Can we fly internationally out of Canada if we live in the US?

August 12, 2011 12:37 PM

Anyone had any issues living in the US but flying internationally out of Canada? We (English green-card holder me + US citizen wife) live in far upstate NY and it seems that flying to London and back out of Ottawa using Air Transat is the cheapest and quickest way. Are there any pitfalls I'm unaware of? Any craziness with border control between the US and Canada if you tell the that's what you're doing? Thanks.
posted by merocet to Travel & Transportation around Canada (13 answers total)

Best answer: A lot of people in Canada drive to the US to fly within the US or elsewhere, and no one I know has had trouble in that direction (nb: in this group, I only know white people in their late 20s or older). I would be surprised if you had trouble in Canada or in the US. I have been most heavily interrogated in London while coming or leaving, but this seems pretty easy to explain to them.
posted by jeather at 12:43 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: It was before they started requiring passports at the border (1996 or so), but I've done something very similar from San Diego, taking the trolley to the border, crossing on foot, and then taking a taxi to the Tijuana airport to catch a flight to go further down into Mexico. Wasn't any big thing.
posted by LionIndex at 12:53 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: I don't know about the specific pitfalls (unpredictable waits at border crossings might be a concern when you have to be at the airport at a specific time) but it's certainly do-able. I live in upstate NY and have Canadian friends who are U.S. residents; they drive to Toronto all the time to get flights to visit relatives in western Canada because it's cheaper (though that 4-5 hr drive at the start or end of the trip must be a pain).
posted by aught at 1:07 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: I know someone near Buffalo that makes the 100-ish mile drive to YYZ to fly internationally rather than take the flight to Boston or JFK and connect there. Never heard him mention a problem with it.
posted by deadmessenger at 1:20 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: I live in Hamilton, and will fly out of Buffalo any chance I get. It's way easier and often cheaper than flying out of Pearson in Toronto.

I've never had even a little bit of trouble, I doubt you would going the other way.
posted by smitt at 1:30 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: I've flown to the UK via YYZ before to avail myself of BA award travel using AA miles. The biggest drawback is that you must clear Canadian customs at the Canadian airport and re-clear security for the next international segment. This involves quite a bit of P-I-T-A baggage schlepping. There is no airside 'in-transit' path you can take. But we didn't get any additional scrutiny - the Canadian border person took one look at the itinerary and rubberstamped us.
posted by scolbath at 2:38 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: I used to go the other way (from Canada to the US) for flights, and never had an issue, though I'm an American citizen.

It is true that the border can be unpredictable, but especially if you're an American and an English passport holder, I can't imagine a problem. (I am curious what they'll say at the border. You might consider reporting back on the thread.)
posted by vecchio at 8:21 PM on August 12, 2011

Best answer: Assuming you don't have a criminal record, you shouldn't have any problems.

The airline on your return segment may ask questions about why your destination is not your home country. I once had an Air France agent completely unable to check me in as a Canadian flying from Casablanca to JFK, and had to pull over a supervisor to complete it. The airline's worry is that for whatever reason you might be denied entry to your destination country and they will have to transport you back at their expense. If they really give you a hard time, offer to sign an agreement that you will cover all costs associated with being denied entry back into Canada. The check-in agent should have these.

Remember if you're flying to Ottawa from the US, you will clear US customs prior to boarding your flight. Make sure you have enough time to clear Canadian customs AND US customs and still get to your connecting flight.
posted by t_dubs at 5:16 AM on August 13, 2011

Best answer: Er, other way 'round. You will clear US customs in Ottawa prior to boarding a US-bound flight.
posted by t_dubs at 5:18 AM on August 13, 2011

Best answer: I recently flew home (Calgary) from Portland and my seatmate was a US Army soldier who was flying to YYZ to then fly to Frankfurt. He's done this several times and said that it was a simple, seamless process. He did have to first pass through Canadian customs of course but there are MANY non-Canadians who fly to Europe, among other international destinations, with Canadian carriers out of Canadian airports. Happens thousands of times a day at major Canadian airports.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 8:43 PM on August 13, 2011

Best answer: Sorry, I meant the soldier was flying to FRA from YYC, not YYZ. YYC is Calgary of course.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 8:44 PM on August 13, 2011

Best answer: When I went to London, we flew on Air Canada from Chicago via Ottawa. No problems at all.
posted by SisterHavana at 10:01 PM on August 14, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. Looks like we're good to go. Best answers all round.
posted by merocet at 3:03 PM on August 15, 2011