Wisdom of a weekend trip to Toronto from US with current delays
Jun 6, 2022, 10:55 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: IAD and sometimes DCA
Posts: 19
Wisdom of a weekend trip to Toronto from US with current delays
Hello - we have planned a 3.5 day trip to Toronto for the weekend of the 18th. Flying from DCA on AC, but now I'm considering canceling in light of all the Toronto airport delay reports. It appears our planned flights have been cancelled twice in the past 10 days and have been delayed the rest of the time. Would folks recommend just postponing at this point in time given the airport situation? Is there any hope for improvement in the next 10 days? I considered moving the flights to Buffalo but that adds a lot of transfer time for a short trip.
Jun 6, 2022, 11:21 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: YYZ
Programs: AAdvantage, Aeroplan, Flying Blue
Posts: 662
Hello - we have planned a 3.5 day trip to Toronto for the weekend of the 18th. Flying from DCA on AC, but now I'm considering canceling in light of all the Toronto airport delay reports. It appears our planned flights have been cancelled twice in the past 10 days and have been delayed the rest of the time. Would folks recommend just postponing at this point in time given the airport situation? Is there any hope for improvement in the next 10 days? I considered moving the flights to Buffalo but that adds a lot of transfer time for a short trip.
That said, we have friends coming to visit from Costa Rica this weekend, and they're not letting the prospect of delays stop them.
Jun 6, 2022, 1:53 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,182
I fly back and forth to YYZ from USA every few weeks. I have been using BUF to avoid southbound covid tests and YYZ delays (departure and arrival) and have been very happy. It adds a little bit of time but it’s almost a wash given current YYZ delays.
Jun 6, 2022, 2:13 pm
#4
Join Date: Mar 2016
Programs: AC SE
Posts: 1,505
As you read people's experiences in this forum and/or on social media, you realize that some people breeze through like it's old times while others spend hours stuck and frustrated. It seems really hard to predict. What's probably safe to predict, though, is that it's going to get worse as we approach July and the beginning of real vacation season.
Jun 6, 2022, 4:51 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, AA Plat MM
Posts: 3,582
Anecdotally from others and my own experience flying into YYZ in the last week, on a mixture of international and domestic flights, expect to be held on the plane for an average of 30 minutes after landing. This number increases the later in the day your flight arrives. If you have checked bags they will not be available quickly. If you plan accordingly and don't have currently unreasonable expectations you will be fine.
Jun 7, 2022, 8:00 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: YOW
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 583
It likely won't be economical given you're only 11 days out, but I'd also consider flying Porter from IAD-YTZ. Very minimal, if any waits for customs as there's only a handful of Q400 flights that might be arriving at any time. Also a bonus if your destination is downtown Toronto as you are right there.
Jun 7, 2022, 9:56 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 5,182
It likely won't be economical given you're only 11 days out, but I'd also consider flying Porter from IAD-YTZ. Very minimal, if any waits for customs as there's only a handful of Q400 flights that might be arriving at any time. Also a bonus if your destination is downtown Toronto as you are right there.
Last edited by sydneyracquelle; Jun 7, 2022 at 10:11 am
Jun 7, 2022, 3:29 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: IAD and sometimes DCA
Posts: 19
Appreciate the input everyone, but it looks like the Gods have chosen for me as I just tested positive, though fortunately without really any symptoms. Given the trickiness with needing to ensure I am testing negative by next week or a pretty tight window to get a letter of recovery, it seems like just rescheduling makes sense. Also, the flight we are supposed to be on to YYZ was cancelled today for like the 4th time in less than 10 days, which doesn't leave me optimistic major improvements are happening...