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2014
21
June
Has Anyone Flown Out of Buffalo for a London Trip?
21
June
Question:
Humans say...
Kelly
Airmiles to Europe is a rip off. I have flown out of Buffalo twice now. Did a park, sleep and fly out of Salvatore's Garden Hotel once. It was a great deal. $15 extra got me two weeks parking.
Ja
flown out of buffalo many times, mornings are busy. When exactly are you going? as you could go to Gatwick airport on Transat on Sundays. Showing around 900$ for late September. Cost for gas and time might be worth the price increase.
Ja
but if you are leaving from buffalo, its not a bad airport, just not too many options for meals.
Ryan
have you found a better deal from Buffalo for London, usually it costs a lot more than Toronto? There are still those $668 iceland air flights on google for end of Sept departure returning in Oct (though not sure if bookable)
Jodi
I fly out of Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Detroit. Family of six - drive a little, save a lot.
Christin
If you have access to a Marlin Travel you can redeem your Airmiles for gc's to use if you book through them. Double check any restrictions but I got about $250 "off" flight when I booked to Dublin through them a few years ago.
David
Don't fly out of BUF for London. There's no cost savings.
Use google flights with two Departure airports and you'll save yourself a lot of time comparing.
Joan
Buffalo airport is wonderful to fly from compared to YYZ. Def worth the drive. Also much less expensive to leave your vehicle at the airport for the duration of your trip in Buffalo than in Toronto.
Ryan
I would never drive from Toronto to Buffalo unless the flight cost was extremely low. Living near the border is a different matter. The parking at Pearson is not that expensive if you aren't parking in a VIP section, $75 CDN/week vs $50 USD. The rail shuttle is very convenient.
Joan
One year I flew on jet blue out of Buffalo to NYC at a cost of $69 each way. Return trip on AC was $350 plus all the taxes and fees, plus an hour line up to go through US customs at the airport. I live north of Toronto -- over two hours away from the border. Oh, and did I mention that the airport and airline staff were amazing in terms of customer service -- air canada staff tend to treat you as if they are doing you a favour by letting you on their plane. Difference in terms of stress levels flying out and Buffalo compared to Toronto was vast. But to each their own -- this has just been my experience. It also costs me about $150 a week to park at Pearson -- not in VIP section, just is regular lot. So for me personally, the difference is huge and well worth the drive. Just sayin
Ryan
oh definitely if flying within the USA it can be a lot better and cheaper and there are many different airline options to choose from. I've done it several times with southwest. To Europe however it is likely going to be worse for customs from Buffalo. For parking you can now use value park lot, about $75 with taxes included per week and you don't need to wait for the shuttle bus, there is the direct train. There are many other non-official options as well: http://www.torontopearson.com/en/parking/#
A.I. says...
Flight to London: Buffalo vs. Toronto and Air Miles
Planning a trip to London in late September? We've got some insights for you on flight options and using Air Miles.
Flying out of Buffalo
If you're considering flying out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), it could be worth the drive from Toronto. The current best price for a roundtrip flight to London in late September is $803, which seems like a decent deal.
Buffalo is about an hour and a half drive from Toronto, and parking rates at the airport are generally reasonable. However, you'll need to factor in the cost of gas and any potential traffic delays.
Using Air Miles
You mentioned that the taxes for using Air Miles for the same flight were almost $700, which seems exorbitantly high. Typically, when redeeming Air Miles for flights, you still need to pay taxes and fees, but they shouldn't be that expensive.
The taxes and fees for an Air Miles redemption flight are generally around $100-$300, depending on the destination and airline. A fee of $700 seems excessive, and it's worth double-checking with Air Miles or the airline to understand why the taxes are so high.
One possible explanation could be that the flight you're looking at involves multiple connections or layovers, which can increase the taxes and fees. Additionally, some airlines charge higher fees for Air Miles redemptions than others.
Final Thoughts
If the $803 price for the Buffalo flight works for your budget, it could be a viable option, especially if you factor in the cost of driving and parking. However, you may want to explore other options from Toronto as well, just to compare prices and flight times.
As for using Air Miles, it's definitely worth investigating the high tax fee further. If it turns out to be a mistake or an unreasonable charge, you may be better off paying for the ticket outright or exploring alternative redemption options.
Safe travels, and let us know if you have any other questions!
Sites
John
Hey all, need to go to London and back in late September. Best current price is $803. Has anyone flown out of Buffalo? Worth the drive? Also, I have Air Miles but the flight is approx 5000 miles and the taxes were almost $700 - any idea what's up with that? Your feedback is much appreciated - thanks!