Canadian Airports with US Border Pre-clearance

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada today, there are new considerations for Canadians travelling to the USA. While we won't delve into these here, we offer the following in response to increased interest in Canadian airports with US customs and immigration "pre-clearance" facilities.

What is pre-clearance?

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service operates border pre-clearance facilities at eight (8) major Canadian airports. If you fly to the USA from one of these airports, you will pass through U.S. Immigration and Customs, Public Health, and Agriculture inspections before boarding your flight.

What are the benefits of pre-clearance?

Leaving the security check and baggage area,
transitioning to US CBP pre-clearance

You will not need to clear customs after landing in the USA, eliminating delays if you have a connecting flight.

Your baggage will be checked through to your final destination (in other words, you won't need to collect and recheck your bags if you have a connecting flight).

If you are denied entry into the United States by United States Customs and Border Protection, and are not allowed to board your flight, you can simply leave the airport (as contrasted to the complications resulting from being detained by CBP in the USA).

Are there any downsides?

Entering US CBP preclearance in Vancouver

Any delay in US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance could cause you to miss you outbound flight from Canada (arrive early, especially at Toronto Pearson Airport, which is prone to delays).

US Customs and Border Protection hours may differ from airport open hours. You should be aware that if your flight departs outside US CBP operating hours, you will clear customs at your destination airport.

What Canadian airports have pre-clearance?

After preclearance at Vancouver International Airport,
travellers are considered to be in the USA

Canadian airports with US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance are:

• Calgary International Airport (YYC)
• Edmonton International Airport (YEG)
• Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ)
• Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
• Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW)
• Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
• Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
• Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG)

Is pre-clearance available at other crossings?

Yes.

US Customs and Border Protection operates pre-clearance at:

• Pacific Central Station in Vancouver - for Amtrak Cascades train service to Seattle
• Port of Vancouver - for cruise ship passengers embarking at Vancouver

US CBT preclearance at Victoria ferry port

US Customs and Border Protection offers immigration-only pre-clearance at these crossings (meaning you will still clear customs upon arrival in the USA):

• Port of Victoria - for Black Ball Line MV Coho car ferry service to Port Angeles
• Port of Victoria - for Victoria Clipper passenger service to Seattle
• Sidney, BC - for Washington State Ferry service to Anacortes

What else should I keep in mind?

While flying from a pre-clearance airport means that you will arrive in the USA as a domestic traveler, you are, of course, still subject to reinspection at the discretion of US Customs and Border Protection service.

This article is posted as general information only and is not to be considered as legal advice.

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BC airport news

Vancouver International Airport wins top award, again!

Lots of good news airport stories from our neck of the woods...

Oliver gets new Kelowna and Penticton Airport transfer options

There was good news this week for Oliver residents. Ogopogo Valley Tours Inc. will provide airport shuttle service to Penticton Airport and Kelowna Airport, reducing the cost and increasing the convenience of fly-in visits to British Columbia's South Okanagan region... [read the full story].

YVR named #1 in North America - for 8th consecutive year!

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) s the first and only airport to be voted Best Airport in North America for the eighth consecutive year. The Skytrax World Airport Awards are recognized as the global benchmark of airport excellence. The on-site Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel was also voted Best Airport Hotel in North America... [read the full story].

BC airport infrastructure investment projects announced

Things are looking up at 20 British Columbia regional airports, thanks to a $10M investment from the BC Air Access Program. This year's recipients include Anahim Lake, Bella Coola, Chetwynd, Cranbrook, Fairmont Hot Springs, Grand Forks, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Osoyoos, Pemberton, Pitt Meadows, Port Alberni, Powell River, Prince George, Salmon Arm, Smithers, Valemount, Vernon and Williams Lake... [read the press release].

