Edmonton Airport (YEG) Flights & Flight Status

Edmonton International Airport (YEG) is the second-largest airport in Alberta in terms of both size and density with over 8 million passengers flying through the airport each year. The airport serves all the major domestic cities within Canada as well as a handful of cities in the United States and a few cities in Europe, too.

I’ve travelled to the capital of Alberta while visiting friends and while passing through on my way to the neighbouring mountain resort towns as well and I’m always struck by how convenient and easy to navigate Edmonton International Airport is compared to similar-size airports within Canada.

If you’ve got an upcoming trip to Edmonton or you’re passing through the airport on a layover, consider the following tips and tricks. This guide will help ensure you get the most out of your trip through Edmonton International Airport without any stress.

Arriving at YEG

Edmonton International Airport might be the second-busiest airport in Alberta but it’s one of the easiest airports in the country to navigate. I find that the staff at YEG are some of the nicest I’ve encountered and that this airport feels stereotypically Canadian in that there’s always someone available to lend a helping hand as needed.

If you’re flying into YEG from another Canadian city, you’ll land in the domestic arrivals and be spit right out into the baggage claim area. If you’ve checked a bag, you can expect to get your luggage relatively quickly. I am usually out in less than 15 minutes.

If you’re flying into YEG from abroad (either Europe or the United States), you’ll have to go through Canadian customs. The airport is rarely very busy and doesn’t receive all that many international flights, so you should get through customs pretty quickly compared to larger Canadian airports like Vancouver (YVR) or Calgary (YYC).

Getting to and from YEG by public transportation

It’s pretty easy to get to and from Edmonton International Airport by public transportation if you have the time to spare. It will take you anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to get into the downtown core depending on traffic and whether or not you need to connect to the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in order to get to your destination.

The public transportation from the airport into the city isn’t quite as streamlined as other big cities in Canada but it’s still pretty easy to navigate. The Route 747 shuttle bus will pick you up directly from the airport and drop you at the Century Park Station. From there you can connect to the LRT to get pretty much wherever you’re going.

You can also connect to the Red Arrow shuttle bus that will take you directly to the outer suburbs of Edmonton as well as neighbouring smaller towns.

Getting to and from the airport by car

The city of Edmonton has seen a recent surge in traffic. As such, you can expect to wait in the car for quite some time depending on exactly where you’re going and whether or not you’ve hit rush hour traffic in the morning or evening as you leave the airport.

The total distance from Edmonton International Airport to the downtown core is approximately 18.5 miles and you can expect the drive to take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get there from the airport.

Edmonton International Airport provides a designated pickup spot for rideshare apps like Uber as well as your traditional taxi services. The 2 main taxi companies in Edmonton are Co-Op Taxi and Edmonton Taxi Group (which owns Yellow Cab, Checker, Barrel and more), but you can rest assured that the cabs available at the airport are reliable and you won’t get scammed or have to worry about stepping into an unmarked or off-license cab.

Security lines at YEG

The security lines at Edmonton International Airport tend to be pretty stress-free. I have very rarely been caught in a long line or become stressed about making it to my flight gate on time. I would still recommend getting to the airport well within a comfortable time frame but you generally won’t have to worry about waiting around in line in either the US-bound security line or the domestic/international security line.

Keep in mind that you’ll have to pass through additional security and customs if you’re flying into the United States. The border security line opens at 4:30 am so if you have a very early morning flight, you might actually end up in a small bottlenecked line as the line starts moving.

The airport also offers NEXUS and CLEAR, which make it easier to pass through security, as well as a free service called YEG Express, which allows you to book a specific time to pass through the VIP security lane as long as you book up to 72 hours in advance.

Free Wi-Fi at Edmonton International Airport

There’s nothing worse than arriving at the airport only to realize the Wi-Fi isn’t free or requires you to check into a machine somewhere in the terminal. Thankfully the Wi-Fi situation at Edmonton International Airport is extremely easy to connect to and use.

You can connect to the free Wi-Fi by simply selecting “YEG_WIFI” from the drop-down list on your device. You’ll have to agree to the terms and conditions and either sign in or join as a guest and then you’ll connect automatically – you don’t have to provide any personal information.

The Wi-Fi is great pretty much anywhere in the airport and you can use it on multiple devices at once rather than having to sign out on one device in order to use it on another device, which is a major plus if you’re hoping to, say, message with family on your phone while downloading Netflix shows onto your tablet.

Souvenir shopping at YEG

The souvenir shopping at Edmonton International Airport is pretty good given the size of the airport. You’re going to find the usual variety at classic duty-free shops, like perfume, alcohol and electronics. You’ll also find a variety of Canadian shops and retailers, including Indigo and Lolë. There’s also a University of Alberta gift shop and an Indigenous Interpretive and Retail Centre.

Edmonton International Airport also has a fair number of convenience stores that cater to travellers who might have forgotten essentials like medicine, earplugs or phone chargers. You’ll find retailers like Relay, Prairie News and iStore in both terminals.

Lounges at YEG

If you’re someone who likes to have a lounge to retreat to while waiting for your flight, Edmonton International Airport doesn’t have a ton of options but the lounges it does have are more than enough to hold you over between flights.

There’s an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge on the domestic/international side that is reserved for those flying business or who have status with Star Alliance (Air Canada, United Airlines). Here you’ll find complimentary alcohol, hot meals and cold snacks and a variety of soft drinks and hot beverages.

Those who have Priority Pass or who don’t mind paying for entrance can use one of the 2 Plaza Premium Lounges, which are located within the domestic/international terminal and the United States terminal and also offer free food and drinks.

Service animal relief areas

Travelling with a pet or a service animal is relatively simple at Edmonton International Airport. There are only 2 animal relief areas (one on the domestic/international side between gate 52 and gate 54 and one on the US side by gate 88) but given the small size of the airport, this should be enough.

The pet relief areas are much more private than I’ve seen at other airports – they’re rooms rather than little pit stops – and include artificial turf, a hose for cleaning up after your furry friend, free waste bags and a garbage can.