Shortest flight out of Toronto is so pointless that Google actually suggests a train
The shortest regularly scheduled flight departing out of Toronto Pearson International Airport is so pointless that anyone searching Google for departures will be informed by the search platform that taking a train makes far more sense.
Unlike the longest route departing Toronto — Philippine Airlines flight PR119 to Manila, which travels a staggering 13,232 km — the shortest route leaving the city is a direct flight to London, Ontario.
The route covers a mere 141 km and has a flight time of just 46 minutes, though even searching tickets for this ultra-short-haul flight will have Google suggesting alternatives.
Searching for flights between the two Ontario cities triggers a Google message suggesting travellers “consider taking the train,” adding that rail travel is “more climate-friendly than flying.”
Instead of flying, Google suggests travellers consider VIA Rail, which is a bit longer of a trip, but at a fraction of the price and carbon emissions.
Compared to the 46-minute flight time of an Air Canada trip between the two cities (plus the added headaches and time allowances of air travel), it takes two hours and eight minutes for a direct VIA Rail trip where you’re essentially walking on and off the train with comparatively light screening.
One-way fares for Toronto-London flights start at $268, while the train fare for the same trip is as low as $41.
Discount bus services like FlixBus can get you there even cheaper and in a still reasonable amount of time, with fares starting at $28.99.
Yet, this air route is inexplicably in hot demand, as Air Canada has a staggering 31 flights per week between Pearson and London International Airport, operating as flights 8251, 8257, and 8265.
One reader explained to blogTO that “this route, for about 95% of the passengers, is just a connecting flight to get to the YYZ hub before flying on to other destinations.”
“When I lived in London, I used it multiple times,” he said, noting how “it saved me driving to Toronto, parking was way cheaper, there was no train service at the time, it was extremely convenient.”
Follow Channels and Categories