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YVR bags award for security, immigration

Vancouver Airport has been recognized by the aviation industry for improving pre-flight security and border clearance processes.

Vancouver Airport has been recognized by the aviation industry for improving pre-flight security and border clearance processes.

The award Best Airport Security & Immigration Experience was presented last week to YVR as part of Future Travel Experience 2011, a global aviation forum that was held at the airport.

The airport received the award for programs it developed with partner agencies Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to simplify and improve airport travel. In particular, the award recognizes the expedited trusted traveler program called NEXUS, and the innovative Automated Border Clearance (ABC) program.

Its an honour to receive this recognition for our efforts to increase efficiency for passengers travelling through YVR, said Kevin Molloy, vice president of Simplified Passenger Travel and chief information officer for Vancouver Airport Authority.

We continue to ensure that YVR is pioneering and utilizing cutting-edge technology to offer our passengers a better experience.

The authority worked in partnership with CBSA to develop ABC, which harnesses self-service kiosk technology to simplify the border clearance process. Since it was introduced in 2009, ABC has substantially reduced the average customs wait time for returning Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have a valid Canadian passport or permanent resident card.

During Future Travel Experience 2011 it was also announced that Vancouver will again be the host city when the conference and exhibition reconvenes in September 2012. This year marked the first time the global forum has occurred on Canadian soil.

Im pleased to see that Vancouver was chosen as the location for a discussion on the future of passenger travel, said Aleks Popovich, senior vice president, International Air Transport Association (IATA). Vancouver International Airport has long been at the forefront of innovating the passenger experience, and supports many industry facilitation initiatives that are currently endorsed under IATAs Fast Travel Working Group."

The Future Travel Experience Awards celebrate the efforts of aviation organizations. Five other awards were handed out during the ceremony, including: Best Baggage Initiative, Best Initiative at the Gate, Best Arrivals Experience and Best Use of Mobile Technology. The winners were chosen through consultation with a panel of industry experts.