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What does the future hold for Vancouver International? - International Airport Review
Fly-away falcon back to work at YVR airport - CBC
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Taxi Truths campaign puts lipstick on a pig

'Taxi Truths' letter to Canadians kicks off national campaign
Image by @MickCoulas

In the latest move of desperation, Canada's biggest taxi companies have banded together to launch national advertising and a new website.

They're calling it a conversation with Canadians, but it's a one-way campaign built on fear mongering anti-Uber campaigns to date in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

The new website, Taxi Truths, touts the benefits of taking a licensed taxi, With a groovy website design (it's actually rather clever), and even implying it has own app, Taxi Truths is trying to show it is "with it", but it's clearly lipstick on a pig.

Armed with data and arguments on the side of safety, security and accessibility (the claim on value will be disputed), the Canadian Taxicab Operators fail to grasp the role sharing has on the psyche of Canadians on the move, in the time of the exploding sharing economy.

Will it work? Only time will tell, but we are clearly in the side if the skeptics.

The Canadian Taxicab Companies group lists its members in Calgary (Checker Group, Associated Cab Company), Edmonton (Taxi Service Group), Montreal (Taxi Diamond), Ottawa (Coventry Connections), Toronto (Royal Taxi) and Vancouver (MacLure’s Cabs, Vancouver Taxi, Yellow Cab, Black Top & Checker Cabs). Perhaps fearing it's next to hit Uber's radar, the site also lists Winnipeg (UniCity Taxi, Duffy’s Taxi) is also listed on the site.

Related resources
Taxi companies start national anti-Uber campaign
New website features 'Taxi Truths' and takes aim at Uber
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Amazing Race Canada - Season 1 airports recap

Air Canada flies #RaceCDA teams

With Season 2 almost upon us, we thought we would recap the airports that the Amazing Race Canada teams visited in Season 1.

In Season 1, The Amazing Race Canada's visited 12 Canadian airports... [continue reading on our #RaceCDA blog].



5 Busiest Airports in Canada 2012

Did you know where Canada's busiest airports are? How many have you visited? Do you have any favourites?

1. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

• Official name: Toronto Pearson International Airport
• Named for: Lester B. Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada
• Passengers served in 2012: 34,912,456
• Distance from downtown: 27 kilometres
• Other airports: YYZ is the busiest of Toronto's main airports, but is the most remotely located; Toronto Billy Bishop City Centre Airport (YTZ) is located downtown (it's Canada's 9th busiest)
• Trivia: YYZ is one of only two airports in North America with scheduled flights to all 6 inhabited continents; the other is New York's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK)
• Good news: Construction is underway on Metrolink's new Union Pearson Express, a rail link between Pearson Airport and Union Station in downtown Toronto; the UP Express will begin service in spring 2015
• Transportation tip: Your best bet for a Toronto Pearson Airport transfer is a shuttle - full details on all options in our YYZ Airport transportation guide
• Or, to arrive stress free, pre-book your private Toronto Pearson Airport transfer from IHateTaxis

2. Vancouver International Airport (YVR)

• Official name: Vancouver International Airport
• Passengers served in 2012: 17,596,901
• Distance from downtown: 12 kilometres
• Trivia: YVR is one of the few big international airports to have a terminal for scheduled floatplanes:Vancouver Airport South
• Transportation tip: The Canada Line SkyTrain, built for the 2010 Olympics, is your best option if you are heading downtown - details on all options in our YVR Airport transportation guide
• Or, to truly arrive stress free, treat yourself to a private Vancouver Airport transfer from IHateTaxis.

