air from Halifax

[dvcdisney]

yep- newark is continental's hub, so it;s normally pretty rare to get in and out of the same terminal. you're lucky! lol now i know why you had time!

we landed in a, walked a bit to go downstairs to a shuttle, took that to c, got off, went upstairs and then walked ten miles to get to our gate. thankfully the washroom was rite there to get the kids ready to go. same ont eh way back. we landed in c and had to get to a. this time we had about a half and hr to relax(um yeah witha 2 and 4 yr old, rite! lol)

yep i know which shops you mean....we wandered by a swatch store while walking fast, and a lindt store- took all my might not to go in! lol

Wow, I do feel lucky!

Thanks for letting me know. We have flown with Continental from Halifax-Newark-Orlando and back about 6 times and we have never taken a shuttle. That really makes me wonder. With our first flight with them, I called to find out some info about the airport and how are connecting flight would go and I was reassured that I didn't need to go to a separate terminal or take a bus over to another airport (a few times a friend of ours had to go to Kennedy to get their connecting flights). I wanted to make sure before I book with them that I wouldn't have to do this. And they mentioned that my flights, back and forth will not have to do that. I did notice that the connecting flight was still Newark, but I wasn't sure if their terminals were like Pearson where there were different ones and would require a shuttle to get from on to another.

 

[dvcdisney]

dvcdisney can you tell me about your experience connecting in Toronto. We have flights with Air Canada for Feb. We usually fly with a US carrier and do pre clearance in Halifax but a few months back Air Canada had a seat sale. Flight going down is connecting in Toronto but flight back is direct. Any tips for me picking up luggage in Toronto and proceeding through customs.

Sure. However, we usually fly with Westjet and I'm not sure if the experience will be different with Air Canada.

The last time we had a connecting flight in Toronto was this past August. Just a tip, most airlines will always make sure they have a connecting sticker on the luggage, but just verify with the agent when you drop off your luggage. In order for your luggage to be sent to the connecting flight baggage claim, it would need that sticker/label. Again, we flew with Westjet. After we landed we headed to the baggage area for the connecting flights. This is not the same area as the regular baggage claim area. For us, the baggage area for those connecting is upstairs. You can ask anyone at the desks near the regular baggage claim for directions. If you need a cart, this is the best time to get it. We didn't know if there were any upstairs, so we got one. Essentially, we went out the baggage area and took the elevators on the corner to the level of departures. There is a small area with a small conveyer belt where your luggage will come out. It was a bit of a wait and we were a little concerned that we were in the wrong area, but there is a person there if you have a question (actually, she was of no help and she seemed like she was just in a very bad mood). Anyways, our luggage finally came out.

At this point, if you have not filled out the Customs card, you should request one at the desk and fill it out before you enter the customs area. We walked to the check in area and made our way to the customs (did not have to check in again, since we did that already in Halifax). We showed our passports, customs card and tickets to the person handling the customs line (again, not very friendly nor was she consistent....she demanded to see the tickets of the family before us, but didn't even care to see ours - just waved us pass her). After customs, we walk out to the general area where there are shops, restaurants etc. We had a 2.5-3 hour connection, so we had time to sit down and eat before we went through security.

I just want to clarify that it is possible that the procedure is different with Air Canada. I'm not clear of whether you have to change terminals with Air Canada or not. We haven't flown with Air Canada through Toronto in a long time.

If you have any questions about the procedure for Air Canada, you may want to call them and ask questions. When I called Westjet, she was more than happy to help, however, sometimes they don't have all the details.

To be honest, I don't recall doing the same thing the last time we had a connecting flight at Pearson, but that was a long time ago. I wish someone had provided me with a step by step direction. It may have alleviated a little of my nervousness. I was just very worried that I wouldn't have time to get the baggage, go through customs, drop off the baggage, go through security and get to the gate on time. But, it really only took us about an hour or so, and most of that was waiting for the luggage to come out. However, I should mention that the terminal was not busy at all when we were there. When I called Westjet, they reassured me that 2.5 hours is plenty. But of course, I was still a little leery. But they were correct.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

Wow, I do feel lucky!

