A Canadian Guide to Catching a Flight in 2024

 

By Tony from Airport Direct

Let’s be honest, many of us (myself included) have this big fear of missing a flight.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had this one particular type of nightmare which involves me rushing to the airport, only to find out that I’d missed my flight. The variations of this nightmare differ from time to time, but the end results are always the same: missing my flight.

I’m sure I’m not the only one reading this who has this inner fear of missing – not a bus, not a train, not school, but a freaking airplane for some reason. Maybe because airplane tickets are more expensive? Who knows. Today, I want to share some tips and tricks which will mitigate the risk of ACTUALLY missing your flight in the real world.

 

1. Always check-in online (if you can) before your flight

Checking in online is probably one of the most concrete and important actions you can take to save time at the airport, and take away some of the pre-flight stress. Another important action is of course, to book Airport Direct’s shuttle to take you to the airport (I might be a little biased). Online check-in usually takes place 24hrs before your flight, and you can do it on your smartphone or computer, and it only takes about  5-10 minutes to do so. You can choose your seat, customize some flight options such as entertainment, and print off your boarding pass. You can also save the digital boarding pass to your phone.

 

 

2. Have another person check your itinerary

This has actually saved my butt before, in 2019, when I booked a really cheap flight from Buffalo Airport to LAX to visit my friend in California. My flight was at 4:25am on a Sunday, and in my mind that time belongs to the late evening. I remember the day before the flight, on Saturday, I visited my mom in the morning. And she, like all good mothers do, checked her son’s itinerary, which I was a bit annoyed by at the time because I didn’t feel that was necessary. After lunch, she asked me if I had finished packing for the trip, and I told her “No, because I still have all of Sunday to do it since my flight is Sunday late evening”. She said “No! your flight is early morning on Sunday which means you’ll have to leave Kitchener tonight and drive to Buffalo!”. Always, always, always have another person check your itinerary.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Wear comfortable clothes on the day of your flight

If you live in Canada, then you’ll know that most Canadian airlines have very uncomfortable seats if you fly Economy. And that’s why you have to prepare for it, by dressing comfortably. Since the Economy seats are very tight with not a lot of leg room, it’s important to wear pants that have a bit of a stretch. I like to wear my Eddie Bauer tech pants which, according to the washing tag, are composted of 5% Spandex and 95% Nylon. The 5% Spandex is important in the material mix, because it gives it a bit of stretchy-ness for maximum comfort in a tight plane seat. The 95% Nylon helps the material maintain its strength (which is important when you’re travelling and going on adventures). It’s also important to wear layers that you can easily take off after you land (especially when you’re going some place hot). But while you’re on the plane, keep all layers on because the cabin temperature can feel very cold since you’re sitting still for hours at 10,000 meters above ground. So, wearing just a T-shirt onboard will certainly not make it a good experience for you, because your next-seat neighbour will constantly yell at you for making all the seats in the row vibrate due to your shivers.

 

4. Make sure you have a reliable way to get to the airport, and arrange it ahead of time

Whether you’re driving to the airport to self-park, or taking an airport shuttle, you must prepare it ahead of time to avoid last-minute hiccups. And always make sure you have a second back-up option in case something goes wrong. If you’re driving your own car to the airport, make sure you have enough gas in the tank for the trip to the airport, and also the trip coming back from the airport. Some self-park services at the airport also require you to book your parking ahead of time, so make sure you have that sorted, and parking pass printed ahead of time if necessary. In terms of airport shuttles, always make sure you read their reviews on Google before you book, and look out for reviews on punctuality, because being on-time is probably the most important factor of an airport shuttle service. Another thing to look out for is whether or not the shuttle is a shared shuttle. This is important because many airport shuttle companies also pick up other passengers along the way, before heading to the airport. And that could eat away time on your tight schedule and make things more stressful. Airport Direct is Ontario’s trusted airport shuttle service and will not let you down. We have a 5 star overall rating on Google, and all of our shuttles are private for you, never shared, which means we go directly to the airport as our name suggests.

 

5. Arrive 2 hours early for domestic flights in Canada, and 3 hours early for international

The rule of thumb to never miss a flight, is to arrive early to the airport. In Canada, we have to take special considerations of our winter weathers too. The tried-and-true for most major Canada airports such as Toronto Pearson, is to arrive 2 hours before your scheduled flight for domestic flights within Canada, and 3 hours early if you’re flying international. This buffer will allow for unexpected events at security, check-in, luggage, road conditions etc. Early bird gets the worm. Always arrive early to mitigate the risk of missing your flight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you find this quick guide helpful, check out our other guide on how to pack effectively before a trip: The Importance of a Travel Checklist