There may be some relief in site for those of us who have the privilege of driving to Pearson Airport in Toronto and dealing with the parking hassles and long check in procedures.
Air Canada has announced that starting in May Air Canada ticket holders will be able to check-in for their flights at the Region of Waterloo International Airport and catch a dedicated bus ride to Pearson.
It almost sounds too good to be true.
Air Canada travellers will receive a boarding pass and check their bags at the Region of Waterloo Airport (Breslau). From there they’ll be bussed to Toronto Pearson on a “luxury” bus. Sounds like they’ll already be checked in – at least partially.
Air Canada has partnered with The Landline Company, to provide the bus service.
The word is that the extra bus price will be included in the ticket price. Sort of like happens with a connecting flight. Your flight starts at Waterloo and ends at your final destination. It’s just that part of it is on a bus.
If you’re like me, you really appreciate the convenience of flying out of Breslau. You can arrange a relatively short ride to the airport – a friend or family member or even a taxi or Uber. Or worst case scenario you can park your car there. My quick research says the parking rates are $16/day at WRA. At Pearson they’re often twice that.
And getting around at WRA is a lot less hassle.
Air Canada says it will be a “seamless, convenient and more sustainable” way for people to catch their flights. The service is set to launch in May. The service will also be available at Hamilton’s airport.
It will be interesting to see how this will impact other companies like Flair and Westjet. But one thing at least seems fairly clear: this sounds like a creative addition to the services available at WRA and will be welcomed by local travellers – if it actually works the way it is supposed to, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Sounds promising. Maybe leave off the “luxury” and keep the upcharge low.