Thanks for letting me know. We have flown with Continental from Halifax-Newark-Orlando and back about 6 times and we have never taken a shuttle. That really makes me wonder. With our first flight with them, I called to find out some info about the airport and how are connecting flight would go and I was reassured that I didn't need to go to a separate terminal or take a bus over to another airport (a few times a friend of ours had to go to Kennedy to get their connecting flights). I wanted to make sure before I book with them that I wouldn't have to do this. And they mentioned that my flights, back and forth will not have to do that. I did notice that the connecting flight was still Newark, but I wasn't sure if their terminals were like Pearson where there were different ones and would require a shuttle to get from on to another.

i never even knew connecting at kennedy would be a possibility!!!! oy!!!!! i wasn't overly fond of continental- they split the four of us up- forcign my 2 and 4 yr old to sit alone- with hubby and i across and one in front across. they absolutley refused to do anything about it. then on return to hali, they put our stroller in with the luggage and tore the foam handles. the good news we got a 200 dollar credit from them to use. so we kinda have to do one leg with them atleast. im praying for a seat sale in january.

 

[dvcdisney]

i never even knew connecting at kennedy would be a possibility!!!! oy!!!!!

The airline wasn't Continental...I think maybe it was United or AA or something like that. She wasn't aware of this when she booked (yes, it was her fault for not checking), but she, like myself, didn't realize that it was possible for the same airline to land in one airport and connect at another. I'm not an experienced flyer so that never occurred to me.

 

[Aubie881]

We booked through expedia about a month ago, April 27 to May 4, out of Portland, 4 adult fares under $1000CDN. Just check the price againtoday and it is $912CDN. These dates are Tuesday to Tuesday as it seems this is the cheapest day to fly.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

The airline wasn't Continental...I think maybe it was United or AA or something like that. She wasn't aware of this when she booked (yes, it was her fault for not checking), but she, like myself, didn't realize that it was possible for the same airline to land in one airport and connect at another. I'm not an experienced flyer so that never occurred to me.

im relativley expereinced, but never would of thought of a connector bieng in a different airport! yikes!

 

[MichaelaMouse]

Hi! We just booked for May and I was starting to get worried about the price of flights. I never considered going from Portland, I checked and we would be saving over $1000 leaving from there and not Halifax. I've never flown from a US airport before and it makes me nervous....You do the customs thing driving across the border, and is that it until you drive back into Canada on the trip home? Customs stuff kind of confuses me/makes me nervous I'd appreciate any help! Thanks!

 

[Charleyann]

I live in Fredericton and travel to Halifax for the IWK. I also catch flights in Portland.

4 hours from Halifax to Fredericton
1 hour from Fredericton to Houlton US boarder

3.5-4 hours to Portland from the Boarder in Houlton, Maine.

9-10 hr drive from Halifax to Portland.....

Charleyann

Tips: There are many hotel such as Howard Johnson, Best Western etc. which offer free parking for your vehicle while you are away and free shuttle to and from the airport. Howard Johnson is around $80 Cn., Best Western park-n-fly package for Dec. was $107Cn. However I used airmiles and got a $100 voucher for Best Western for 750 airmiles! Only had to pay $7!!!!!

 

[Ted in Halifax]

hmmm 750 airmiles for best western voucher ... Like it. Thanks for the tip .... cant do this for my next flight, but definitely something for the future

 

[Charleyann]

hmmm 750 airmiles for best western voucher ... Like it. Thanks for the tip .... cant do this for my next flight, but definitely something for the future

375 airmiles for a $50 Best Western voucher/ gift certificate!!!!

I a mgoing on a cruise from Miami. I used another certificate for that. This time i have to pay $39 but that is transportation included from airport and to the cruise ship the next day. Sometimes it is cheaper to use the gift certificate instead of points. (Booking with points from airmiles)

Charleyann

 

[webworm]

We booked through expedia about a month ago, April 27 to May 4, out of Portland, 4 adult fares under $1000CDN. Just check the price againtoday and it is $912CDN. These dates are Tuesday to Tuesday as it seems this is the cheapest day to fly.

