the gardens look like, and what to arrange with your operator.

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How does a Victoria FBO or seaplane transfer work?

The operator sets the timetable on a private arrival, and weather, particularly for floatplanes, can shift it with little warning. Because we track the registration rather than a scheduled flight, the pickup moves when the aircraft does, and you get a message as it nears Victoria.

The FBO or terminal decides where the meeting happens. At an FBO we ask whether the car may wait near the aircraft, at the door or at the curb, and at a harbour seaplane terminal we simply meet you there. You can add a greeter holding a name board for $100 to $150, and the booker shows the included wait before you confirm.

What the airport's aviation directory lists

Victoria Airport Authority publishes an aviation business directory. We have read it and listed the entries below as the airport presents them. The airport groups several kinds of business under one heading, so a name on this list is not necessarily an FBO.

The directory lists no customs businesses. See the airport's aviation business directory for the current list. We do not rank any operator, and we serve passengers arriving at any of them. Ask your charter company which one is handling your flight.

FBO, seaplane or helicopter: which arrival are you making?

Work out which of three arrivals applies, because the pickup point differs.

• Jet or turboprop at YYJ: you land at Victoria International Airport, whose terminal building is at 1640 Electra Boulevard on the Saanich Peninsula. Your FBO decides the meeting point.
• Floatplane at the airport: the directory lists Pat Bay Air Seaplanes alongside the airport's other aviation businesses. Meeting arrangements follow that operator's instructions.
• Harbour seaplane at the Inner Harbour: Harbour Air describes its floating terminal as being in Victoria's Inner Harbour on Wharf Street, steps from the Parliament Buildings and downtown. Its address is 950 Wharf Street.

Helijet also advertises scheduled and charter helicopter and jet flights on its site. If you arrive by helicopter, give us the landing point your operator provides, and we will confirm it before you travel.

Tell us the arrival type when you book. It changes the pickup address and sometimes the vehicle, because a floatplane party with soft bags and a jet party with golf clubs need different things.

Commercial arrivals at YYJ: where the pre-booked pickup is

If some of your party lands on a scheduled flight at the main terminal, the airport's own ground-transportation page says pre-booked taxi pick-up and ride-hailing pick-up both use the Short Term Lot curb, across from the arrivals exit doors. Car rental counters for Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty and National are in arrivals, across from the information desk.

Our chauffeurs meet commercial arrivals using the same curb rules, and flight tracking is included. Domestic arrivals receive 30 minutes of free wait after landing and international arrivals receive 60 minutes. Our main-terminal page, Victoria airport limo, covers that service in more detail.

Victoria FBO car service fares in Canadian dollars

All fares are before tax. Each distance is a road measurement from the airfield, taken from consistent mapping sources. Every run below is shorter than the roughly 31 km at which a sedan's distance rate would pass its $145 minimum.

An hourly booking suits a day that visits several stops. For the hour, an Executive Sedan is $135 to $165 and a Luxury SUV is $175 to $210, both with a two-hour minimum. Gratuity is at your discretion. The limo rates page shows the rest of the rate card.

Swartz Bay and the Saanich Peninsula

Swartz Bay is the BC Ferries terminal on the Peninsula, 10.5 km and about 11 minutes from the airport. The short distance is a strong reason to book a car: a sailing time is fixed, and a chauffeur who knows the schedule can get you to the terminal with margin.

Tell us your sailing and whether you are walking on or taking a vehicle. If you are travelling with a vehicle of your own, tell us where you are leaving it. For more detail on the terminal, see our Swartz Bay ferry page.

Because the terminal is close to the airfield, travellers with a tight connection sometimes choose a car even though the distance is short. The fare is the minimum either way.

Butchart Gardens and a garden day

Butchart Gardens is 12.8 km and about 20 minutes from the airport. The run is priced at the minimum, so the useful decision is how long you want the car to stay with you.

For a garden visit and a lunch on the way back into Victoria, an hourly booking is usually better value than two single transfers. Our guide to Butchart Gardens covers seasons and timed visits, and you can combine it with the Inner Harbour in the same day.

Dress for the weather and tell us about walking limitations. A chauffeur can drop guests at the entrance and keep the vehicle close.

The Inner Harbour, the Harbour Air terminal and the Empress

Downtown Victoria and the Inner Harbour are 25.9 km and about 25 minutes from the airport. A sedan transfer is $145 to $175, a Luxury SUV is $180 to $220 and a Sprinter is $295 to $355.

Arriving by harbour seaplane puts you in the middle of the city already, so the transfer is short, and the question is where you want to go next. Hotel guests can read our guide to the Fairmont Empress for arrival logistics. For an itinerary, see the Victoria weekend guide.

If your party is leaving by seaplane, tell us the departure time, and we will schedule the pickup so you reach Wharf Street with time to check in. Harbour Air's site does not state a check-in time on the page we read, so confirm it with your booking.

Ogden Point and cruise passengers

Ogden Point, where cruise ships dock, is 28.8 km and about 30 minutes from the airport. Our Ogden Point cruise page explains embarkation and the sailing-day timing.

Private-aviation guests who join a ship usually arrive the day before or the morning of departure. If your aircraft lands mid-morning, tell us the all-aboard time so the pickup leaves comfortable margin.

When weather slows a seaplane or a jet

Floatplanes and harbour seaplanes depend on visibility and sea conditions, and jets are affected by fog and wind. Because the pickup follows the aircraft, a delay does not break the booking. It moves the chauffeur's time.

If a seaplane is cancelled and your party transfers to a different terminal, tell us as soon as you know. We will adjust the pickup point, and the booker will recalculate the fare if the distance changes.

Pat Bay Air Seaplanes, Harbour Air Seaplanes and Ocean Air Floatplanes are listed in the airport's directory, and each runs its own schedule. We do not control it, but we can respond quickly when it changes.

Customs and international arrivals

Do not assume customs is on site: the airport's directory lists no customs businesses. For an international arrival, clearance with the Canada Border Services Agency is something your operator sets up. Neither advice on customs nor escort through a border process is part of what we do.

Each passenger needs the documents that entry to Canada requires. If clearance is likely to run long, let us know. For onward trips to the United States, see our cross-border limo page.

Honest alternatives to a private car in Greater Victoria

The airport's ground-transportation page lists BC Transit routes 70, 72, 87 and 88 with up to 28 departures daily to and from the airport and the McTavish Transit Exchange. It states that a single ride costs $6.00 for most of Greater Victoria, including from the airport to downtown, and that large luggage may be difficult to accommodate.

Curbside taxis are available, and pre-booked pickup works with any taxi company. Uber has designated pickup spots at the Short Term Lot curb. Car rental is available on and off the airport.

For a solo traveller with a backpack and no schedule, the bus is the cheapest option and works well. A private car makes sense for luggage, groups, ferry timing, evening arrivals or any itinerary with fixed commitments. Read the limo versus rideshare guide for a fair comparison.

Vehicles, luggage and floatplane weights

Seat the party by size: three in the Executive Sedan with two large bags and two carry-ons, six in the Luxury SUV with five or six large bags, and twelve to fourteen in the Executive Sprinter with twelve or more bags.

Check your seaplane operator's luggage rules before you pack, because small aircraft have tighter limits than airliners. If any bags will follow separately, tell us, and we can arrange a second delivery. See the fleet page for every class.

Booking in advance and cancelling

Book when the itinerary is set, and tell us when the operator changes the time. Cancelling is easy to price: count back from the scheduled pickup time. Beyond 72 hours there is no charge. From 72 hours out, 10% applies; from 48 hours out, 50%; from 24 hours out, or on a no-show, 100%.

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