World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Lester B Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Tel: (416) 247 7678 (T1, T2 and T-New) or (416) 776 5100 (T3).
Website: www.gtaa.com

Pearson International Airport is located 27km (17 miles) northwest of downtown Toronto. Canada’s busiest and largest airport, it handles over 28 million passengers per year and is served by over 50 scheduled and charter airlines, providing service to 110 destinations in 44 countries. It comprises three terminals; the first phase of a new terminal (dubbed ‘T1-New’), which will replace T1 and T2, commencing in late 2003, is underway.

Major airlines: The national airline is Air Canada (tel: (888) 247 2262; website: www.aircanada.ca), which also operates regional flights under the Air Canada Jazz banner and low-cost flights as Tango (tel: (800) 315 1390; website: www.flytango.com). Other major carriers that serve Pearson International include Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air France, Air New Zealand, Air Transat, Alitalia, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, bmi, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines, Qantas, SAS and United Airlines.

Airport facilities: Pearson’s three terminals have facilities that include ATMs, bureaux de change, shops, duty-free boutiques, banks, childcare facilities, medical clinics, chapels, porters, left luggage, traveller’s aid, bars and restaurants. Free shuttle buses link the terminal buildings every eight to 15 minutes. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Business facilities: Sheraton Gateway Hotel (tel: (905) 672 7000) offers a business centre. Some business facilities are available through the various airline executive lounges. There are public Internet stations in T2 and T3.

Transport to the city: Pacific Western operates the Airport Express bus (tel: (905) 564 6333/3232 or (800) 387 6787; website: www.torontoairportexpress.com) from the airport to downtown Toronto every 30 minutes 0355–0255 (journey time – 20–35 minutes). The fare is C$14.95 one way or C$25.75 return – a shuttle bus to hotels off the main route costs C$3.25 extra.

Public bus services run by the TTC (see Getting Around) include bus 192 (the ‘Airport Rocket’) to Kipling subway station (journey time – 20 minutes), bus 58A to Lawrence West station and night buses 307 to Eglinton station (journey time – 45 minutes) and 300A, which travels along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue.

There is also a GO Bus (tel: (416) 869 3200 or (800) 438 6646; website: www.gotransit.com) to Yorkdale and York Mills subway stations (journey time – 35 minutes), costing C$3.50. Buses run Monday to Friday 0550–2402, Saturday 0635–2402 and Sunday 0805–2402.

A number of private bus companies operate services to various destinations, including Niagara Falls. Information desks for each company are located in the arrivals area of each terminal. Licensed limousines and taxis are also available at fixed rates based on a zone system, with journeys to downtown Toronto taking approximately half an hour. Taxis cost around C$30 for destinations west of Bathurst or C$40 for the downtown core, while limousines cost C$4 more.

Toronto City Centre Airport (YTX)
Tel: (416) 203 6942. Fax: (416) 203 6741.
Website: www.torontoport.com/tcca.htm

Toronto City Centre Airport is situated on an island in Toronto harbour. Handling scheduled commercial, charter, private and corporate flights, the airport primarily services the nearby business community, offering flights from nearby destinations in Canada, such as Montreal, London and Ottawa.

Major airlines: Air Canada (tel: (888) 247 2262; website: www.aircanada.ca) is the only airline operating from here, mainly through its domestic subsidiary Air Canada Jazz.

Airport facilities: There is a restaurant at the airport. Car hire should be arranged in advance from downtown companies (see Car Hire), which will arrange for pick up at the ferry landing.

Business facilities: The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge (tel: (888) 247 2262; website: www.aircanada.ca) provides a Xerox Business Centre for business-class passengers. Open daily 0445–2115, facilities include Internet connection, photocopying, fax, telephones, workstations and conference rooms.

Transport to the city: Air Canada (see above) operates a free shuttle bus service to the Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West, every 30 minutes daily 0615–1945 (journey time – 10 minutes). A two-minute ferry ride (free of charge to airline passengers) provides transportation every 15 minutes to the mainland, where taxis are available at metered rates. Ferry services operate every 15 minutes daily 0615–2300. Completion of a new bridge is set for spring 2004.

Approximate flight times to Toronto: From London is 8 hours; from New York is 1 hour 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 4 hours 35 minutes and from Sydney is 18 hours 15 minutes.

Arrival/departure tax: Any departure taxes and airport improvement fees are included in the ticket price.