Saskatoon Airport (YXE) Flights & Flight Status

Despite its lofty name, Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport barely qualifies as an international airport. Yes, it does host a handful of flights to the United States and some sun destinations during the cold winter months, but most of its flight traffic is domestic.

That low volume of passengers means you won’t find much in the way of amenities at YXE, but it’s still a nice place to catch a flight thanks to a recent facelift that left it with a bright, spacious design that makes it easy to navigate and lets in the sunshine from the vast prairie sky outside.

Lounges

The only lounge you can access at Saskatoon’s airport is Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge, but it’s only open to passengers with elite status with the airline.

It has all the amenities you would expect from an Air Canada lounge, like complimentary food, free wifi and a business centre, but it’s a bit smaller than the typical Maple Leaf lounge so it fills up fairly quickly. To be honest, I find that YXE is usually so quiet, that I don’t feel any compelling urge to sit in this lounge.

Also note that its opening hours are not very long, but that reflects the small number of daily flights at YXE. From Saturday to Wednesday, the lounge is open from 6 am to 5:30 pm and Thursday and Friday, it opens from 5 am to 4:30 pm.

Transportation

Getting to downtown Saskatoon from YXE is a breeze as the airport is a mere 15 minutes away by car and there’s virtually no traffic to speak of in the city.

I always prefer taking a taxi, but there are several other options to get you where you want to go, like ridesharing, city buses, hotel shuttles or by rental car.

If you want a taxi, just step outside and you’ll find them waiting by the terminal curb. If you experience any difficulty finding one or have special needs, the airport has a Curbside Operations Group to assist you.

When you do take a cab, you have the choice of paying the meter rate or a flat rate which is calculated by the distance of your destination from the airport.

As for ridesharing, YXE has partnered with Uber, but you can use any rideshare provider you want. You’ll have to walk a bit to find your driver as rideshare vehicles use a designated pick-up and drop-off area located along the public curb in front of the air terminal building.

Saskatoon Transit’s Route 11 is a city bus that will take about a half hour to get you to the downtown transit hub from the airport. It runs every 30 minutes from 11 am to 6 pm every day, except Sundays when service is hourly.

Hotel shuttles are another option so check with your hotel to see whether they offer this service.

Finally, you can rent your own car from one of several rental agencies operating from YXE, including Avis, Alamo, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National. All rental vehicles are located just outside the terminal.

Security

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority operates the airport’s only security checkpoint which is located on the ground floor of the terminal building. With only nine gates at YXE, there aren’t many flights on most days so security lines are usually non-existent. If you’re at all worried about how long it will take to get through security, you can check the latest waiting times on the airport’s website. Don’t be surprised if the number of minutes you have to wait is in the single digits.

Customs and Immigration

If you arrive at YXE from outside of Canada, you will leave have to complete border formalities before you grab your luggage and leave the airport.

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 questions before allowing you in the country. Keep that paper because you will have to hand it in to 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. Be aware that you need to have an internet connection when you use the app so unless your flight has onboard wifi, you should do it before you take off.

If you’re flying to the United States, Saskatoon does not have a U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance station like the ones found at larger airports in Canada. That means you will have to undergo American border inspection at your final destination.

When the airport was last overhauled, the designers left room for a preclearance station so maybe YXE will get one some day.

Food and drink

For a city that is located in the breadbasket of Canada and boasts one of the country’s most under-rated food scenes, Saskatoon’s airport has an embarrassingly small choice of places to eat and drink.

Before you pass security, your only options are a handful of vending machines and Urban Acre, a small café that serves light meals that will fill you up, but are forgettable. Past the security checkpoint, it’s a bit better, but not by much. There is a Tim Horton’s and a Starbucks for coffee, light meals and snacks and a Booster Juice for healthier juices and smoothies.

The only sit-down choice is Refuel, an aviation-themed establishment that doubles as a bar and restaurant. It’s fine, but maybe a bit over-priced, which is probably true of just about any restaurant at any airport in the world. It would be nice to have other choices.

Airport art

Instead of sitting in the waiting area staring at my phone, one of the things I like to do before a flight is to explore any artwork or historical exhibitions on display at the airport. They are not always easy to find, but just about every airport has something for you to look at. Saskatoon is no exception.

In YXE’s case, it boasts the Prairie Peoples Showcase which contains multiple displays from local artists which are rotated throughout the year. The downside is that the gallery is located before security so you can’t linger too long.

Past security, you can check out an artwork titled The Living Skies of Saskatoon, located above the fireplace beside Gate 8, that signifies Saskatoon’s link between the prairies and the borealis forest of the northern Saskatchewan.

Also look for the gorgeous mural located at Gate 1 was created by students from Georges Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School, located in Saskatoon.

Layover ideas

It’s rare to have a layover in Saskatoon, but it can happen if you have a connecting flight to one of Saskatchewan’s more remote outposts or if bad weather forces an airline to re-route a flight through YXE. If that happens and you’ve got time to spare, then Saskatoon has plenty of diversions to keep you distracted before having to catch your next flight.

Start with a visit to the Remai Modern, a stunning museum near downtown that hosts more than 8,000 works of art, including the world’s largest collection of Picasso linocuts.

Want to know who Saskatoon’s airport is named after? Head to the Diefenbaker Canada Centre at the University of Saskatoon to learn about the legacy of Canada’s 13th prime minister.

While the restaurant situation is pretty dire at Saskatoon’s airport, that’s hardly the case in the city itself. With so much fresh produce grown near Saskatoon, it has a thriving food scene that often surprises visitors. You’ll find everything from mom-and-pop holes-in-the-wall to high-end restos. Some of my favourites are the trio of restaurants co-founded by Top Chef Canada winner Dale McKay which are Avenue, F&B Restaurant and Little Grouse on the Prairie.