<p>My just 15 yr old has been invited to Toronto to visit a friend who has recently moved there. We are in the planning stage and trying to decide what airport she should fly out of.
Option 1- is to drive her to a large airport and put her on a direct flight to Canada and have her return the same way. Pros I know she got on the plane.Might be a bit less expensive. Cons-2 hours drive each direction if we don’t hit any traffic. (this past weekend we were in that area and it took us 4 hours to get home with traffic)
Option 2-Fly her out of our local airport. She would have to change planes in either Los Angeles or Denver in both directions. Pros- 5 minute drive to airport with no hassle check in. Cons- has to change planes. I don’t yet know if she would have to change terminals. Also on the return she would have to go through customs and find her way to her connecting flight. I am not sure if flights to Canada leave out of the international terminal at LAX not sure about Denver.
Anyone flown to Toronto from Denver or LAX? Also I am assuming she would have to go through customs in LA or Denver.
She has never flown alone. She has flown with us many time where she has to take the bus from the commuter terminal at LAX to the main terminal. She is also observant and would not be one to get lost or lose track of time and miss her flight. (I do have one of those kids)
I also could pay for her to be accompanied.</p>
<p>She’ll be fine if you do option 2. My sister did this when she was younger…granted not an international flight.</p>
<p>Just tell her, if she gets lost, find someone at a counter or in a uniform and ask them where to go. Most airport staff members (definitely a majority) are extremely friendly and helpful, especially if you ask one of the security people. They’ve always been extremely nice to me when I’ve been at Oakland Airport and Long Beach Airport (my local airport obviously, I always fly LB to Oakland and back to and from school for breaks). They’re especially nice to kids who look younger, because they know the kids might be confused/scared.</p>
<p>If your daughter is flying Air Canada from LAX, it is not the international terminal but rather Terminal 2. It’s a pleasant terminal, you can’t get lost, and is very user friendly. My D has flown to Canada alone since 7 years old, direct or through a stop. Accompanied till 13, then completely on her own.
If your D needs to change terminals in LAX, make sure the connection time will be adequate. One can walk to another terminal if it’s a neighbouring one, or a bus will take you there.
I think she will be fine with your option 2. There are always personnel who can direct her.</p>
<p>She will go through customs in Toronto, not in LA or Denver.</p>
<p>You go through customs in the first city you land in in the new country. Toronto on the outbound, Denver/LA on the return.</p>
<p>Going out will not be that difficult. The change of plane may be in the same terminal.</p>
<p>Coming back may be a little harder. Plane may arrive at the International Terminal, and then child would have to find their way to the Domestic Terminal for the connecting flight.</p>
<p>How about doing the outbound from the local airport, and have the return to the far away airport?</p>
<p>alwaysamom is right, she will go through customs in Toronto on her way back, not in LA or Denver. I have traveled a few times to Toronto for business, coming back to EWR I always went through customs in Toronto.</p>
<p>To follow up with oldfort’s post. I flew to Toronto about 6 months ago. Customs in Toronto is very well organized and quick. She should have no problems as everyone just follows the line of people heading to customs. I was very impressed. The return trip through customs in the US was far less organized, but that maybe because that the Toronto airport was considerably larger than the one we flew into here.</p>
<p>Thanks. Going through customs in Toronto will make it less complicated.</p>
<p>rrah-do I understand your post that on the return you did not go through US customs in Toronto but at your US destination airport?</p>
<p>My son went to Korea as an unaccompanied minor and had to transfer from Seoul to Pusan. The airport personnel took care of the entire thing. I was told that with international flights, he would be accompanied and watched by someone and he was. He had to wear a big tag saying that he was an unaccompanied minor, boarded first, waited in a special office and was escorted with another kid the entire time. Ask the airline what kind of treatment you can expect for your D. </p>
<p>My S was 13 at the time. By the time he was 15, I felt he could do it himself, but I have kids that I would not feel the same way.</p>
<p>“Travellers between points in the USA and Europe, Israel and Asia, can complete US Customs & Immigration formalities in Toronto, saving time on arrival at their final destination in the USA, where their arrival is treated as a domestic flight”</p>
<p>I got this from Canada Air’s website, which would apply to all travelers. This would mean your daughter wouldn’t have to go through customs in LA or Denver, pick up her luggages and re-check them again. She should be able to check her luggages straight through to her final destination.</p>
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<p>Operadad, customs will be in Toronto in both directions. I live in Toronto and fly Air Canada to the U.S. several times a year. Customs is done here, in both directions.</p>
<p>Does she have a passport yet?? She needs one now to visit Canada.</p>
<p>Who would have thought there were Pre Clearance locations.</p>
<p>[Preclearance</a> Locations - CBP.gov](<a href=“http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/preclear_locations.xml]Preclearance”>http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/preclear_locations.xml)
[United</a> States border preclearance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_border_preclearance]United”>United States border preclearance - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>yeah most of the flights into/out of canada and the Caribbean do customs in that country and not in the US. I think most of it is due to the relatively recent requirement to actually have to go through customs, and the US airports can’t handle the influx of traffic into their international terminals. It does make the process much easier</p>
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<p>I’m not sure quite what you mean here. You have always had to go through customs for travel to and from Canada.</p>
<p>Thanks. Now to figure out dates and book the flight. I think if the price is good I am going to have her fly from our small airport.
She has a passport.
I knew in Vancouver you went through customs at the airport but was not sure about Toronto.</p>
<p>I visit toronto on business several times a year - for at least 15 years - and have always done customs for the flight to the US in Toronto. It actually makes a lot of sense as this allows flights from Toronto to a number of airports without customs facilities.</p>