Flying out of Buffalo in the GTA

[edrussell]

I suppose this thread isn't just for those in the GTA, but it definitely would be of particular interest to those in this area.  My wife and I have just returned from a 7 night sailing on Grandeur OTS out of Tampa.  On this trip we had canceled back our original flights on Westjet that flew from Pearson (this was before the strike for other reasons, ironically our original flight was one of those that were canceled).  We decided to try to fly out of Buffalo instead.  A bit of history is that I had traveled for work for about 7 years and spent about 4 of those flying out of Pearson almost weekly so believe me when I say I have hundreds of trips in and out of Pearson and I can honestly say it is the single worst airport in all of North America for me (this is my own personal opinion) and both my wife and I always dread flying out of it.  We do fly out of Hamilton when that is a viable option.

 

This is our first time trying Buffalo though and our experience was absolutely fantastic.  Our flight was on Friday at 7pm of the Victoria Day weekend and we live in Burlington so we decided to head across the border early in the day in case border traffic peaked later in the day.  We enjoyed some of our local haunts in the Buffalo area until it was time to head to the airport.  Parking was an absolute breeze unlike the nightmare that it is near Pearson and very cheap as well 11.00 per day in long term.  A quick transfer over to the terminal by a (GASP) friendly driver and we checked in, breezed through security in all of 15 minutes right to the gate.  No crazy lines, no rude people, no pushing, no shoving.  Amazing.  Departure was on time and we had a quick layover and on to Tampa.

 

We returned around 9 on Saturday, luggage was quick, again another friendly driver over to our truck and we were back home in no time.  This is our go to whenever possible from now on.  It was such a wonderful experience to arrive back into an airport and not want to strangle someone after 5 minutes on the ground.  Heck we could even walk at a leisurely pace without someone cutting us off.  Imagine the surprise when boarding when people actually sat the h_ll down rather than crowding the boarding area.  Of course our flights were domestic because we were only going to Tampa, so YMMV.  With any luck we'll never use Pearson again.  This again is my own personal opinion.  

[broberts]

Years ago I considered Buffalo. Sadly, while flight costs were lower than YYZ, total trip cost was not. Living in the eastern half of TO, 2 - 3 hr travel times struck me as no worse than YYZ wait times. Of course I grew up in airport waiting lounges, so I don't have the same aversion that many others have.

[LHT28]

Considered BUF  once   we lived north of TO

checked out  flights... all with connections

NOPE 

We will be trying YXU   this fall  now we have moved to Southern Ontario

We have a connection in YYZ on the way home from MIA   not ideal  but might be  a one & done  with YXU 

Time will tell

 

People have to choose what works best for them

[jole]

We often fly out of Buffalo when we are travelling to Florida instead of Pearson.  One major advantage for us is doing the border crossing in our car and then flying domestic - sooo much easier.  The drive is about the same for us and we fly direct.

[rodndonna]

When living in Niagara we did a flight from Buffalo  in "December" (AA connection through Charlotte) for a San Juan cruise instead of a Pearson (AC direct flight) for a small financial savings. Long story short (and there is a long story) - was not worth it . Maybe for a direct flight ..but not with a connection especially in the winter.

 

Great Buffalo "airport"  experience though 😀

[neeuqdrazil]

Just make sure you go to the correct airport. Due to lack of cell connection, out of date car GPS, it being the buddle of the night, and trying to avoid toll roads, I ended up at the wrong airport (Niagara Falls instead of Buffalo.) 

 

Luckily, the folks I was picking up (who were supposed to have flown into Pearson, but due to connection issues in Chicago, had to fly into Buffalo instead) were late, so didn't have to wait very long for me to find my way to the correct airport. 

[Sprocket]

We live less than 10 minutes from the border and fly out of Bellingham WA  airport for the same reasons.  We have Nexus which helps and it's a nice drive down.  We've flown out of Vancouver twice in over 20 years and only because we had to.

Bonus  South West now flies from there and when we cruise out of San Pedro flying in and out of Long Beach is way more convenient than LAX.

 

 

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

Since the pandemic, we've not used BUF, but before The Plague hit, I took my family through BUF exclusively to FLL/MIA. We live in Vaughan (just north of Toronto proper), and adding everything up -- air fare, driving time, airport queues, walking distance from counter to gate, etc. -- it was a no-brainer. We mostly traveled Jet Blue or Southwest. Those airlines used to fly out early in the morning, so even with the added expense of a night in a Buffalo Airport hotel, it came out to a substantial savings.

 

The sheer size of YYZ vs BUF makes a massive difference. For a 6:00 a.m. flight to FLL out of YYZ, I'd have to leave my house at 2:00 a.m. For a 6:00 a.m. flight to FLL out of BUF, I can check out of the hotel at 5:00.

 

My kids are grown now, so it's just me and my wife. Since resuming travel, I've mostly been able to get decent enough air fare through YYZ (and I've got some Air Canada vouchers to use!) that it hasn't been worthwhile, but I definitely check pricing out of BUF before booking anything domestic!

[loman]

Its just the two of us , so a 15 minute ride with an airport limo to Pearson with a direct flight to Florida

works for us . I dont mind this airport , but i know lots of others do.

A work colleague would save a ton of money flying from Buffalo to Florida with his 3 kids.

[gnome12]

deleted

Edited June 2, 2023 by gnome12

[3Shelaghs]

Never found Buffalo to be a viable option. Also never found an issue with Pearson over the past 55 years. But know lots of people who swear using Buffalo saves them oodles.

