Ottawa Airport (YOW) Flights & Flight Status

Since its recent facelift, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport has become an even more pleasant place to wait for a flight and while it won’t compete in style with those airports serving the world’s great capital cities, I always enjoy flying in and out of YOW.

Jointly named after two Fathers of Confederation, the airport mostly serves as a gateway to the National Capital Region from other parts of Canada and a handful of American cities.

I especially enjoy the Canadian art on display throughout the airport and the water feature that runs through all three levels of the terminal building.

Transportation to and from Ottawa International Airport

By the time you read this, the long-awaited link to the Ottawa airport from the Trillium line of Ottawa’s light rail transit system might finally be open, giving travellers a quick and efficient ride to and from downtown. Until then, you’ll have to make due with other modes of ground transportation to the city centre which is about 20 to 25 minutes away by car.

The most popular choice is taxi, one of which you can pick up on level 1, the arrivals level of the terminal. The line to catch a cab starts near the center door.

If you prefer using a rideshare app like Uber or Lyft, you can find your driver at pillars 12 and 13 at the arrivals level.

Depending on where you are staying, your hotel might offer a free hotel shuttle all of which pick up passengers at pillars 13 to 15 at the arrivals level. One of my tricks when there is a rush for rideshare drivers and their fees spike to unreasonable levels is to grab a shuttle to a nearby hotel and then order a ride from there where the price is inevitably more reasonable.

Ultimately, the least expensive way to get to and from the airport is by public transit which OC Transpo serves with Route 97. While that route won’t take you all the way downtown, it does terminate at a light rail station which will connect you to the city centre. You can buy transit fares from a ticket machine on level 1 of the terminal building or pay onboard.

If you prefer to skip all of that and rent your own car, you’ll find counters representing the big international players at level 1 of the parkade like Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty. If you would rather give a Canadian-owned rental company a try, Routes Car Rental is also an option.

Customs and Immigration at Ottawa airport

For passengers arriving at YOW from outside Canada, you have to complete border formalities before you pick up your luggage and leave the airport or make a domestic connection.

You will fill out an electronic customs form at a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) primary inspection kiosk which will spit out a paper receipt that you will have to show to a customs inspector who will ask you some basic questions before allowing you in the country. Keep that paper because you will have to hand it into a second officer after you collect your luggage at the carousel or even if you only have a carry-on bag.

If you want to save a few minutes at the electronic kiosk, you can use the CBSA’s ArriveCAN app to fill out your customs declaration form in advance. You then scan your phone at the kiosk instead of answering the questions on the screen. It really isn’t much of a time savings, but I do it because I usually want to get going as quickly as I can.

For passengers flying out of Ottawa, U.S. Customs and Border Protection operates a preclearance station on site. This means you will complete your American border inspection before you arrive at your destination. If there are several flights to the U.S. leaving around the same time, the line can start to back up so take that into account before you leave for the airport.

You can skip the queue if you are a Nexus card holder, but if you’re cheap like me and don’t want to pay the annual Nexus fee, you can use the CBP’s free Mobile Passport Control app on your phone which lets you get into a shorter line ahead of the other non-Nexus travelers.

Security at Ottawa International Airport

Anyone who flies regularly through Canada’s airports is familiar with the professionalism of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority agents who are responsible for the security screening of passengers. The staff at YOW are as good as any in the country and because the volume of flights in Ottawa is relatively low, the lines move quickly.

Note that the airport has two separate pre-board screening areas, one for domestic and international flights and the other for flights to the United States. They are both located on the third floor, above the departures level.

While the lines move quickly enough for me, you can speed things along by being a member of CATSA’s Verified Traveller program which includes those who are NEXUS and Global Entry holders. It’s not going to save you much time in Ottawa, but it would certainly help in Canada’s busier airports like Toronto or Montreal.

If you’re worried about missing your flight, the Ottawa airport posts the estimated waiting time for security on its website, but remember to take into account the time you’ll need to check in your luggage, navigate to the gate and so on.

The lounge situation at Ottawa airport

When it comes to premium lounges, Ottawa’s airport has two to choose from, Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge and the independently-operated Aspire Lounge.

The Maple Leaf Lounge is open for customers with high status in Air Canada’s Aeoroplan loyalty program and Star Alliance Gold cardholders while Aspire is accessible to any passenger willing to pay for entry or is a holder of Priority Pass, Dragonpass or a member of select premium credit card programs.

Both lounges are comfortable oases with complimentary food and drinks, fast wi-fi and business centres.

The Maple Leaf Lounge opens one hour before the first flight of the day and closes 30 minutes before the last flight of the day Aspire is open from 5 am to 8 pm on weekdays, 10 am to 6 pm on weekends.

Food and drink options in Ottawa airport

Considering it’s an international airport, Ottawa doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of food and drink choices, but seeing that it’s only Canada’s sixth busiest airport, it’s perhaps not that surprising.

Pre-security options include the international fast food behemoth, Subways, and an outpost of the ubiquitous Canadian coffee chain, Tim Horton’s. Don’t worry, if you find you need a coffee fill-up after security, Tim Horton’s has two more counters further inside the airport, including one in the Canadian/International section and another where flights to the U.S. board.

Because flights to the United States have their own security, the gates are separate from those serving Canadian domestic and other international flights. What that means for passengers flying to the U.S. is that their food options are limited. At the moment, all that is open near the U.S. gates is a Tim Horton’s counter as the only other restaurant is closed for renovations when it will re-open as Urban Crave, a purveyor of upscale street food.

On the domestic side of the airport, food and drink choices are more varied. There’s a Starbucks for those who don’t like Tim Horton’s, Bridgehead, a café for those who turn their noses up at chain coffee, Café and Vin, for when you can’t decide between coffee and wine, and Booster Juice for those who don’t like caffeine and want to drink something more healthy.

For more substantial meals, my favourites are franchises of two popular Ottawa institutions. The first is Darcy McGee’s, an Irish pub that has an outstanding menu and Big Rig, an upscale pub that gets its name from the nickname of one of its founders, Ottawa Senator’s hockey player Chris Phillips.

If none of those appeal to you, check out the Canal Market Hall, a multi-station food hall that has sushi, pizza, burgers and a variety of other fresh offerings.

Finally, if you just want to relax with a drink, Vino Volo has a tidy selection of wines and cocktails and light meals that pair well with the a nice view of the airport, making it the perfect place for a bit of plane spotting before your departure.