I know that my sister has flown out of Manchester NH before as well. She lives in Fredericton. Southwest has nonstop flights to Orlando and total is $916.80 or those dates.

 

[gilsan]

The prices at Air Canada finally dropped for April 2010. We got direct flights Halifax to MCO for $1600 for 3.

I am happy with the price and even happier with the direct flights. Unfortunately we had to add a day and half on the trip to get direct flights both ways It will be hard to be on vacation for that extra time but we will just have to manage

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

The prices at Air Canada finally dropped for April 2010. We got direct flights Halifax to MCO for $1600 for 3.

I am happy with the price and even happier with the direct flights. Unfortunately we had to add a day and half on the trip to get direct flights both ways It will be hard to be on vacation for that extra time but we will just have to manage

wow! i checked for the 4 of us and all i got was 2300ish but stoppign in to first. nitemare!!! continental dropped a bit too, so as much as i complained abouth them, we do havea travel voucher so we may have to go with them again.

 

[redrosesix]

I'm keeping my eye on a direct flight with AC in Feb -- $249 each, plus, plus. I've never actually paid that much but I am so tempted because it's direct and it would be the best day for us to fly out.

Just hoping it will fall a bit before we have to book it -- there are only 14 seats left

 

[gilsan]

I'm keeping my eye on a direct flight with AC in Feb -- $249 each, plus, plus. I've never actually paid that much but I am so tempted because it's direct and it would be the best day for us to fly out.

Just hoping it will fall a bit before we have to book it -- there are only 14 seats left

I was hoping for $189 but I am happy we got direct flights ($229 to Orlando, $224 return) it was only $200 more than we paid in September on connecting flights on United and we had to pay to check bags.

I booked both flights as one way flights. Orlando to Halifax was $249 in the round trip and $224 when I picked one way

It ended up saving about $150 ,(I am not sure about the math since the actual difference is $75 but we must have saved in taxes or fees somewhere), purchasing the flights separately.

 

[cvs2kids]

If you've come this far, go to Manchester, NH and get flights with South West or to Boston with direct flights from many airlines. They're about an hour and a bit futher than Portland.

Manchester is an easy ride, SW is great and the hotels are reasonable.

 

[Applemomma]

375 airmiles for a $50 Best Western voucher/ gift certificate!!!!

Help! I'd love to use Best Western vouchers for our next trip but I can't find them on the airmiles web site. I've used airmiles for Delta hotel gc's before and it's great! Maybe I'm not looking in the right spot?

 

[redrosesix]

I was hoping for $189 but I am happy we got direct flights ($229 to Orlando, $224 return) it was only $200 more than we paid in September on connecting flights on United and we had to pay to check bags.

I booked both flights as one way flights. Orlando to Halifax was $249 in the round trip and $224 when I picked one way

It ended up saving about $150 ,(I am not sure about the math since the actual difference is $75 but we must have saved in taxes or fees somewhere), purchasing the flights separately.

Good job!

I kept my eye on that flight all day -- all of a sudden 4 of the 14 seats left on the flight were gone, then they raised to price to $269 (which is when I started think of ways to spend the extra $150 or so I would save by taking a connecting flight if I book later on, when I can actually afford it)

Now all the window seats are gone and there are only 6 seats left -- no way my DD would go on a 4 hour flight without a window seat Maybe they'll put a bigger plane on and the price will drop again.

 

[dennise]

Just bookd YHZ to MCO March 30 for $189. on AC, only problem is that it is not direct, but going down isn't so bad, just the two of us. I will hold out for direct for the return trip. AC, transat holidays and WJ have direct on Saturady and Sunday, so hoping for a seat sale with one of those, preferably AC or WJ.

 

[gilsan]

I checked the flights that I bought on the weekend and they are $1000 more now I am glad we bought them we were going to wait.

I would have taken the cheaper non-direct flight if it was just me and my husband but with DD4 I found it to be a bit more difficult taking connecting flights We had here stroller (just used for disney not everyday life), her car seat and our bags, (we flew united and had to pay for bags so on the way down we carried them on it always so much easier without kids).