Toronto City Centre Airport

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) is located on an island near downtown Toronto. They service over 18 cities in Canada and the U.S. with connections to more than 80 international destinations. Billy Bishop is the hub for Porter Airlines. Unlike most other airports that service commercial airlines Billy Bishop imposes a 23.00 curfew for both take off and landing of traffic. If a flight is on route for landing and cannot land prior to 23.00 the flight will be diverted to another airport. Although this rule is known by the airline flights are not held back but simply fly passengers to the closest city. This happened to my young daughter on Jan 6 2014 during one of the coldest nights of the year. Unfortunately there was no communication to the public that the flight was diverted and my daughter was left without support. Her ride was waiting for her at Billy Bishop airport but with no agent even present we had no way of knowing her location. In this case she made her way via shuttle bus from the airport in Hamilton where the flight had been diverted to a downtown train station in Toronto (2AM) where she found a place to stay the night. Based on this experience you may wish to investigate flights to Pearson International Airport using an international carrier rather than to Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport with Porter Airlines.

This airport receives a lot of hype from Torontonians. I flew Porter from Newark NJ to Billy Bishop in the beginning of November. Porter itself is fantastic. The tickets were cheap the free lounge access (with free snacks coffee and sodas) was generous and the entire process as a whole was exceptional for a "budget" airline. Upon arrival we promptly received our luggage safe and sound upon entering the baggage claim. From there we followed the somewhat confusing (not that bad now that I think about it but at the time it seemed odd) signs to the ferry. I don't know if I liked it or not. Thankfully they are implementing a new system of accessing the city but that is not yet finished. You have to wait in a line to get onto the ferry which you are only on for about 2 minutes. Then it's the same process again getting off. It just seems a little excessive and unnecessary. Not sure why this was the solution in the first place. Then came immigrations. I can't remember if this was before the ferry or after. But for the sake of this review I'll say it was after the ferry ride. My father was carrying a styrofoam box (clearly for airport food-which we bought at Newark). Upon meeting a border agent she rudely asked my dad what he was holding. He told her it was leftover food from the flight and she yelled at us for not filling out the part on the card that says you are bringing in food to Canada. She was one of the rudest people I have encountered. For people who are renowned globally to be very friendly she was a terrible first impression of the Canadian people. On the way back security is oddly organized and slow considering how few people actually were in the airport. It took us half an hour while every other airport I've been to that's comparable in size can accomplish this in half the time. Other than that the return experience was fine.

Being a Nexus Card holder living in downtown Toronto I expect my arrival at YTZ and trip home to be very quick right? Wrong! First because of the weird design of the airport we get held on the plane to get off until the passengers for the plane at the gate next to us board so that passengers don't interact (why not have separate gates?). Next there is only one nexus terminal in the customs area so be prepared to wait again (going to an agent may be quicker). Then another wait for the archaic ferry to the city-side (fine this will be soon replaced) but when the ferries seem to be operating at full capacity why not have 2 going? Then you wait 30 minutes in the cold for a taxi. YTZ may brag about being close to the city but they have a lot of work to do to improve their flow. Frankly Pearson may be farther but it works like clock work and I'd rather just go there next time!

Why more people don't use this airport I don't know for you can't beat it for convenience and ease of getting to downtown Toronto not only business travellers but leisure ones like me appreciate it! For starters there are free passenger ferries that run about every 15 minutes to the foot of Bathurst Street where it's just a short to medium walk to sights such as the CN Tower Rogers Centre et al plus there are TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) buses not too far away to take you where you want to go. Though the queues were somewhat long at Canadian Customs when I arrived the officers still maintained their friendliness and respectful demeanour. The facilities themselves were very well kept up those cleaners should get a medal for picking up after the sloppiness of my fellow passengers in all definitely my choice when I fly to Toronto.

The best kept secret for commuters traveling to downtown Toronto. In and out in a flash -- even with the ferry which runs constantly back and forth between the island and the shore. The airport only services one carrier - Porter Airlines. The terminal has been significantly improved and cleaned up over the years when there used to be a small lobby where baggage was dumped through a chute.

Check in was quick. Security professional and in contrast to other airports not as many passengers going through. I was the only one going through security at the time I entered. The lounge has comfortable seating no-cost snacks and beverages free wifi and an efficient group of folk to help passengers and announce departures. Overall a pleasant and refreshing experience.

For transborder fliers from Newark (NYC) Boston or Chicago Midway who do business in downtown Toronto then Porter to Toronto's Island airport is the only sensible way to go. On arrival unlike at the distant Pearson International (YYZ) clearing Canada Customs takes minutes and you're on your way - the airport is literally a stone's throw from the city's core. The Porter terminal is like one big private jet lounge - on departure you're not only a few steps from your plane but all passengers enjoy free coffee (and excellent cookies) free newspapers and a full business center with Mac desktops. Porter is one of the few airlines I have flown that offers economy passengers the same excellent service on the ground as it does in the air.

The island airport is small and clean - a very relaxing experience compared to Pearson - but it feels like it's getting too small for Porter Airlines' growing business. The domestic luggage claim area is a ridiculously small tiny little room. Hopefully there is a way to expand the terminal before Porter expands its service to cities like Thunder Bay Boston Detroit and Philadelphia.

I enjoy the relaxing terminal building and comforts provided. There are some common use computers and wireless internet is free. Porter has been a bit shaky with its ontime performance when I am involved. I am usually flying to Halifax from YTZ which involves a quick stop at YOW. I could fly non-stop from Pearson (which I still do with regularity) I will sooner spend an extra 45 minutes in an airplane with great service - good location and a free shuttle to the subway than make the trek to Pearson and try to find something to do to kill time.

A little gem of an airport. Minutes from downtown Toronto on Toronto Island. As it is currently served by only one airline (Porter) lines are short free refreshments are available and offers free wireless. Due to politics one must take a 400ft ferry to the airport which takes minutes and is a significant time saver compared to driving up to Pearson (YYZ). However due to its small size (and noise concerns by local residents) the airport is only served by turboprops for commercial flights. As a result the airport is only available for regional flights.