Hamilton Airport (YHM) Flights & Flight Status

“We’re 200 steps from curb to gate.” It’s a popular mantra at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM), a southern Ontario airport that handles about 820,000 passengers a year and aims for a stress-free and hassle-free experience. It usually takes just minutes to pass through security in the one-level terminal with eight gates and two boarding doors.

Popular with families and seniors, YHM is a growing gateway for budget-conscious travel. You’ll likely see someone snapping a selfie in front of the wall by the PLAY airlines counter that shows a red plane flying through a red squiggle that traces the route between Canada and Iceland.

Airlines that service YHM

Five airlines fly out of here — PLAY, WestJet Airlines, Air Canada, Air Transat and Sunwing Airlines. PLAY, a low-cost carrier based in Iceland, provides direct flights to its hub in Reykjavik and connecting flights to more than 30 European destinations including Amsterdam, Dublin, Copenhagen, London and Paris.

WestJet connects to its network of destinations through Calgary, a gateway city for people heading west to ski in the Rocky Mountains. From November to April, Sunwing and Air Transat step in with seasonal flights to Cuba (Varadero and Cayo Coco), Mexico (Cancun) and the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana).

Connect to YYZ

Like the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF), YHM is test-driving an Air Canada pilot project that combines a luxury motorcoach service to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) with its flights.

Air Canada customers check in at YHM, get boarding passes for all segments of their trip and check bags. They relax at a special waiting area before boarding an Air Canada-branded motorcoach run by the Landline Co. with leather seats, free Wi-Fi, power, a table tray, overhead space for carry-on bags and a lavatory. At YYZ, people head straight to security screening while checked bags are transferred to onward connecting flights.

If the coach or flights are delayed, customers travelling on Landline are automatically offered the same protections as customers travelling on air-only itineraries. Aeroplan program members earn points for both ground and air segments. Fully accessible coaches include power lifts for travellers who use mobility aids.

How to get to and from YHM and downtown Hamilton

YHM is in Hamilton’s Mount Hope neighbourhood, about 25 minutes from downtown and easily accessible from Highway 403. As well as locals, the airport draws passengers from across the region, including Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Grimsby, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Kitchener, Waterloo, Stratford, London and even Buffalo.

Ground transportation at YHM

The Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) A Line Express Route 20 runs between the airport and downtown with access to the Hamilton GO Transit Centre and Mohawk College’s Fennell Campus. Megabus runs motor coach service between YHM and downtown Toronto’s Union Station Bus Terminal.

The taxi drop-off and pick-up zone for Blue Line and Hamilton Cab is across the road from the arrivals doors. The rideshare pick-up and drop-off zone for Lyft and Uber is along the terminal curb at the west end of the sidewalk. Limo and shuttle services should be pre-arranged directly with Niagara Airbus, Red Car Service, King Shuttle, Airway Transit and A.A. Taxi Limousine.

Rental cars

There are four car rental options inside the terminal — Avis Car Rental, Budget Car Rental, National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. It’s always best to reserve a vehicle but you can walk up to the counter in a pinch.

Parking at YHM

There’s just one large parking lot with room for 1,900 vehicles, and it’s directly in front of the terminal building. It’s fully automated so you can pay with major credit cards, debit or cash at in-terminal or exit gate pay stations. Pre-book online for a discount.

Security at YHM

It typically takes five to 10 minutes to pass through one of the four screening lanes at YHM. It’s so fast you won’t notice that there aren’t any Nexus or priority lanes.

Services and amenities

I love the pre-security Hamilton Flybrary where you’re welcome to take a book and leave a book, or just donate books. Pet relief stations can be found outside the airport and in the departures lounge where they’re tucked into the women’s and men’s washrooms. Two private washroom stalls offer universal access.

Friendly volunteers run the information desk in the main concourse. They’ll help with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard Program, a way to share that you have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent and may need a helping hand, more time or understanding. YHM offers hearing loops technology so travellers with hearing disabilities can wirelessly connect their hearing aids directly to the public address system to hear important announcements.

