Toronto Region of Waterloo Intl Airport (YKF) Flights & Flight Status

People like to affectionately say that the Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) is about the size of a Real Canadian Superstore. With just six boarding gates, one of Canada’s fastest-growing airports positions itself a hassle-free alternative for air travel and it’s convincing about 445,000 passengers to “fly from home” each year.

In 2022, YKF unveiled a new domestic arrivals building, expanded its departure lounge, added a third security line, launched a new baggage system with self-service bag drop, and created self-service kiosks and common use airline counters to improve check in. Now it’s tackling phase three of a 20-year master plan. One unusual thing — this airport is owned and operated by the municipality instead of an arms-length board.

How to get to and from YKF

YKF is strategically located in Breslau, which puts it about 20 minutes from the city centres of Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo. The airport is also about 10 minutes from Hwy. 401 and about 45 minutes west of Mississauga’s YYZ and the western edge of Toronto.

Parking at YKF

There are two parking lots — short term and premium — just steps from the terminal and they are both ground level and uncovered. I love how the short-term lot doubles as a cell phone waiting area and offers 60 minutes of free parking to cut down on curbside congestion. This lot also boasts two electric vehicle charging stations that can provide charging for a total of four vehicles

You can pay at the gate when you exit these lots or at the pay stations inside the domestic arrivals or main air terminal buildings. There’s also a courtesy airport shuttle (with a wheelchair lift) that runs 24/7 to the off-site Value Parking Lot south of the airport at 4735 Fountain Street North. This lot has its own indoor waiting area, so I always factor in 15 to 18 minutes per transfer.

Ground transportation at YKF

There’s a taxi stand outside the main terminal, with cars available from City Cabs, Golden Triangle Taxi, United Taxi and Waterloo Taxi. Pre-arranged limousines are an option. Ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft can be hailed.

For public transit, Grand River Transit serves YKF with two bus routes that run Monday to Friday. Route 78 Fountain runs every 30 minutes between Sportsworld Station and the airport. Using the GRT Flex App, you can book the on-demand Route 79 Breslau up to two days in advance.

Airlines that service YKF

Four airlines operate from YKF — Flair Airlines, WestJet, Air Canada and Sunwing. WestJet goes daily to Calgary. Flair offers the most flights, flying year-round to Calgary, Halifax and Vancouver and seasonally to Abbotsford, Charlottetown, Deer Lake, Edmonton, St. John’s and Winnipeg. It also runs seasonal flights to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun.

There are about 10 summer and eight winter departures a day. Some flights ground load while others use a bridge. Air Canada buses passengers from YKF to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) where they can access more than 140 destinations.

Connect to YYZ

I appreciate how the airport is one of two in southern Ontario that’s testing a premium motorcoach service. People create a single itinerary when booking travel with Air Canada from YKF through YYZ. The Landline Co. runs multiple, non-stop, round bus trips to and from Toronto Pearson.

Air Canada customers begin their journeys at YKF, check in as normal for their flights and collect boarding passes for all segments of their trips. The airline tags and collects checked bags and transfers them to the bus. Passengers relax in a small waiting area (nothing fancy — just a room with seating, a TV and charging stations). Then they will be invited to board a luxury Air Canada-branded motorcoach with leather seats, power outlets and free Wi-Fi.

It’s about a 90-kilometre drive — 60 to 90 minutes depending on traffic — to Pearson. At YYZ, passengers will go with their carry-on bags for pre-board screening, while Air Canada will transfer checked luggage. One big plus is that if there are coach or flight delays, everyone who uses this service will be automatically rebooked just like customers travelling on air-only itineraries. Aeroplan members earn points for both ground and air segments, as on any normal connecting flight itinerary.

Security

YKF has three security lines but unfortunately isn’t equipped yet to handle NEXUS and doesn’t offer any priority security options. The joy of mid-size airports like this is that you don’t have to show up three hours in advance, but you must still respect the cut-off times set by each airline to drop your bags, get through security and be at the gate for boarding. For passengers returning from outside the country, Canada Border Services is at the airport 24/7.

Rental cars at YKF

There are two car rental companies at YKF — Avis Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. You’ll find their counters in the domestic arrivals building and their key drop boxes on the outside of the terminal. These companies aren’t ready for walk-ups so cars must be reserved in advance. The dream is to eventually offer 24/7 car rentals and be a hub for the region.

Unfortunately, there is no gas station at or near the airport so I usually have to drive 10 to 15 minutes to find a place to gas up before returning a rental.

Services and amenities

The revamped departure lounge has seats for 500 and capacity for 800. YKF offers free WiFi, free charging stations and free baggage carts as well as three refillable water bottle stations spread over the main terminal and the arrivals building. All washrooms have a wheelchair accessible toilet and are equipped with grab bars, Life Call and change tables. It’s nice to see adult change tables in the departures lounge and arrivals building.

For people travelling with pets, there are two pet relief areas — something that’s now mandatory thanks to Transport Canada. One of these can be found directly outside of the domestic arrivals building. The other can be found inside once you clear security screening by the repack tables. Both offer pet waste dispensers and garbage cans.

Food, drink and retail

Other than several vending machines in the departures lounge, your only option is Stockyards at YKF. Open for all flights, this living-wage employer offers a sit-down dining area, grab-and-go options and retail merchandise. Stockyards celebrates the region’s farm-to-table supply chain with a curated line of products from local suppliers (try a toasted cream cheese bagel from Poppy’s Bagels). Its roastmaster created YKF Jetstream Coffee, while its brewmaster created YKF Jetstream Lager. I love how Stockyards sells fun YKF branded apparel, including baseball hats, t-shirts and hoodies so we can celebrate our love for YKF.

Before security, there is another dining option. Just past the short-term parking lot, a short walk from the main terminal, you’ll find Runways Café at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for both breakfast and lunch.

Admiring the YKF art

In an airport where you can see from one end of the departure lounge to the other, you can stare at the televisions (usually playing sports or news) or admire the art like I do. The ART YKF Gallery’s four installations explore the themes of travel, movement and memories.

In the departure lounge, my favourite piece is a wall covered with plastic toys. The colourful installation is called The Wall of Nightmares and Dreams and it’s by sculptor/visual artist Ernest Daetwyler. Created with toys collected in Waterloo Region, it “offers a bird’s-eye view of a toy microcosm of sorts, similar to the unique vantage point of a traveller peering down on earth from their airplane window.”

Also in the departure lounge are three intriguing oil paintings by contemporary artist/painter Sherry Czekus that put viewers like me in the middle of streets filled with people in transit. The paintings evoke memories of travel with their sense of movement, overlapping patterns and snippets of walking figures.

Outside, as you take the walkway towards the terminal and see branches of metal leaves swaying in the wind, take time to admire Field of Winds by sculptor Linda Covit. Nine mobiles each have two branches of brass leaves atop stainless-steel poles. Read the plaques with silk-screened text and images depicting events from airport history. These “history posts” were inspired by Mary Weber who learned to fly here at what started out as Lexington Field when she was 20. Weber became the fifth woman in Canada to receive a pilot’s licence.

I also love to admire one final artwork while I wait for my luggage in the domestic arrivals terminal. Memory and the Temporal Exchange by James Nye and Amber Pacheco is a sculptural painting that folds up to form a piece of luggage. Look for it above one of the two baggage carousels. It’s a token of the memories and experiences we carry with us on our personal journeys.