Return from Orlando via YOW & YHZ

[mjhtvchick]

Hi all, looking for some experience and/or advice. My husband, 13-year old daughter and I are travelling to Orlando in May and I already have my flight from YYT booked but have not yet booked our return flight.

I really want to book the direct flight on WestJet but it is very expensive!

My husband is trying to convince me to book an Air Canada flight with stops in YOW and YHZ because it is so cheap - almost half the price!

With the USD conversion rate where it is, we ARE looking for ways to save money - but 2 stops!! Not to mention, I usually try to avoid Air Canada wherever possible.

Has anyone taken this flight before? Assume I would clear customs in Ottawa - how is this experience?

I might have to suck it up to save the $ but just not sure!

 

[badiggio]

Ottawa is great and not nearly as busy AS TORONTO OR MONTREAL.2 stops are a killer for us.

 

[mjhtvchick]

Ottawa is great and not nearly as busy AS TORONTO OR MONTREAL.2 stops are a killer for us.

Yeah I am not too thrilled about the two stops but at least if I can't fly direct, I can avoid Toronto, which I hate.

Flight would be: Orlando -> Ottawa -> Halifax -> St. John's.

But at half price...

 

[CaperCris]

I just booked our flights through Delta for $310 return in August out of Halifax. Unfortunately its 2 stops but saving us over $1000 from our last trip in 2015. Keep an eye on google flights, seems to be the best way to get the best prices.

 

[KCMA]

Never done that particular flight but flying with family I usually suck it up and pay for direct but our kids are 8 and 4 so anyway to make the travel day easier I take it.. if I was flying solo I would definitely take the stops... a part of me finds it fun stoping at places i never would go to normally even if all I am seeing is the airport terminal

 

[morrik5]

Booked our daughter's flights a long time ago and probably paid premium but they're non-stop out of Toronto and involve a 3 1/2 and 7 1/2 year old. We ended up doing Delta operated by WestJet to Orlando from Toronto and Air Canada returning home. We were NOT fan of early morning flights as 3 or 4 hour p/u by MDE could have meant a 4 am ride from The Fort, not to mention what time you have to wake up and get ready to get to The Outpost. Good luck with whatever choice you make, wish you could get a refund if your flight goes down in price but know that's a dream I wish Disney could make happen with everything else they do

 

[ottawamom]

mjhtvchick, what day are you flying home on. My family is booked on the AC flight to Ottawa from Orlando on May 12. Clearing customs in Ottawa is so smooth and easy. The airport is a nice size to make your connection. AC1263 has been on-time anytime I taken it. The plane originates in Ottawa goes to Orlando and returns to Ottawa. The plane is a 2x2 seating arrangement and has more legroom than a regular Westjet 737 or AC Rouge flight.

When I was 13 my favourite part of flying was the take-off and landing. The more I could pack into a trip the better.

 

[TFC_UNTIL_I_DIE]

if you go on google flights - keep an eye on the WestJet/Delta codeshare - for some reason if you book the same flight through Delta instead of WestJet it can be $100 CAD cheaper - and yes all fees and taxes in, all in CAD$.

In terms of customs - you will clear customs at the first point of entry into Canada. On the way to the US you would clear customs at the last point of exit of Canada if they have US pre-clearance, otherwise in the US. So if you fly indirect Ottawa to Orlando through Montreal or Toronto, you clear US customs in Montreal or Toronto even through Ottawa had preclearance (because you are technically just on a domestic flight for the first leg)

one benefit to going through Pearson is that if flights get backed up etc - way more likely you are getting home to Newfoundland if you get delayed there than in much smaller Ottawa or Halifax....I spent years out there travelling for business and I know that when the snow hits our east-west flight patterns tend to back up in Calgary and Toronto but they will eventually get you out. Get stuck in Halifax or Ottawa and you are on your own until the next day sometimes

 

[badiggio]

As well as where you're flying from,it's also where you're flying too.Toronto may or may not have more flights to newfoundland but if you can't land in Newfoundland,it won't matter where you're coming from,you're not going and if flights get backed up,there would be more flights backed up in toronto than ottawa.BUT,that shouldn't be a problem in May,lol.
Recently on a flight back from aruba,we missed our connection in Toronto because they couldn't land the plane because of the wind.This has happened to us more than once in toronto,but never in ottawa.We ended up flying to hamilton to refuel and then finally back to Toronto.I booked our connection thinking 3 and a half hours would be more than enough time to do customs and get to the next gate.Wrong.Waited in customer service for 2 hours to be told the best they could do was 10 am the next day.We were supposed to be in toronto at 8:30 pm and our connection was 12:15 am.To each their own,I guess,but for me bigger{toronto or montreal} is not better.
Check expedia;many times Ac and united are the same flight but have different prices.

 

[mjhtvchick]

Thanks everyone - this is great information - just what I was looking for...I will definitely have a look at the Delta and United flights!

I would never have considered this when my daughter was younger but at 13, I figure she can handle it!

@ottawamom We fly home on May 26th! The layover is 3.5 hours so I figured this was plenty of time in Ottawa even if we are delayed leaving Orlando.

 

[musika]

Multiple stops is going to give you the problem of potential misconnects, but in May I think the risk is much lower than say, January. With a 13 YO and significant cost savings, I would generally lean towards taking the connections.

Just keep an eye on how long your travel day is going to be with the multiple flights. There's something to be said for not spending 20 hours on an airplane/in an airport if you don't have to.

Alternative solution - could you look at a direct from Orlando to YHZ on one reservation and then YHZ-YYT on another to give you another flight combo?

 

[Donald - my hero]

Just keep an eye on how long your travel day is going to be with the multiple flights. There's something to be said for not spending 20 hours on an airplane/in an airport if you don't have to.

Alternative solution - could you look at a direct from Orlando to YHZ on one reservation and then YHZ-YYT on another to give you another flight combo?

THIS --It's hard enough to leave Disney but you need to remember you need to add 4 hours to that travel time (when the Tragically Depressing bus picks you up) and if your flight gets you into YYT after midnight will you want to drive home from there or will this force another night in a hotel? All of those things need to be taken into account and we would give a $$ figure to those, plus the extra cost of airport food.

 

[mjhtvchick]

No need to stay in a hotel once we get to St. John's thankfully but I just found out that the Ottawa to Halifax leg is on a Dash-8! A little terrifying!

 

[musika]

No need to stay in a hotel once we get to St. John's thankfully but I just found out that the Ottawa to Halifax leg is on a Dash-8! A little terrifying!

Probably more info than you need, but YOW-YHZ is likely flown on a DH8-300, which is a larger plane at 50 seats than the DH8-100, which seats 37 and looks like the inside of a bus, lol. I wouldn't avoid the flight because of it. But then again, I'm a former airline employee so I have been on my fair share of Dash 8s.