Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is one of the world’s top notch airports, with amenities that range from the in-airport Vancouver Fairmont Hotel (which has a fish butler), to spas, a dentist, a medical clinic, a liquor store and a 7-Eleven.
There are also, of course, plenty of shops offering everything from maple syrup to high-end handbags.
But, with a four-hour layover in the international terminal I discovered one basic travel amenity that was missing.
Not one shop in the International Terminal sells pantyhose.
I tried leaving the international transit area to go the pre-security side so I could pick up a pair at the 7-Eleven, but no dice.
“Once you’re in the transit area, you cannot leave,” the staff person at the Information Desk told me. “But there are several stores that sell woolen socks.”
I tweeted my frustration while walking in and out of every single shop. And I received no outpouring of empathy and support.
Just this Tweet:
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We had a similar problem at YVR. We wanted to have afternoon tea in the International terminal and then explore the city (we had a 10-hour layover), but were told we couldn’t go through security and then leave again, so we had to eat outside the airport. Fortunately, it worked out for us, but it was still disappointing.