Niagara-on-the-Lake travellers will soon be able to start an Air Canada trip from their local airport — but instead of boarding a plane, the journey will begin on a bus. Air Canada and the Landline Company have announced that a luxury motorcoach service will connect Niagara District Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport starting June 15, allowing passengers to book the bus as part of their flight itinerary — similar to a connecting flight.
The service will run six trips a day — three departures from the airport on Niagara Stone Road and three return trips from Toronto Pearson.
Buses will leave Niagara at 5:30 a.m., 11:20 a.m. and 4:05 p.m., with return trips from Toronto at 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Travel time ranges from 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes each way.
Passengers will check in at Niagara before boarding the motorcoach, receiving boarding passes and having bags tagged to their final destination. At Pearson, they proceed to bag drop, security and their departure gate.
When booking through Air Canada, passengers can use the coach for free if the connection can be added to their itinerary.
If the system cannot attach the coach to the booking — such as with some AirCanada Vacations packages or certain partner airline flights — travellers can purchase a seat separately, on Landline’s website, for $49.
Travellers who book their flights directly through another airline’s website and not through Air Canada or a partner airline cannot use the coach service. For example, those flying with West Jet cannot use it.
Landline vice-president of commercial Nick Johnson likens the motorcoach to a connecting regional flight.
“If you think about a $300 fare to Vancouver — you could potentially spend that much in parking at Pearson for, you know, two weeks or something,” said Johnson in an interview.
The Air Canada-branded motorcoaches offer Wi-Fi, power outlets and reclining seats. Customers can also earn Aeroplan points. Free parking will be available at the Niagara airport.
Tom Simmonds, a NOTL resident who drove limousines between Niagara and Toronto for years, said the travel time estimate seems optimistic.
“I’ve been driving limos here since 2007,” said Simmonds. “Even when I used the 407, it would take well over an hour and a half on a perfect day — if I averaged 120 kilometres per hour.”
Simmonds, who stopped driving during the pandemic, said travel times would likely be even longer now.
Meanwhile, airport chief executive officer Dan Pilon told The Lake Report the airport is adding about 50 to 55 parking spaces, bringing total capacity to roughly 150 to accommodate additional visitors.
The parking expansion is expected to be completed before the service launches in June and will cost about $80,000 from the airport’s capital budget.
Pilon said the airport will receive passenger revenue from the service, similar to fees collected from airline passengers — and will have future office leases and likely additional advertising revenue streams.
“We might be charging for parking,” he added. “We don’t have that in place right now.”
During a question-and-answer period after the announcement, The Lake Report asked whether the motorcoach would still be needed if commercial flights eventually operate from Niagara — something the airport’s recently-released 2025–2045 master plan identifies as a long-term vision.
Pilon said the answer isn’t straightforward.
“It might make this type of service redundant, but it may not.”
He said service departing from Niagara “may be going to Ottawa, to Montreal, to New York, to Boston” — but nonetheless, “connectivity through Pearson may still be an integral part of what’s needed.”
“This may continue to be, if anything, even more important at that point,” said Pilon.
“If there’s an air service here and more people use the YCM airport, it actually strengthens the service,” he said.
“Because more people can make every single trip start and end here.”
Pilon said the partnership reflects the airport’s long-term vision for the facility, leveraging its proximity to Toronto Pearson while helping connect Niagara travellers to Air Canada’s global network.
A second pickup and drop-off location will also be available at the Marriott on the Falls hotel in Niagara Falls.
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