Flying from YHZ..... best route/option?

[sablebomb]

Flying with my daughter (who has never flown before), from YHZ in October.
Any suggestions on the best flights/routes?
Most economical but options that won't take us 12 hours to get there either!!!

 

[rbchimp]

Direct is the way to go.

Appears to be only Wesjet Flights on Sundays at the moment for October.

 

[musika]

We are flying direct on WJ in April, Wed-Wed flights. This may not be an option in the fall though. If you *have* to connect, my personal preference would be via Montreal just because I find the airport slightly more compact than Toronto. But ultimately connecting via YYZ, YOW or YUL is going to be about the same amount of time, give or take an hour.

 

[rbchimp]

Google Flights is great for looking at available flights, you can create alerts for price changes.

https://www.google.ca/flights/#search;f=YHZ;t=MCO;d=2018-10-07;r=2018-10-11;tt=o;s=0

Above link is set to non-stop, but right now the cheapest flights on random days in October are:

YHZ-MCO (via BOS) is $184
MCO-YHZ (via BOS or YYZ) is $143

Keep in my mind that flight times can change (and likely will) as airlines change schedules for fall.

 

[musika]

Via BOS is a pretty good idea, actually. You will pre-clear in YHZ instead of one of the larger airports which will save you time (and headache), and land as a domestic passenger.... I like it.

 

[mab2012]

We are flying direct on WJ in April, Wed-Wed flights. This may not be an option in the fall though. If you *have* to connect, my personal preference would be via Montreal just because I find the airport slightly more compact than Toronto. But ultimately connecting via YYZ, YOW or YUL is going to be about the same amount of time, give or take an hour.

I would take Montreal over Toronto, but definitely Ottawa over either, hands-down. Ottawa airport is comparable in size to Halifax, and customs is easy since the number of international flights is quite limited.

That said, there aren't a lot of direct flights from Ottawa to Orlando, so flying through Ottawa might not even be a viable option.

My mother is flying YOW<->MCO direct on Air Transat next month, and the price wasn't crazy, but that route is probably seasonal. And the outbound flight was very early.

If OP connects in the US on the return trip, it will be considered a domestic flight for the purposes of MDE, which means a pick-up time 3h in advance of your flight instead of 4h in advance. There are varying opinions on whether or not that should be considered a Good Thing.

Agree with PP that Google Flights is your friend. Unless you're flying over a holiday (Thanksgiving?), it's probably too early to get the best prices now. Keep an eye on the dates you're interested in, and book when you see a price you can live with. Keep in mind that prices *will* change, usually in both directions.

 

[Tinkershelly]

I prefer to connect in a US airport since there is US customs preclearance in Halifax, which means you travel as a domestic passenger and don't have to go through US customs and security in the middle of your trip. Likewise I prefer to connect in a US airport on the way home for the same reason, Canadian customs will be done in Halifax at the end of the trip and not at another Canadian airport in the middle of the trip. That said, the best itinerary is Halifax to Orlando non-stop of course

 

[sherilaine]

Keep in mind non stop and direct are two different things - a 'direct' flight can still contain a stop over at another airport.

 

[TFC_UNTIL_I_DIE]

I would connect through the city that has the most flights to Halifax so if you are delayed you don't get really delayed. Ottawa is a terrible airport to get stuck in as so little food choice inside the security area.

Enjoy Disney - I remember when my family went in the late 80s it was my first time on a plane - we went Canadian Airlines from Halifax right to St Petersburg in Dec and when they opened the door all the hot air rushed in (outside staircase).

 

[sablebomb]

Thanks for the feedback.
I have looked a bit but I know it's still a little ways out so I probably won't find all options right now anyway.

If I do have to use connecting flights, I would prefer to connect in the US so we can clear customs here in Halifax before leaving. I'd prefer that as opposed to trying to do this in an airport I'm not familiar with.

I haven't tried the google flight link above. I will have to check that out.

Thanks!

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I prefer to connect in a US airport since there is US customs preclearance in Halifax, which means you travel as a domestic passenger and don't have to go through US customs and security in the middle of your trip. Likewise I prefer to connect in a US airport on the way home for the same reason, Canadian customs will be done in Halifax at the end of the trip and not at another Canadian airport in the middle of the trip. That said, the best itinerary is Halifax to Orlando non-stop of course

This!

We just returned on Monday night.

Our flights were YHZ, YYZ, MCO and then MCO, BOS, YHZ.

The first thing I said to my DH when we got to Boston airport is, "I'm never connecting in Canada again!" No extra security screening, no customs, no rushing to get your connection. YHZ was DEAD Monday night, another bonus.

 

[sablebomb]

Great! So consensus is IF connecting, connect in the US (whole-heartedly agree!)
And IF possible- get direct flight. Not sure this will be an option in October though

 

[Tinkershelly]

Great! So consensus is IF connecting, connect in the US (whole-heartedly agree!)
And IF possible- get direct flight. Not sure this will be an option in October though

Westjet has had a non-stop flight on Sundays year round for the past couple of years, I've used it in May and September, it has been wonderful and the price is often cheaper than connecting flights with Westjet, so keep that in mind when you are ready to start looking.

 

[sablebomb]

Unfortunately we already have our rental property booked and it is for a Monday. So our flight dates need to match.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Unfortunately we already have our rental property booked and it is for a Monday. So our flight dates need to match.

Don't limit yourself on the basis of your rental -- if you are able to fly on either Sat or Sun you might be surprised to find a one night hotel to be cheaper than the difference in flights! We thought we were in trouble last year when our flights got messed up -- we ended up spending one night at an AllStar resort for $89. To arrange our flights to match our DVC rental would have cost us close to $400!!! You can find one night hotels thru all sorts of places that will do for a night. Good luck with the flight roulette game

 

[sablebomb]

Don't limit yourself on the basis of your rental -- if you are able to fly on either Sat or Sun you might be surprised to find a one night hotel to be cheaper than the difference in flights! We thought we were in trouble last year when our flights got messed up -- we ended up spending one night at an AllStar resort for $89. To arrange our flights to match our DVC rental would have cost us close to $400!!! You can find one night hotels thru all sorts of places that will do for a night. Good luck with the flight roulette game

Great point!
Thanks!