Crossing border on Christmas Eve

[TreesyB]

Can anyone predict if this will be a lengthy wait? Wish I had a crystal ball as to where our dollar will be!

But is this normally a longtime wait that will be aggravated by the dollar?

My flight is at 4:00 pm ish ,and I'd hate to have to wait in trying to cross to BFO and miss my flight. I can't really stay at a hotel, as it would be cost prohibitive to board my diabetic cat an extra night.

Does anyone know?

 

[Questforthemouse]

Can anyone predict if this will be a lengthy wait? Wish I had a crystal ball as to where our dollar will be!

But is this normally a longtime wait that will be aggravated by the dollar?

My flight is at 4:00 pm ish ,and I'd hate to have to wait in trying to cross to BFO and miss my flight. I can't really stay at a hotel, as it would be cost prohibitive to board my diabetic cat an extra night.

Does anyone know?

Hi TreesyB,

No crystal ball here either but even with the dollar at/above par I wouldn't think it will be any busier than past Christmas Eve days. While many Canadians last minute shop on Christmas Eve I'm betting not many will last minute cross-border shop because of the time involved. I checked the Peace Bridge (this is definitely where you want to cross) website for daily traffic volumes from last Christmastime and while Christmas Eve day was certainly busier than Christmas day it was not as busy as the days a few days before or after Christmas day.

Buffalo airport isn't busy in the mid-afternoon but I would still aim to arrive 2 hours before departure time just incase. This means you'll likely be arriving at the border sometime during the lunch hour which is a busy time. I'm going to guess it'll take you 30+mins to cross the border but I'd count on 60mins just incase.

The other thing you might want to consider (if you haven't already done so) is to reserve a parking spot at Fasttrack (www.fasttrack.com) formerly known as SunPark. They are right across the road from the airport and will shuttle you to the airport. Parking at the Buffalo airport during peak holiday times can be very difficult to find if arriving anytime after the late morning. This will guarantee you a parking spot, relieve the stress of having to find a spot and keep you running on time.

Have a great trip!

PS: I realize I've given more info than you asked for but I figure it can't hurt. My wife doesn't enjoy flying and NEEDS to be at the airport 3hrs before departure so we always count on everything (driving/border/parking)taking the max time. Sometimes we arrive early enough that we could likely board the flight prior to ours