A hydraulic vane pump includes a plurality of members forming a recession and an orifice in fluid communication with one another and with rotating vane cells at an inlet sector of the pump. Air entrained in the vane cells is exhausted through the recession and the orifice prior to fluid passing from the inlet sector to a discharge sector, thereby increasing pump capacity and decreasing cavitation noise. A method of pumping fluid in a vane pump to decrease cavitation noise is also provided.