3. Montréal Trudeau International Airport (YUL)

• Official name: Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport 
• Named for: Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada's 15th Prime Minister
• Previously named: Montréal Dorval Airport
• Passengers served in 2012: 13,809,820
• Distance from downtown: 20 kilometres
• Other airports: Montreal has a 2nd airport, Mirabel (YMX), but it is used almost exclusively for cargo flights
• Trivia: Bombardier Aerospace has an assembly facility on site to build regional jets and Challenger business jets
• Good news: there are plans to build a rail connection to downtown Montreal, but it will not be complete until 2020
• Transportation tip: Your best bet for a Montreal Airport transfer is the 747 bus - full details on all options in our YUL Airport transportation guide
• Or, to truly arrive stress free, treat yourself to a private Montreal Trudeau Airport transfer from IHateTaxis

4. Calgary International Airport (YYC)

• Official name: Calgary International Airport 
• Passengers served in 2012: 13,638,137
• Distance from downtown: 17 kilometres
• Trivia: Calgary's airport was remarkably unscathed and remained operational during 2013's  devastating floods in the area
• Good news: a new international terminal is under construction, due to open in 2014
• Transportation tip: Your best bet for a transfer is a bus to nearby trains and Calgary's Bus Rapid Transit System - details on all options are included in our YYC Airport transportation guide
• Or, to arrive stress free, pre-book your shared Calgary Airport shuttle from IHateTaxis now

5. Edmonton International Airport (YEG)

• Official name: Edmonton International Airport 
• Passengers served in 2012: 6,676,445
• Distance from downtown: 26 kilometres
• Other airports: Edmonton used to have a 2nd airport downtown (YXD), used for commuter traffic, but it closed in recent years
• Trivia: the airport's Living Wall consists of 8,000+ plants, 32 different species
• Good news: a new Renaissance by Marriott hotel is slated to open on-site in fall 2013, the first Renaissance hotel in the world to be attached to an airport
• Transportation tip: there is a relatively new Edmonton Airport bus, but ridership is low, and there has been talk of the service being discontinued if it is not more widely used (so ride it if you go!) - details on all options included in our YEG Airport transportation guide

We hope you have enjoyed our feature on Canada's busiest airports. If you have an idea for an airport you'd like to see featured, especially if it has something unique about it's transportation, please let us know - we are always open to ideas!

Amazing Race Canada - Week 8: YFB, YHZ

Week 8 of The Amazing Race Canada began in Iqaluit, Nunavut.


Aerial view of Iqaluit, Nanavut, Canada.

If you missed it, our Week 7 blog post last week highlighted many of the unique challenges of air travel in this remote region of Canada, as well as the beauty and culture of this unique community.

So, onto Week 8, as the teams departed from Iqaluit Airport (YFB), and flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia, one of Canada's beautiful Maritime provinces.

As with our most recent Amazing Race Canada blog posts, we will focus on the airport and other items of interest in the region (as there are many different sites doing a great job of recapping the teams and the race itself!).

[continue reading]

Amazing Race Canada - Week 6: YQR, YUL, YYZ, YQB

Another week, another 4 airports! In Week 6 of The Amazing Race Canada, the teams moved between two cities, via two different routes.

Teams lifted off for this leg of the race from Regina International Airport (YQR). We wrote about this airport - and it's transportation issues - in our Week 5 blog post.

Some of the teams connected through Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Canada's 3rd busiest airport.


Just a few teams passed through Montreal's airport...

Too bad the visit was so brief. Named a UNESCO City of Design, Montreal is one North America's liveliest cities, with historical buildings dating from the 17th century. [continue reading]

Amazing Race Canada - Week 2: What's in Store?

Like you, we wonder about the details of where the teams will go, and what they'll do. Do we know more than you? Only time will tell. What do YOU think?

Where will The Amazing Race Canada go in Week 2? Pick the best set of clues:

• A pair of sticks. An enormous tail. A dull edge. 
• A green hat. An enormous head. A sharp edge. 
• A pointy head. An enormous elastic. An uneven edge. 
• A head on a stick. An enormous song. A jagged edge. 
• A fishy stick. An enormous rope. A smooth edge. 
• A pair of dimes. An enormous bone. A bumpy edge. 
• A red jacket. An enormous beast. A razor edge.

Record your answer in the poll above... or add your own guesses to the comments section below.