Ottawa airport-what to expect?
 

We used Montreal airport many times for our travels to Europe and it is OK airport. We connected in Toronto a few times and never had a luck with this airport. In May 2005 we are visiting Ottawa and have no idea what to expect of this new to us airport. I know it is much smaller than Toronto's airport but nothing beyond that. We are arriving at 10 pm from Newark.
How long it takes for immigration and customs procedures?
Is waiting for a luggage usually long? Because it is going to be late what would be the best mode of transportation to the city?
How long it takes for a taxi or shuttle to get us to Marriott hotel?
Where should we look for ATM mchine in this airport?
Any additional suggestions are appreciated

The Ottawa airport is new, well-designed and easy to navigate. My experiences with immigration have been quick and painless. If you are among the unfortunate few to be sent for the full customs check, be prepared for a 30 - 45 minute delay. Baggage claim has been surprisingly slow; I always do carry on only, except for overseas holidays.

Since there is more than one of you, taxi would be the way to go and would be as cheap per person as the hotel shuttle. It would take about 15 to 20 minutes. If you are budgetting, the city bus costs $2.60 per person, would take about 25 minutes, and would drop you within a short block of the Marriott.

As ron says, the new Ottawa terminal is a pleasure to use. At 10 pm it won't be very busy, and you should get through quickly. There are several ATMS near the baggage claim area.

For more information, here's the website:

http://www.ottawa-airport.ca/index-e.php

Enjoy your stay in Ottawa.

Thank you for your great help. Since we are arriving late in the evening by the time we get through immigration and customs the best option is to take a taxi. How much should we expect to pay? Do taxis have a night rate?
Our flight back to the U.S. departs from Ottawa at 6:40 am. In your opinion, what time should we get to the airport?

Taxi should be in the range of $25, plus tip. This info is on the website that laverendrye provided.

You should consult your airline about when to arrive, since you will have to clear US border control in Ottawa.

Ron, I understand what you are saying about contacting Continental airlines but they always say 2 hours minimum for international flights which sometimes is ridiculous especially for 6:40 am flight. When we lived in the Adirondacks we used Burlington, Vt or Albany, NY airports and we never arrived earlier than 40 minutes earlier for international flights and 30 minutes for domestic flights. Now the same will apply for our flights from Asheville, NC or Greenville, SC. I was hopping for the answer from someone who has personal experience with Ottawa airport, international departures, customs and immigration procedures. It never took us longer than one hour in Paris and I think Ottawa airport is quicker and more user friendly. Still, I wouldn't want to get to the airport at 4:40 am and find out that we arrived too early and all desks are closed. It happened before.
Thank you for giving me an idea about a taxi fare

I have used Ottawa airport many times, as I live here. You should give yourself a minimum of and hour and a half to check in, as you must clear U.S. Customs and Immigration in Ottawa before you get to the boarding gate. It does make it a very early start, and you may find that things go more quickly, but I would rather be on the safe side. The upside is that from then on, your flight is treated as a U.S. domestic flight for transfers and arrival in the U.S.

Taxi fare to downtown will be about $25, as ron said. I am not aware of any night rates for taxis.

Wildflower, I too fly often out of Ottawa airport and have never had any delay clearing the US customs and immigration. Unlike my experiences at other Canadian airports.

Nonetheless, the 6 am to 7:30 am time period is the busiest time of the day for flights to the US, with all the planes that overnighted in Ottawa getting back into circulation. If Continental told me two hours, I wouldn't cheat very much on that time. I don't think any of your other examples are relevant, since none involved convincing grumpy US immigration officials that you should be allowed into their country.

You shd be there at least 1.5 hrs b/f flight departure which puts you around 5:00AM (Ouch! Yawn....). The way I look @ it is this: If you're going to make the effort to get there for 5:00 why not tack on an extra 1/2 hour...I mean does it really matter....5:00 or 4:30 they are both in the middle of the night! Then if you get there @ 4:30 or 4:40 you are doing what Continental advised...2 hrs b/f flight. Another thing you cld do is stay as close to the airport as possible the night b/f...So you wake up... sort of :) & boom! you're there....half asleep but still there! You can check in early (as soon as they open) & go back to your hotel for breakfast. I do this in Toronto for early morning flights...stay @ the Sheraton , go check in, then go back to my room. It's kind of like sleep walking if you know what I mean!

I don't know how familiar wow is with Ottawa, but at that time of the morning, it will take 20 min to get to the airport from downtown.

There are no hotels at the Ottawa airport. The closest one is about 10 min away, so you don't save much.

Finally, the idea of checking in and returning to the hotel for a while is just not practical. It isn't the flight check-in that requires the time, but the need to clear US Customs and Immigration. Once through that, you're effectively in the U.S. and can't go back out.

Great information, thank you. We will try to be in the airport not later than 5:10