Commuting from YOW to YUL

[Launchpad1]

If anyone here does this I would appreciate any info. I'm guessing with the frequency of flights per day from YOW to YUL it shouldn't be to difficult but is there alot of people trying to get on those flights?

Thanks for any info.

[Col. Panic]

I would assume that most YOW to YUL commuters drive, but I could be wrong.

[DanWEC]

I almost always drive as does every other commuter that lives here. I'll PM you.

[jpilot77]

Everyone that I know who is based in YOW and flies out of YUL drives. It’s a much more controllable situation then trying to commute by air.

[flying4dollars]

I'm not a commuter but I second driving. Usually the guys I know who do it all say it's a 2 hour or less drive. Flying means you show up an hour before the flight, add deicing and you're at 1 hour flight at best, and that doesn't factor in other delays or time constraints. You're commute would probably be longer. Definitely drive.

[Upgradeable]

Edited

[yowflyer23]

When I did that commute last summer (non-flying aviation 9-5 job), it was pretty difficult to get a seat even if I wanted to commute by air. Especially the first flight of the day. Would have to use my higher priority passes to get a seat and even then it was challenging. Going back to YOW after work wasn’t as bad. Worst case, YUL-YTZ-YOW was often empty. I would recommend driving for having more control over the commute though. When you’re off of reserve, the Via could maybe work too. At least you don’t have to focus on driving when taking the train. They have sales every Tuesday and when you book early, the round trip was $80. Ended up costing me less than driving with all costs considered for 2 trips a week.

[Launchpad1]

Thanks everyone for your replies, its great information.

It seems like doing the drive is the best option. I'll look into getting a second car to put the km's onto it and enjoy the drive

[tupues]

I actually considered doing that. Living in YOW with base in YUL. The drive is a colossal pain in the ass and 2hrs is definitely calculating it optimistically. Keep in mind also that parking in YUL is remote and not covered.
It might work on paper but in practice it’s not doable. I got myself based in Toronto now. It’s much more manageable as you have a flight every hour (as opposed to 4-5 flights a day to YUL) and you hop on and relax. Critical especially if you come back from a longhaul. Assuming that they will come up with a commuting policy in the new contract you’re also far better off than with the commute to Montreal by car as the policy will likely only cover a commute by plane.
Just something to keep in mind when making that decision.

[DanWEC]

I actually considered doing that. Living in YOW with base in YUL. The drive is a colossal pain in the ass and 2hrs is definitely calculating it optimistically. Keep in mind also that parking in YUL is remote and not covered.
It might work on paper but in practice it’s not doable. I got myself based in Toronto now. It’s much more manageable as you have a flight every hour (as opposed to 4-5 flights a day to YUL) and you hop on and relax. Critical especially if you come back from a longhaul. Assuming that they will come up with a commuting policy in the new contract you’re also far better off than with the commute to Montreal by car as the policy will likely only cover a commute by plane.
Just something to keep in mind when making that decision.

Do you find the yow-yyz commute easier than the drive to YUL? Man, you must be doing something differently! How are the loads now? I haven't commuted since just post pandemic.

While it's probably the easiest city pair in the country to commute by air, for me it was still a giant load off when I xferred from YYZ to YUL. No planning all the flights for the month, with a plan B and C. No fretting over loads and leaving the house 4-8 hours early if they're high, no hotel rooms or crash pad for the arrivals after midnight when you're done or 5am reports. No book-offs. For me it just wasn't sustainable, not to mention impossible for reserve.

My drive is 1:40 and I'm smack in the middle of the city. With the speed limit up to 110 now you can shave more time off that. Live in the east end and you're 1:30. The drive is dead easy, (Semi-autonomous help and a big, comfortable, quiet vehicle is worth its weight in gold here ) all highway, and you'll only get traffic for the last 10 km in YUL depending on the time.
Gas is cheaper than the stby fare, and while yes, a 1.5 drive isn't the best, I'd estimate I spend at least 50 hours a month more at home now compared to YYZ. Plus the stress reduction alone is worth it.

Now, if we could get confirmed commute/home-basing like so many of our US counterparts, that would be the best. I'd take a relaxing, confirmed flight in a heartbeat over the drive!

[tupues]

I actually considered doing that. Living in YOW with base in YUL. The drive is a colossal pain in the ass and 2hrs is definitely calculating it optimistically. Keep in mind also that parking in YUL is remote and not covered.
It might work on paper but in practice it’s not doable. I got myself based in Toronto now. It’s much more manageable as you have a flight every hour (as opposed to 4-5 flights a day to YUL) and you hop on and relax. Critical especially if you come back from a longhaul. Assuming that they will come up with a commuting policy in the new contract you’re also far better off than with the commute to Montreal by car as the policy will likely only cover a commute by plane.
Just something to keep in mind when making that decision.

Do you find the yow-yyz commute easier than the drive to YUL? Man, you must be doing something differently! How are the loads now? I haven't commuted since just post pandemic.

While it's probably the easiest city pair in the country to commute by air, for me it was still a giant load off when I xferred from YYZ to YUL. No planning all the flights for the month, with a plan B and C. No fretting over loads and leaving the house 4-8 hours early if they're high, no hotel rooms or crash pad for the arrivals after midnight when you're done or 5am reports. No book-offs. For me it just wasn't sustainable, not to mention impossible for reserve.

My drive is 1:40 and I'm smack in the middle of the city. With the speed limit up to 110 now you can shave more time off that. Live in the east end and you're 1:30. The drive is dead easy, (Semi-autonomous help and a big, comfortable, quiet vehicle is worth its weight in gold here ) all highway, and you'll only get traffic for the last 10 km in YUL depending on the time.
Gas is cheaper than the stby fare, and while yes, a 1.5 drive isn't the best, I'd estimate I spend at least 50 hours a month more at home now compared to YYZ. Plus the stress reduction alone is worth it.

Now, if we could get confirmed commute/home-basing like so many of our US counterparts, that would be the best. I'd take a relaxing, confirmed flight in a heartbeat over the drive!

I have the issue that I live on the other side of town. So for me it’s a solid 2 hrs. Especially if you also count the time it takes to go from the lot in Montreal to the terminal. Even more if I hit the morning rush hour. Regarding the loads I’ve not had an issue - and as a backup there is always porter or the flight to Toronto city, so a ton of options. Usually there is plenty of seats open and YOW is a breeze to fly in and out of.
Again, as you say, for reserve not doable, but when holding a block very straightforward. Especially if you count on them introducing a commuter policy.

[DanWEC]

I have the issue that I live on the other side of town. So for me it’s a solid 2 hrs. Especially if you also count the time it takes to go from the lot in Montreal to the terminal. Even more if I hit the morning rush hour. Regarding the loads I’ve not had an issue - and as a backup there is always porter or the flight to Toronto city, so a ton of options. Usually there is plenty of seats open and YOW is a breeze to fly in and out of.
Again, as you say, for reserve not doable, but when holding a block very straightforward. Especially if you count on them introducing a commuter policy.

Ah, if you're settled in there that is another story. I have friends on the west side that need pads in YUL for that reason.
If only YOW was a base.... it is such an easy airport! I wonder what could happen as the other two nearby hubs are nearing saturation?

Glad to hear it's going well, things were jammed the last I did it, and WJ had just pulled out. It was impossible. I'll likely be going back to YYZ in a year or two, so that gives me some relief.

Cheers