Switching Planes in Toronto

[nmccrea]

Hi, we are from Edmonton and will be going to Disneyworld at the end of August. We are traveling with Westjet and this means switching in Toronto. This has me very worried. I'm not sure what is expected of me once we get there. Do I have to get my luggage and then go through customs? How hard and far away will the gate I need be? We have only flown locally and it has been over 10 years for that. 2 years ago when we went to Disney we went through Chicgao and that was much easier than I feared!! Anyone who has ever done this through Toronto any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ccudmore]

The GTAA has a whole section on their web site that will provide you with all the information you could ever want on this, including videos that walk you through the entire process. Go to http://www.gtaa.com/en/travellers/connecting/ for more details.

 

[dis_guy]

Afraid I don't have anything positive to add to your current situation but next time maybe check out the United flights from Edmonton connecting through Denver. Yes they are "just" small regional jets to Den (just over 2 hour flight) but it sure is a hassle free (clear US customs in Edmonton) way to get there. We usually catch the 6:45 AM which has in Orlando around 4:00 PM with a short layover in Den. I book through Aircanada.com and save a few hundred over the United.ca web prices. In fact this is just what we'll be doing this November!

 

[disneymath]

When we fly from home we have no choice but to go with AC and switch planes in Toronto.

There's no doubt that YYZ is a big place, but just look up and follow the signs and you should be okay. As you deplane, feel free to ask your flight attendant which you to head once you enter the terminal. Also, if you do get disoriented, there are information desks located all over the place ... ask for help. (Just a few weeks ago a colleague and I got to go on a merry adventure through Pearson looking for our shuttle van to a conference in St. Catharines. It took us a while t figure it out, but each employee we stopped cheerfully helped us to get closer to where we needed to be.)

My only other advice is to get yourself cleared through customs right away ... go pick up your bags and then head on over to customs. If it's a busy time, it can take a while. I'm always much more relaxed once I'm through Customs.

 

[Sue M]

You follow the signs to baggage, pick up your luggage, go through Customs, then there is a special carousel to put your luggage back on, then find your next gate. It is a hassle.
I have flown United thru Denver, and we go thru customs in Vancouver, so you just check your bags in and don't see them till you land in Orlando. It was a regular jet, not a regional.
Now I just make the drive down to Seattle to fly. We are lucky to be driving distance to a US airport, loads cheaper.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Afraid I don't have anything positive to add to your current situation but next time maybe check out the United flights from Edmonton connecting through Denver. Yes they are "just" small regional jets to Den (just over 2 hour flight) but it sure is a hassle free (clear US customs in Edmonton) way to get there. We usually catch the 6:45 AM which has in Orlando around 4:00 PM with a short layover in Den. I book through Aircanada.com and save a few hundred over the United.ca web prices. In fact this is just what we'll be doing this November!

Delta also has flights from Edmonton (connecting through Minneapolis) which we've found is also a good option. For us, the flight times through Delta are better than United (leaving Edmonton at 8:00 am rather than 6:45am with a 1 hr layover in Minneapolis - which puts you in Orlando at 5:00 pm-ish) and their prices have been comparable to United when we've flown down.

As dis-guy said, clearing customs here in Edmonton is much better than having to collect your luggage in Toronto, go through customs and recheck your luggage a second time. Your connection is much less stressful - just find your gate and wait to board the flight (and maybe grab something to eat along the way).

 

[dis_guy]

Delta also has flights from Edmonton (connecting through Minneapolis) which we've found is also a good option. For us, the flight times through Delta are better than United (leaving Edmonton at 8:00 am rather than 6:45am with a 1 hr layover in Minneapolis - which puts you in Orlando at 5:00 pm-ish) and their prices have been comparable to United when we've flown down.

As dis-guy said, clearing customs here in Edmonton is much better than having to collect your luggage in Toronto, go through customs and recheck your luggage a second time. Your connection is much less stressful - just find your gate and wait to board the flight (and maybe grab something to eat along the way).

Well. 6:45AM IS early but "I'm too excited to sleep!" before going to WDW anyway, so I'd probably be awake regardless, so may as well get going!

 

[arctic_bunny]

We manage connecting through YYZ okay. Leave yourself lots of time, though, especially with little ones. And make sure you have plenty of time between connections on the way back. We had 1 hr, then we were 40 minutes late getting in. Thank goodness WJ was so helpful. We made it through customs, luggage pickup, luggage drop off, security and made the plane. Barely. Never want to do that again!

 

[CdnCarrie]

We're done it twice (Wpg to Orlando via Toronto). It was okay. Always made the connecting flight. It can be stressful.

 

[Gigi22]

I'm so sorry--do you have any other way to get to Orlando? My DH (hates flying) was so upset with the crowds, lack of organization and stress at the Toronto airport that we no longer go through that airport. We now take the train to Dorval, so we can fly out of the Montreal airport instead of Toronto.

 

[cpbjgc]

We did this connection without a problem. If you check this thread I posted about our experience (post #3). We even had time to spare: got snacks and did last minute bathroom visits.

It was fun loading the on the flight. They did the pre-Boarding for travellers with small children and EVERYONE got in line .

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

One thing that no has mentioned is you won't need to switch Terminals because WestJet is located in Terminal 3, which is where you will arrive and then depart when going to Orlando.

 

[canadianmommyof2]

Stopping in Toronto is a BIG pain but at least you are not flying Air Canada...we have flown to Toronto twice with Air Canada and both times they lost our luggage! If it wasn't for our long layovers we would have been without our luggage both times. What is worse, they couldn't even tell us where it was because it hadn't been scanned! As for going through customs, it is fairly smooth...even if your plane is delayed. We were asked to move to the front of the line because they were holding the plane for us so all we did was picked up our luggage, went though customs and threw our luggage on the belt and went to our gate and got on the plane...it all went smoothly. Good luck

 

[nmccrea]

Thanks All, yeah I know it would have been easier to transfer through the US and do cutoms here, but we got a good deal with WestJet Vacations so Toronto it is. We have a 4 hr layover on the way there and 2 hrs on the way back. Thanks for the support from the people who have done this before, that helps. Also big thanks to the person who suggested the GTAA website. I am sure it will be fine and we will be fine, but I am a planner and a worrier!! Can't help myself!

 

[noelk]

We did a similar connection at the end of March (on Westjet, Ottawa > Toronto > Miami). Wasn't too bad, and with four hours you certainly have enough time. As mentioned by others here, watch for the signs in the terminals for US connections, and watch the video on the GTAA website...I did before our trip, and it helped put me at ease.

Essentially, the process is you've got to leave the secure area at Pearson to collect your checked bags at a special "US connections" carrosel; next, you go through US customs and immigration (and this is where the lines can be long...I would want at least 45 mins to get through customs at YYZ); after that, you recheck your bags and make your way to the gate.

When we went, we had made sure we went straight through security, then had enough time for a sit-down breakfast at a restaurant near our gate.

 

[DisneyFreak06]

I usually end up using Toronto on the way home, just because Montreal gets us to Orlando one hour earlier... I have not had many issues flying through Toronto. Keeping a positive outlook usually helps me, and I've asked for help many different times. I find, like some previous posters have said, it can take a while to get through customs and everything, so try to do that right away and then you may have some time to relax. Good luck and enjoy your stay!