Submitted by WhatTheCluck802 t3_zcvf3w in vermont
Looking at an early morning flight from YUL which is substantially cheaper than BTV. Like to the tune of $2,500 USD total savings for the whole party. I live about an hour south of BTV so it’d be adding more travel time and the border crossing, and likely the cost of a hotel the night before.
Pros/cons for travel out of YUL? Recommendations on hotels?
TIA
It depends on where OP is.
If they're an hour down I89, down by Bethel and Royalton, then yeah, Boston may be better.
If they're down US7, they're south of Middlebury near Salisbury. Rutland, surprisingly, is time-equidistant to BOS and YUL (discounting the border), so they'd have to add on the 30-minute "get to Rutland" bit. And this time of year, a lot of the east-west gaps can get dicey, if they're open at all, so skipping over to I-89 on 73 or 125 may not be an option.
True. But if they are in Rutland area, they could also consider flying out of Albany. Hell, even a drive to JFK is prob only 4 hours, vs 3 to Montreal. Or drive to Albany and take the train to NYC and fly out of jfk.
Or Manchester.. .Or Hartford...
All of those airports are closer than Montreal from Rutland and don't have international border crossings and customs.
4.5-5, to JFK, mostly because getting through the City is a pain in the ass. EWK and LGA are easier to get to.
But yeah, ALB's under two hours, MHT's just over, and BDL's 2.5 hours. For all its other wonders, Rutland's pretty much in the middle of a lot of choices.
ALB generally doesn't provide much to assist here, though. ALB is my local airport and last year I drove to JFK to fly to Europe (was going to fly out of YUL, but...covid), and this next yr, will do it out of YUL (saving $400+ r/t to go out of YUL v JFK).
BDL used to be a decent option but Aer Lingus canx its flights out of there to Europe (resume March 23 per BDL's website), so until that resumes, it's no different than ALB.
If you would consider Boston, check out the Dartmouth Coach. They run a bunch of big coach busses every day from Lebanon to the airport and it's cheap. Park in Lebanon, save all the driving, it's way cheaper than paying for parking at the airport, and all you have to do is hop on a bus and fall asleep.
Pro tip^^ comfy buses too
Strong second
There are so many more choices flying out of Montreal, especially for direct flights. The last time I did it the traffic getting there was horrible but if you're staying the night before you won't have to worry about it.
It’s much cheaper but you have to factor in if the added time is worth it, both the driving and customs. You have the US Canada border both ways, and unless you are flying to another Canadian destination, you have Customs at YUL too. I have found it makes coming home when you are tired from your trip rather cumbersome.
Have you considered Manchester NH? Have found flights can be cheaper. Not sure where you are exactly but might be an option
If you are flying out of MTL to the US, the US customs is in the MTL airport before you board and can be INCREDIBLY slow, make sure you are there at least 3 hours ahead of time for a morning flight.
I have flown from Montreal and saved money also. Every time I was warned about cars disappearing if you leave it there. I know there is an increase in car thefts in VT but that’s mostly opportunistic low level drug addicts. Montreal has more of an organized crime syndicate where things can disappear even locked up no keys. American plates are a tempting target for that.
>leave it there. I know there is an increase in car thefts in VT but that’s mostly opportunistic low level drug addicts. Montreal has more of an organized crime syndicate where things can disappear even locked up no keys.
I know of 2 people who had new full size trucks stolen from YUL. The latest was about 5 years ago so I am not sure if it has improved. I have never heard of anyone losing a car at BTV, BOS, MHT, BDL, etc. I wouldn't say your chances are high, but relatively speaking they are.
I usually park at one of the nearby hotels. Not saying it can't happen there but knowing that it's sitting in a fever in lot that requires someone. Actually going into the lobby to be let out helps.
Where are you going? We just flew out of Hartford CT non stop For like $2k less than Btv with 1 stop. Decent airport. Cheap Parking.
i presume you have a passport or EDL?
i am doing this next yr, but flying in the afternoon, no need for a hotel; i see no downside (UNLESS there's another covid outbreak and the borders close but this seems highly unlikely now)
We just did this recently and it worked really well. Like you said, it was a much cheaper flight. We had a 6am out of YUL and stayed in a hotel the night before. The border crossing was fine and the flight was great. Of course, we were flying to "domestic" - Montreal to Calgary so it made a lot of sense for us.
My wife and I have done the same with a flight to Vancouver. If you're flying to Canada, definitely makes sense to go from Montreal. For US flights, we usually opt for Boston.
I’ve done this a few times. Make sure you leave ample travel time to the airport in case the border crossing is slow or you hit traffic coming to the bridge.
It's often worth it from both a time and cost perspective. You have many more nonstop flight choices, and nonstop flights substantially increase the likelihood that you'll get where you're going. I love arriving home after a trip to our cozy little BTV, but it's usually worth the drive to YUL. There are a number of hotels that do park and fly. If you have a morning flight, you can drive up, stay over, and take their shuttle to the airport. Most will even have your car shoveled out for you when you get back.
Don’t leave a nice car at the airport… unless you want it stolen or vandalized…
There are some regional airports like Rutland VT, Hartford CT, or Manchester NH you might consider. You'll probably have to connect through Boston but could be worth it. Might be cheaper to book separate tickets for it. Or just go from Boston - you can rent a car or take the Dartmouth coach to get to Hanover NH (right at VT border) very cheaply.
Just flew from YUL to Europe and back to YUL a month ago. Generally a good experience. I did hit some heavy traffic around Montreal and lost about 20 minutes crossing the border into Canada. Careful with parking, it can be expensive and if your car is sitting in a hotel lot with VT plates it could be a target for vandals/thieves.
We used to do it all the time. What do you have more of, time or money?
Montreal is less of a hassle with the new bridge finished. Customs isn’t so bad, don’t let it deter you.
I did this for Thanksgiving. I drove to Burlington airport and parked at Finney crossing since I had a friend there. I was dropped off at the Burlington airport where I took a Greyhound bus to Montreal. then I stayed at a hostel. it added a lot of extra travel time but I saved hundreds of dollars so it felt worth it to me.
1DollarOr1Million t1_iyzvwjs wrote
I know a lot of people that do it and save a ton of money. But if you are already an hour south of Burlington, could you at that point consider flying out of Boston? It should be about the same distance/time of travel but would save the whole border crossing issue, and should also be much cheaper than flying out of Burlington.