I love travelling as much as anyone, but the last thing anyone wants to deal with at the very beginning or end of a trip is airport delays.
At Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), stories of flight delays, baggage problems and wait times have become all too common — enough for travellers, myself included, to avoid Canada’s busiest airport. When it’s possible to do so, I’ve started flying out of Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ).
Toronto’s island airport isn’t always the perfect solution, given the simple fact that there are nowhere near as many destinations to travel to from there compared to Pearson Airport, but it does solve some of the most common problems travellers might otherwise face.
Here are five reasons why I’ll always fly out of Billy Bishop Airport instead of Toronto Pearson when I can.
It saves me so much time
Living in downtown Toronto, there’s no question that getting to Billy Bishop is much more convenient than finding my way to Pearson Airport.
At best, getting to Pearson will take me 40 minutes after I get myself to Union Station and take the 25-minute UP Express.
That, or I can shell out the $30 to $45 to take an Uber, but depending on the time of day, that could cost even more and possibly take even longer, depending on the traffic in Toronto.
As for Billy Bishop, I can walk to the airport in under 20 minutes, and the airport also has an express shuttle bus that takes passengers to and from Union Station every 15 minutes.
On top of knowing I can get to Billy Bishop much faster, I can also count on airport security there much more than I can at Pearson.
Despite there being new options to book your spot in security at Toronto Pearson to avoid waiting in a long line, you can almost guarantee there will be next to no lineup for airport security at Billy Bishop.
When I flew from Billy Bishop at the beginning of April, I specifically remember that I was the only person going through security shortly before 6 p.m. on a Sunday, which at Pearson, would generally be busier than the average time for departures.
If you’re not checking a bag and flying out of Billy Bishop, you can show up less than an hour before takeoff, and you won’t run into any problems.
Doing that at Pearson Airport would be a huge risk and you might not make it on your flight.
It can save you money on international flights
Depending on where you're travelling, flying out of YTZ instead of YYZ can also save you money.
While flights to the same destinations are typically very similar in price, people have taken notice that they can save money on a trip to Europe by flying out of Billy Bishop and connecting through another city for their international flight.
Earlier this year, a TikToker shared how she saved $600 when she connected through Montreal on her way to Europe, and her video went viral.
Though, she did admit that her trick only turns out to be the cheaper option some of the time.
Free snacks & alcohol with Porter Airlines
A bag of chips and a can of Steam Whistle beer.
If a less stressful airport experience and the potential savings on international flights weren’t enough to get you thinking about booking your next trip out of Billy Bishop, maybe the free food and drinks will.
One of the best things about flying with Porter Airlines is the free snacks and the free drinks during the flight.
On my last short flight from Toronto to Ottawa, I got a bag of chips and a Steam Whistle, and by the time I finished both, it was just about time to land.
It’s hard to beat, and you won’t find any free drinks on any similar flights with WestJet or Air Canada.
The city view
A view of the Toronto skyline from a Porter Airlines plane.
Always ask for the window seat. Trust me.
Even if you're tall (like me), it's worth not being able to stretch your legs for the short flight if you get city views like this during takeoff and landing.
The only other way to get views of the city like this is to book a Toronto helicopter tour, which is about the same price as a flight out of Billy Bishop anyway.
More destinations are coming
While the obvious drawback for flying out of Billy Bishop is the number of destinations, the good news is there are more coming.
With the likes of Porter Airlines and Air Canada currently offering flights out of the island airport to cities like Boston, New York City, and Chicago (Midway), Connect Airlines hopes to launch flights to and from Billy Bishop later this year.
Connect Airlines plans to offer flights to Philadelphia Int'l. (PHL), Baltimore Thurgood Marshall (BWI), and Chicago O'Hare (ORD), all of which will be new destinations for Billy Bishop travellers.
The addition of Chicago O'Hare would also connect travellers from downtown Toronto to the 6th-largest airport in the world, offering endless options for connections to other destinations around the world.
