mominthepark

We are from Cleveland, Ohio and found really inexpensive flights (thanks to the Europe forum) from Toronto to London. It is well worth our time to drive to Toronto and fly to London and back from Rome.

My question is-there are 2 airlines that offer the least expensive non-stop flights: Air Transat and Air Canada. Which would you recommend? Have you flown either route?

We are going to go to Toronto the night before the flight so we can do a bit of sightseeing and will stay at the same hotel the night we return from Rome. Any thoughts on a hotel that maybe we can leave our car and is convenient to a half day tour of the city?

Thanks in advance

Southam

Air Canada flies from Cleveland to Toronto. A connecting flight would save you half a day's drive each way and two nights in a hotel. You may not enjoy much of downtown Toronto on your return, landing in the afternoon but with your body clock five hours ahead of local time.
Or, if you intend to drive around the west end of Lake Erie, AC also has feeder routes from both Detroit airport and neighbouring Windsor (parking is cheapest at Windsor Airport, YQG.)
Aer Lingus and several other European airlines fly to Britain with one connection from Toronto -- Dublin, Iceland, Finland, etc. In the spring of 2016, WestJet will greatly expand its trans-Atlantic service.

garyt22

The airport is quite far from the city so it's not easy or inexpensive to spend a half day in Toronto... Especially if you drive there and park first...


You could drive up a day ahead and stay downtown, enjoy an overnight in Toronto, and then drive to airport parking on flight day.... Overnight parking in the city is not free in the hotels(about $30). Rooms can be $150-$1500 per night..

You should weigh the entire cost of driving,hotels, and parking against the flight from Cleveland to Toronto... I'm guessing it's pretty close...

laverendrye

I fly Air Canada regularly and it is my choice of airlines for transatlantic flights, whether in economy or their executive-first class.

However, if you have found fares for your itinerary on Air Transat and Air Canada that are comparably priced, the Air Canada flights are likely on their budget offering, Air Canada Rouge, which is a different story. It is designed to compete with the budget airlines like Air Transat and the amenities and seat room are not nearly the same as on the regular Air Canada offerings. You can choose Premium Rouge, which gives you more room and amenities than a regular Air Canada Economy seat.

http://flyrouge.com


I have in fact flown one-way on AirTransat from Toronto to Rome, and it was fine--but I was in their Club Class, which for my flight was incredibly inexpensive--much less than Air Canada Economy. (This was before AC Rouge had started). But it was at the end of the season and virtually empty.

Just so you know what you are getting, I would check Seat Guru to compare the seats on the flights you have chosen.

As for a place to stay at Pearson Airport in Toronto, there are quite a few hotels which offer free parking, some for up to 21 days, plus a free shuttle to and from the airport. You can find a useful list here:
http://toronto.parksleepfly.com

To get downtown from the airport, you have a number of choices. I certainly wouldn't drive because of the hassle of traffic and the cost of parking downtown. A fast, but expensive option is the new air-rail link Union Pearson Express, which does the trip to the heart of downtown in 25 minutes. Much cheaper is to use the TTC. The 192 Airport Rocket bus connects with the Kipling Station of the subway Bloor Line and will get you downtown in about 45 minutes. A day pass for unlimited travel will cost you $11.50, as opposed to $54 for a round-trip UP Express ticket.

mominthepark

It would cost us $3,275.46- 6 tickets to fly round trip from Cleveland to Toronto and it would involve a layover taking us about the same amount of time to get there as it would be to drive. Round trip from Cleveland to London and back from Rome to Cleveland is approx. $1700 each, $10200 for 6 tickets.! I found a few flights from Toronto to London and Rome to Toronto for $3049.80- 6 tickets. Neither of these prices include luggage nor seat assignments. So we would save about $9800 making the drive and spending the night.

So, maybe we will stay downtown Toronto and see the sights, drive to the airport the next day-flight does not leave until 9:55 PM and will leave the cars at the airport. I will work out those details later.

Any comments on flying Air Transat?

tomfuller

If you didn't want to drive your car to Toronto and pay for parking @ the airport, consider parking at the Cleveland Amtrak station.
The Lake Shore Limited leaves CLE at 5:50AM (when on time).
You arrive in Buffalo for a 6 hour layover before taking the Maple Leaf to Toronto.
You should arrive in Toronto before 9PM.
The best cheap place in Toronto that DW and I stayed at before a trip was the HI hostel on Church Street.

laverendrye

15 hours to get from Cleveland to Toronto with 6 hours stuck in Buffalo? Seems like madness to me.

As I commented above, you can get free parking at many airport hotels, in some cases for as long as 21 days. Transport downtown and back by TTC is quite inexpensive and fairly rapid.

alexandrak

I've flown both many times and love both. No real issues with either. AT is a bit more budget and as someone said above if it's the same price and NOT Rouge, AC might be a bit more enjoyable, but you'll have a lovely and short flight on Air Transat just the same. Don't worry about either choice.

johnnyomalley

FYI
Air Canada Rouge does not fly direct to London Heathrow, only the main line does. There is an ACR route from Toronto to Dublin and code shared with Aer Lingus from Dublin to Heathrow.

AC flies the 788 on that route which is the newest plane they have. In economy, it is 2-3-2 for seating,

laverendrye

Air Canada Rouge will be flying Toronto-London Gatwick starting next spring with the 767-300 to compete with the new service announced by Westjet.

kiwicanook

I've flown Air Transat to London a few times over the years and it's what you'd expect from a budget airline. Problem is, Air Canada is not much better! It's a relatively short flight and if you're saving a bunch of money I'd say it's worth it.