shry

As a very inexperienced flier, I am not very excited about the likely hassles awaiting when I have to choose between NWA & Air Canada, based on the "unfavorable" reviews I'm reading. Should I drive from Columbus, Ohio to Prince Edward Island (my wife hates bridges, especially over water) or perhaps take a train instead to Halifax?

rkkwan

Columbus to Charlottetown, PE is almost 1,400 miles, with part of it non-freeway. That's 3 days of driving. That's a lot more "hassles" than flying, IMHO.

And Halifax is not PEI. Where are you interested to going?

The train from Toronto to Halifax takes 30 hours, including a connection in Montreal. The cheapest seat is about $300 roundtrip, more for sleepers. And you still need to get up to Toronto.

Anyways, I think the least hassle would be driving up to Detroit and take the NW non-stop on a regional jet. No connection.

shry

PEI is our destination.. I just assumed Halifax would be the closest train station. Actually, I wasn't serious about driving or taking a train, merely fishing for alternatives to NWA and Air Canada.

The Detroit idea sounds reasonable except for the driving part. Why drive instead of fly? Also, do you have an idea what the fare is for Detroit to PEI? NWA website search doesn't even show that service in existence right now since it's considered seasonal.

Thanks for your help..much appreciated.

rkkwan

Yes, you can fly from CMH to connect in DTW (for NW), or YYZ (for AC). The reason I thought about driving to DTW is that you don't seem to like flying and that it may be easier and faster to just drive to DTW instead of waiting for the plane in CMH, and wait for connection at DTW, which may be kind of long. That's all.

If you want to take the train, you can get off in Moncton or Sackville, NB. Then bus or drive to PEI. Halifax is another 4 hours away.

Air fare won't be cheap, as there's little competition in these routes. And neither is the train cheap if you get the sleeper.

AnselmAdorne

Just to add a bit more information on your air options, Air Canada withdrew their non-stop flight between Toronto and Charlottetown earlier this year. They still offer a connecting service from Toronto through either Montreal or Halifax.

If you are interested in flying out of Toronto, there is an alternative: Westjet, a Canadian low-cost carrier, offers a non-stop flight between Toronto and Charlottetown three days a week at the moment; it's daily during peak travel seasons.

WestJet's prices are competitive with AC, and most recreational travellers seem to like the WestJet experience. I haven't flown them myself, as all of my travel (30 to 40 segments a year) goes to Air Canada.

However, despite the availability of flights from Toronto, that would be my last choice as a border crossing. It's big, complex, and slow. Any direct flight from the US to Charlottetown would be preferable.

Anselm

Flyboy

I've flown into Halifax a number of times and it's not a bad place to stage from for PEI. For one thing, the Halifax airport is a considerable distance from the city and "on the way" to PEI. There is great availability of rental cars (I've always found National to be a good deal, but there are others.) The drive to the island from Halifax airport is less than two hours and it is easy, on good roads. (You can take a ferry instead of the Confederation Bridge, but I personally would try to encourage my partner to get past the phobia for the sake of expedience.)

The regional jet flight from Detroit is a long one; a little more than 1,000 miles. Still, it's a fast enough bird and it will get there just fine.

Fares tend toward the high side because of the competition issues cited by rkkwan, but I've been able to pick it up for under $400 by just watching and waiting for a good fare sale in the past. (This is for a connecting flight through DTW and you should be able to get something comparable from CMH.) It's also a good way to use Northwest zone coupons, if you can lay hands on them and then book early (before the limited coupon-priced seats sell out.)

AnselmAdorne

Flyboy, I must be losing it. I live in Halifax and didn't even think to suggest a flight from the US direct to Halifax. As you mentioned, there are good road and bridge or road and ferry connections to PEI, although the ferry is seasonal.

A visitor arriving at Halifax airport could also connect to Air Canada Jazz, which has several flights a day to Charlottetown.

Anselm

shry

Belated thanks to those suggesting CMH to YHZ instead of directly to YYG. Already seeing that those fares are less expensive..just monitoring now to get an idea of what a good fare is when it pops up closer to the June departure time.