[edrussell]

Interesting opinions on this topic as I figured there might be.  For me this boils down to the strong aversion I have to Pearson.  When I was traveling for work I had much higher status with airlines and this allowed me access to lounges and other perks.  This made dealing with Pearson manageable for me.  

 

The biggest issue for me is how people act at Pearson, rude, pushy, difficult.  Maybe it is just me and my own personal bias.  

 

I find myself dreading going to Pearson and then after leaving being irritated.  This was a chance to try something different.  It made such a huge difference.  With that said I 100% get how most won't go this route.

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

The biggest issue for me is how people act at Pearson, rude, pushy, difficul
 

Sorry it not just Person , it is all airports and passengers now 

Most people only think of themselves now 

 

I found Montreal worst  than Person when we stopped there last month 

[3Shelaghs]

On 6/2/2023 at 11:51 AM, edrussell said:

 

The biggest issue for me is how people act at Pearson, rude, pushy, difficult.  Maybe it is just me and my own personal bias.  

 

 

Darn those Torontonians 🙂 

Honestly I find most humans aggressive angry and down right ignorant. New generation... wokies and entitled.

Personally I zone into my bubble and ignore ignore ignore. That's after trying to be kind and helpful to travellers.. this is where I now insert the term "no good deed goes unpunished"

I hear you about passengers. Can you imagine how air crew feel?? 

[edrussell]

Having flown out of most major airports in Canada and the US as well as visiting most of the largest cities in the same I can honestly say my wife and I feel Toronto (and of course Pearson) score at the top of places we can and will avoid at pretty much all costs.  We live only a 30 minute drive without traffic (and a 2 hour drive in 'normal' traffic) and I think the last time we willingly visited Toronto was over 7 years ago.  Personally I won't go there on a bet.  Absolutely awful traffic, rude people, etc etc and the list goes on.  I 100% know that our opinion influences our desire to fly out of Buffalo.  

[abby1257]

On 5/30/2023 at 9:25 AM, neeuqdrazil said:

Just make sure you go to the correct airport. Due to lack of cell connection, out of date car GPS, it being the buddle of the night, and trying to avoid toll roads, I ended up at the wrong airport (Niagara Falls instead of Buffalo.) 

 

Luckily, the folks I was picking up (who were supposed to have flown into Pearson, but due to connection issues in Chicago, had to fly into Buffalo instead) were late, so didn't have to wait very long for me to find my way to the correct airport. 

Wait...i'm confused...there are 2 airports...I thought when i googled allegiant...it says Buffalo Niagara airport....

 

[LHT28]

20 minutes ago, abby1257 said:

Wait...i'm confused...there are 2 airports...I thought when i googled allegiant...it says Buffalo Niagara airport....

 

Looks like they fly from IAG  

https://www.niagarafallsairport.com/

 

[Fouremco]

33 minutes ago, abby1257 said:

Wait...i'm confused...there are 2 airports...I thought when i googled allegiant...it says Buffalo Niagara airport....

 

The Allegiant website refers to "Niagara Fall / Buffalo, NY (IAG)" if you check either flight origin or flight departure. IAG is the airport code for Niagara Falls International Airport, not for the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[abby1257]

Ok...so now I'm double confused....lol no worries

[LHT28]

13 minutes ago, abby1257 said:

Ok...so now I'm double confused....lol no worries

do you have flights booked with Allegiant?

[abby1257]

Actually I don't but have wanted to check into it to see if it is worth the 2 hour drive from Toronto....

[LHT28]

Just now, abby1257 said:

Actually I don't but have wanted to check into it to see if it is worth the 2 hour drive from Toronto....

It would be like booking  a flight  from Toronto  but not  looking at the airport code 

You could fly from YYZ or YTZ 

as long as you check where the airport is   😄

[momof_four]

Since I live in the Hamilton area, I have flown out of Buffalo airport numerous times.  And it's not because I have an aversion to Pearson, it's just because I find it easier to get there traffic wise compared to Toronto Pearson.  Even having to cross the border it's still easier than battling the traffic to Toronto.  It's a nice airport, smaller, quick check in and quick to get through security.  For some people it's just personal preference.  In face we're flying out of buffalo this fall when we leave for our cruise.

[NateUpNorth]

Two additional thoughts from someone that lives within viewing distance of the border:

1) if you are coming in from Toronto or further check out the hotels directly across the street from the Airport - many will offer a "stay one night, leave your car for free all week" option (at least they did pre-covid) - and as mentioned, the airport is literally across the street

2) if you are driving in same day google "queenston/lewiston" or "peace bridge" traffic camera's - the bridge commission has live stream set up so you can view the bridges when you are 10/15 mins out and decide to either continue down the 405 and cross in Queenston, or continue down the QEW all the way to Peace Bridge if either has a big wait time

we fly BUF all the time, one of the biggest appeals is doing customs at the booth driving over, rather than messing about with that at YYZ

Edit - one more item of joy at BUF - all parking is on site if you drive in.... 5 mins max on the shuttle, none of the off site hassle you sometimes get at Pearson

Traffic camera link: 
https://www.niagarafallsbridges.com/index.php/services/traffic-conditions  

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by NateUpNorth

[NateUpNorth]

On 7/9/2023 at 6:41 PM, abby1257 said:

Actually I don't but have wanted to check into it to see if it is worth the 2 hour drive from Toronto....

There are two airports - 

https://www.niagarafallsairport.com/    - smaller, closer to the Queenston/Lewiston bridge

https://www.buffaloairport.com/   - larger, further out toward Fort Erie




In our experience Niagara Falls has the cheap cheap don't bring luggage, you may get a seat, discount airlines like Allegient, whilst Buffalo has the larger airlines like Southwest/Jet Blue etc....