Can a Canadian drive to USA then fly?
 

Hey all,

I have a friend in British Columbia who has applied for a passport, but as of now looks like it will not arrive in time to make plans to fly from B.C. to the U.S.

She is trying to find out if she can drive down to Seattle, then catch a domestic flight to Las Vegas.

I know she can drive across the border (for now) without a passport, but what documentation would she need to show to allow her to board a domestic flight?

I have looked for information on this, but have not found an answer.

Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

R.J.

She can... birth certificate and drivers license should let her cross the border, and to board a flight in the US her Canadian drivers license should suffice.

I have friends and co-workers in ON who drive to Buffalo for almost every flight.

There is no problem doing this - people have been doing it for years. It's one reason Windsor has virtually no commercial service outside of a few token AC flights - everyone from the Windsor, ON area drives over to use DTW and avoid the Canadian taxes which can be as high as 200% of the base airfare.

Edited to add: did your friend go to the local passport office with her proof of travel and request expedited service? I was able to get my new Canadian passport within two days (for a steep extra fee) while on a trip to YYZ last week. She should call the central office first to see if there would be a problem issuing a new passport from the Vancouver office while she has an application pending in Ottawa.

My friend applied several weeks ago for her passport and did not want to make any travel plans until it arrived. If driving down to Seattle works best for her, she will do that and probably save some $$$ that will probably be promptly lost in Las Vegas.

I also contacted one of the major airlines and the airline confirmed that if she flies domestically, a Canadian D.L. will suffice.

Thanks!

R.J.