Wi-Fi is free at YHM and it’s great to see that water bottle refill stations have become the norm. Don’t forget that the pre-security ATM only dispenses Canadian currency while the post-security ATM has both Canadian and U.S. currency.

Food, drink and retail

Hamilton has strong food and beverage culture and it’s close to the Niagara wine region, so it makes sense that this airport punches above its weight on the eating and drinking front. Detour YHM features local favourites like Detour Coffee Roasters, Collective Arts brewing and Dear Grain Commissary. Food ranges from overnight oats with berries (my go-to airport meal) and soups, salads and sandwiches, to lasagnas, fajitas and shepherd’s pies that you grab from the fridge and ask to be warmed up.

What’s unusual is that Detour’s liquor license extends to the entire departures lounge. That means you can take your beer, wine, cooler or cocktail (the Caesar is a favourite) to any seat. You don’t have to stay seated to enjoy Detour’s coffee, espresso-based drinks or tea lattes (including my favourite — turmeric latte).

If you’re wondering why Detour sells bottles of ketchup and mustard in winter, it’s because carry-on travellers were pocketing fistfuls of free condiments so it decided to make things easier for those who want the comfort of familiar condiments while visiting sun destinations. Resort-bound travellers also snag bottles of pure maple syrup and Ontario wine.

Be forewarned that while the Tim Hortons before security has a full menu with bagels, soups and sandwiches, the one past security only sells beverages and baked goods. The Departures Retail & Duty-Free Shop sells books, magazines, beverages, snacks and last-minute convenience items. It pleases me to see the reef-friendly Sun Bum line of sunscreen products. If you’ve forgotten to pack headphones or phone chargers, there’s a Best Buy self-serve kiosk.

Admiring the art

There’s just one piece of public art at YHM. Timewise was created by 1979 by Hamilton-born artist William McElcheran and stands outside. The admittedly dated piece shows a “generic businessman” wearing a trench coat and pork pie hat, checking his watch and waiting. The statue “stands as a witty testament to our obsession with schedules, time and deadlines” — a message that still resonates at an airport.

I adore the vintage seating in the departure lounge that holds 600 people. Juxtapose the retro colour scheme in shades of yellow, green, red and blue with modern bright blue walls splashed with travel slogans like “Oh the places you’ll go” (Dr. Seuss) and “Travel brings power and love back into your life” (Rumi).

Fighting crime

“Together we can end human trafficking.” It’s a message found on digital advertising throughout YMH because it’s a transportation ally with #NotInMyCity — an anti-human trafficking initiative founded by Canadian humanitarian and country music superstar Paul Brandt. A mandatory e-learning program teaches employees how human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in this country.

YHM has also partnered with Crime Stoppers of Hamilton and the Hamilton Police Service on the “Crime Doesn’t Fly Here” campaign, which educates everybody about how to identify and report all kinds of suspected crimes.

Things to do during a layover at YHM

If you’re facing a delay, wander over to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum beside the terminal and present a same day boarding pass for free admission. The museum — which is closed Monday and Tuesday — has a wonderful gift shop and the Runway Café, which you can only access after paying the admission.

What’s in the name?

YHM is named for one of Hamilton’s most prominent political figures, John Carr Munro, who understood the airport’s potential. Built in 1940 as a wartime air force training station and designed as a multi-purpose military field, the airport was first used for flight training, air navigation, telegraphy and air gunnery before transitioning into a public facility after World War II.

Munro helped expand what was then called Mount Hope Airport into a regional transportation hub by securing a major federal investment in the 1980s. Now this is one of Canada’s largest airports for domestic air-cargo distribution as well as a commercial passenger airport. The airport was renamed in Munro’s honour in 1998. Look for a modest dedication plaque and tribute wall near the check-in counters.