Click to go to Google Maps satellite view
This airport is probably one of the best that I have seen for spotting and photography. Vancouver is only about a two hour drive north from Seattle across the Canadian border and there is always a wide variety of traffic.
The road that runs along the north side curves around the end of runway 26R to intersect with the main terminal road. From this spot you can watch and photograph aircraft landing to the west on 26R. If you continue along this road, following parallel to runway 8L/26R you’ll come to the other end (spot #2) which is simply a dirt pull-off which is great for watching aircraft if they are landing to the east (8R).
Most departures use the south runways, and there is a small park just off Russ Baker Way at Airport Rd. which sits opposite the end of this runway. If planes are departing to the east they’ll fly right over this park.
Some people say that the view is incredible from rooms at the Fairmont Hotel which is inside the terminal loop, and there are a couple other smaller spots to view such as next to the AVIS parking lot. I did notice even in my short time in Vancouver that these spotting areas I’ve shown on the map get crowded with planespotters.
Part of what makes Vancouver such a great airport is its traffic. Though the largest airline is Air Canada and its regional affiliates, you will see aircraft from both Europe (British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Condor, etc) and Asia (Cathay-Pacific, China, Japan Airlines, Singapore, Korean Air, etc) and these will be the “heavy jets” such as Boeing 747, 777 and Airbus A340. The typical U.S. airlines also have a presence here with flights from American, United, and Delta. There is also an airline called WestJet which is to Canada what Southwest is to America. The variety here is amazing. Though it may not be in the USA, if you are a diehard aviation enthusiast and visiting Seattle this is only a short trip north. Just be sure and bring your passport to get back in!
Click for photos from the Airport Park
Click for photos from spot #2 on map