Quick answer
Be at Toronto Pearson 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before a US or international flight. Then work back your drive time, and add extra for rush hour. From downtown Toronto that usually means a pickup about 3 hours before a domestic departure. For an international flight in the weekday afternoon rush, allow about 4 hours.
“How early should I leave for Pearson?” is really two questions. The first is how long you need inside the airport, and airlines have already answered that. The second is how long it takes to get there from your door, which depends on where you live and what time of day you are driving. Most missed flights come from getting the second one wrong.
This guide puts both together, using real driving distances from our booking engine for thirteen GTA areas, so you can set a pickup time you trust.
The pickup-time formula
Start from your departure time and subtract, in this order:
- The airport buffer. 2 hours for flights within Canada. 3 hours for flights to the United States or anywhere international.
- Your drive time. Use the table below, or the drive time shown when you price the trip on our site.
- A traffic allowance. Small for a 5am pickup, large for a weekday afternoon on the 401, 427 or QEW.
The airport buffer is not padding. Check-in and bag drop close well before departure: Air Canada closes both 60 minutes before every flight, domestic or international. Security lines, US preclearance and the walk to the gate all come out of what is left.
Drive times to Pearson from across the GTA
These are real driving distances to Toronto Pearson with Google’s typical off-peak drive times, plus our flat sedan fare from each area. The drive time will stretch at rush hour. The fare will not, because there is no meter.
| From | Distance | Typical drive | Sedan fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etobicoke | 14.0 km | 10 min | $97 |
| Vaughan | 21.3 km | 14 min | $113 |
| North York | 19.9 km | 16 min | $110 |
| Mississauga | 16.9 km | 17 min | $103 |
| Brampton | 24.5 km | 19 min | $120 |
| Downtown Toronto | 26.7 km | 23 min | $125 |
| Markham | 36.8 km | 23 min | $148 |
| Scarborough | 34.8 km | 25 min | $143 |
| Milton | 33.8 km | 25 min | $141 |
| Richmond Hill | 32.6 km | 28 min | $138 |
| Oakville | 37.0 km | 29 min | $148 |
| Burlington | 54.3 km | 34 min | $187 |
| Hamilton | 62.8 km | 42 min | $206 |
Fares in CAD, one way, airport fee included. SUV and Executive SUV fares appear in the form on this page. Downtown is measured from Union Station, and city rows from each city’s centre. Your own street may differ by a few dollars.
Distance and drive time do not line up neatly. Markham is further from Pearson than Scarborough, but the typical drive is shorter. What you pay follows the distance, not the drive time, so a slow trip in traffic costs no more than the same trip on an empty road.
Three worked examples
A 7:00am WestJet flight to Vancouver, from Oakville
WestJet flies from Terminal 3, and this is a domestic flight, so you want to be there by 5:00am. The drive is about 30 minutes, and roads are quiet before dawn. A 4:15am pickup gets you there with room to spare. We charge the same fare at 4am as at 4pm.
A 6:30pm Air Canada flight to London, from downtown Toronto on a weekday
Air Canada flies from Terminal 1, and this is international, so aim to arrive by 3:30pm. Off-peak the drive is under half an hour, but this one runs into the afternoon rush on the Gardiner and the 427. Allow about an hour and book a 2:30pm pickup.
A 10:00am Delta flight to New York, from Markham
Delta flies from Terminal 3, and US flights clear US customs at Pearson before departure, so be there by 7:00am. The 401 is at its worst between about 7 and 9. Leave room for it and book a 6:00am pickup.
Not sure which terminal your airline uses? Our Terminal 1 vs Terminal 3 guide lists every airline at Pearson.
When to leave even earlier
- Early-morning US flights. US preclearance at Pearson can back up in the morning rush, which is why Air Canada suggests arriving no later than 3 hours ahead for US flights before 9am.
- Peak travel weeks. Summer holidays, long weekends, March break and the December holidays bring longer lines at every step.
- Oversized or extra bags. Golf clubs, skis, strollers and car seats all take longer to check. Tell us when you book so the right vehicle comes.
- Weather. The first real snowfall of the year slows every highway in the GTA. On those mornings we may suggest an earlier pickup.
- Travelling with children or older relatives. Everything takes a little longer, and nobody enjoys running for a gate.
Tell us your flight when you book and we will sanity-check the pickup time with you.
Price my airport runPicking someone up? Book for the flight, not the clock
Arrivals work the other way round. Do not book the car for the scheduled landing time and hope. Give us the flight number instead. We track the aircraft, so if it lands early or two hours late, the pickup moves with it at no extra cost.
From touchdown there are 60 minutes of free waiting on international arrivals and 30 minutes on domestic ones. That covers customs and the baggage belt. Your chauffeur waits inside the terminal with a name sign: in the Level 1 Arrivals hall at Terminal 1, or beside the currency exchange at Terminal 3.
The short version
- Find your terminal and flight type.
- Arrive 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before US or international ones.
- Subtract the drive time from the table, plus an allowance for rush hour.
- Book it with the flight number, and let us check your pickup time.
For fares from every part of the GTA, see our Pearson airport limo and taxi service page.
