Toronto Airports: Amenities, Airlines & Destinations At Top Travel Hubs Near The City
Travelling soon? While Toronto Pearson International Airport is usually top of mind for those flying from the city or the areas surrounding it, there are a few other airports that could also be convenient to travel from.
The smaller airports in the surrounding area often offer fewer crowds and can even score you a better deal on airfare.
Some are better if you're travelling to or from downtown Toronto, while others make it easier to travel from or explore Ontario's Golden Horseshoe.
Here are four airports near Toronto and what each offers in terms of airlines, destinations and amenities.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Location: Mississauga, ON
Number of airlines: 47
Number of lounges: 5 different lounges
Best for: Flying internationally
Avoid if: You have to make a tight connection
Why You Should Fly Here: Toronto Pearson Airport is the most well-known of Toronto's airports and also offers the highest number of airlines and destinations.
The airport has 47 airlines that service it, including Air Canada, Emirates, Lufthansa, United Airlines and WestJet.
The airport also services over 160 destinations around the world, including 32 destinations in Canada, 49 destinations in the U.S. and 100 other international destinations.
Located in the suburb of Mississauga, the airport is actually about 25 minutes from downtown Toronto with no traffic.
The airport offers many amenities -- the most out of any other airport on this list, with multiple spas for facials, massages and manicures and five different types of lounges at the airport, including Air Canada Maple Leafe Lounges, the KLM Crown Lounge and multiple Priority Pass lounges.
The airport also has a Goodlife Fitness on-site, as well as more than 70 restaurants where you can either grab a quick bite or sit down for a leisurely meal, and tons of shopping opportunities, whether you're looking for souvenirs, duty-free items or luxury goods.
Because the airport is so massive, however, it can be difficult to make a tight connection here compared to other smaller airports, with travelling between terminals requiring taking a train.
In terms of nearby attractions, you can take the UP Express from the airport to Union Station in downtown Toronto in just 25 minutes.
From Union, you can easily walk to several iconic Toronto attractions, including the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium Of Canada, the St. Lawrence Market and the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)
Location: Toronto, ON
Number of airlines: 2
Number of lounges: 1
Best for: Quick access to/from downtown Toronto
Avoid if: You want to fly with an airline other than Porter
Why You Should Fly Here: Billy Bishop Airport is Toronto's city airport, located on the Toronto Islands.
The airport offers service to more than 20 cities in Canada and the U.S., as well as connection opportunities to more than 80 international destinations through its airlines' networks.
For this reason, it could be a good alternative to Pearson Airport if you're in the downtown area. It might be close enough for some to walk (it's 25 minutes if you take the pedestrian tunnel) but it also has an express shuttle bus that takes passengers to and from Union Station every 15 minutes.
Alternatively, you can also take a 90-second ferry ride that runs every 15 minutes across Toronto’s inner harbour.
However, while the airport might have a more convenient location for those living or travelling downtown, it does lack a bit in airlines compared to Pearson.
The airport currently has two airlines, Porter Airlines and Air Canada, offering flights out of the island airport to destinations in Canada and U.S. cities like Boston, New York City, and Chicago.
In terms of amenities, the airport has one lounge, the Air Canada Aspire Lounge, which is Toronto's first.
The airport also has two restaurants, a grab-and-go market and a retail and duty-free store.
John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM)
Location: Hamilton, ON
Number of airlines: 6
Number of lounges: none
Best for: Travelling to Europe for cheap
Avoid if: You're coming from/heading to downtown Toronto
Why You Should Fly Here: Hamilton's John C. Munro International Airport is a smaller airport located just 20 minutes from downtown Hamilton and about an hour and a half from Toronto.
According to Tourism Hamilton, the airport is "one of Canada's fastest-growing travel hubs thanks to its convenient location, hassle-free single-terminal airport and low-cost flights."
The airport has six airlines, including many low-cost carriers: Lynx, Swoop, Sunwing, Air Transat, and Play, a new budget airline offering low-cost airfare to Europe.
In fact, Hamilton Airport is the only Canadian airport in Play's network.
The airport offers service to nine cities in Canada, Orlando, Florida, Cancun, Mexico, and direct service to Reykjavik, Iceland.
However, travellers can also access over 30 cities in Europe from Hamilton by flying with Play Airlines, which transits through Iceland before continuing on.
While you won't find any airport lounges here, the airport does have two Tim Hortons, a grab-and-go food and beverage market featuring local businesses, and a duty-free store.
While the airport is a bit far from downtown Toronto, its location could be convenient for those travelling from other GTA cities, and is also less than an hour away from Niagara Falls.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
Location: Buffalo, New York
Number of airlines: 8
Number of lounges: 1
Best for: If you're coming from or visiting the Niagara region
Avoid if: You don't want to cross the border
Why You Should Fly Here: It might seem odd for Canadians to depart from a U.S. airport, but according to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, doing so can save Canucks both time and money.
The airport has up to 100 nonstop flights per day serving 30 airport destinations "and beyond," and is located just 10 minutes east of downtown Buffalo and "mere miles" from the Canadian border and the QEW.
According to the airport, the average peak wait time at the Buffalo security checkpoint is only 12 minutes. Canadians can also enjoy no international taxes or fees to fly to U.S. airports from BUF.
The airport has a number of restaurants, cafes and markets, including a Tim Hortons, so Canadians don't have to worry about missing out on their pre-flight Double Double.
It also has convenience and gift shops as well as a clothing boutique. In terms of lounges, the airport has the Club lounge, which can be booked with Priority Pass or by paying a fee.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.
