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By Air

Most airlines serving Toronto have numerous daily trips. Allow extra time for passing through customs and immigration, which are required for all passengers, including Canadians. The 2 1/2-hour advance boarding time recommended for international flights is applied to Canada. Fortunately, the Toronto airport has check-in kiosks for Air Canada flights, which cut back on time spent in line.

Flying time to Toronto is 1 1/2 hours from New York and Chicago and 4 1/2 hours from Los Angeles. Nonstop to Toronto from London is about 7 hours.

Carriers

When flying internationally, you must usually choose between a domestic carrier, the national flag carrier of the country you are visiting, and a foreign carrier from a third country. National flag carriers have the greatest number of nonstops. Domestic carriers may have better connections to your hometown and serve a greater number of gateway cities. Third-party carriers may have a price advantage.

Toronto is served by American, Delta, Northwest, United, US Airways, Air Canada, Air Canada's Tango, as well as more than a dozen European and Asian carriers with easy connections to many U.S. cities. An Air Canada affiliate, Air Canada Jazz, flies from the small Toronto City Centre Airport to Ottawa, Montréal, and London, Ontario. Toronto is also served within Canada by CanJet, WestJet,and Air Transat, a charter airline.

Major Airlines

Air Canada (800/776-3000. www.aircanada.com). Alaska Airlines (800/252-7522 or 206/433-3100. www.alaskaair.com). America West (800/235-9292 or 480/693-6701. www.americawest.com). American Airlines (800/433-7300. www.aa.com). Continental Airlines (800/523 -- 3273 for U.S. and Mexico reservations; 800/231-0856 for international reservations. www.continental.com). Delta Airlines (800/221-1212 for U.S. reservations; 800/241-4141 for international reservations. www.delta.com). Northwest Airlines (800/225-2525 for U.S. reservations; 800/447-4747 for international destinations. www.nwa.com). USAirways (800/428-4322 for U.S. and Canada reservations; 800/622-1015 for international reservations. www.usairways.com).

United Airlines (800/864-8331 for U.S. reservations; 800/538-2929 for international reservations. www.united.com).

Smaller Airlines

Air Canada Jazz (416/925-2311 or 888/247-2262. www.flyjazz.ca). Air Transat (877/872-6728. www.airtransat.com). CanJet (800/809-7777. www.canjet.com). Tango (888/247-2262. www.flytango.com). WestJet (888/937-8538. www.westjet.com).

Airports

Flights into Toronto land at Terminals 1 and 3 of Lester B. Pearson International Airport (airport code YYZ), commonly called the Toronto Airport, 32 km (20 mi) northwest of downtown. There are two main terminals, so check in advance which one your flight leaves from to save hassles. In 2006, the "LINK" was introduced: a cable-line shuttle system that is fully automated. It shuttles passengers almost noiselessly between Terminals 1 and 3 and the GTAA Reduced Rate Parking Lot. It has the ability to carry as many as 2,150 people each way every hour.

A handful of provincial flights land at tiny Toronto City Centre Airport (airport code YTZ), often called the Island Airport, in the Toronto Islands.

The airport departure tax from Pearson International is $15 per person ($8 for connecting passengers) and it is included in the price of your airline ticket.

Long layovers don't have to be only about sitting around or shopping. These days they can be about burning off vacation calories. Check out www.airportgyms.com for lists of health clubs that are in or near many U.S. and Canadian airports.

Airlines & Airports

Airline and Airport Links.com (www.airlineandairportlinks.com) has links to many of the world's airlines and airports. Lester B. Pearson International Airport (416/776-3000. www.torontoairport.ca). Toronto City Centre Airport (416/203-6942. www.torontoport.com/Airport.asp).