USA to Canada Flights: Cheapest Routes, Documents & Best Months

For Americans, the cheapest flights into Canada are usually short nonstops from New York, Chicago and Boston to Toronto or Montreal, and Los Angeles or Seattle to Vancouver, with return fares commonly around US$220 to US$430. US citizens need only a valid passport (no visa, no eTA). Spring and October are often the cheapest months.

✈ QUICK ANSWER
✓ Fact-checked · Oct 2026

What are the cheapest routes from the US to Canada?

New York to Toronto, Chicago to Toronto and Los Angeles to Vancouver are the big ones. They have many daily nonstops and several competing airlines, which keeps fares low. Here are indicative round-trip ranges from public fare snapshots taken in autumn 2026. They change daily.

Route	Typical return	Flight time
New York to Toronto	US$253 to US$400	about 1h 45m
Chicago to Toronto	US$247 to US$402	about 1h 50m
Los Angeles to Vancouver	US$222 to US$433	about 3h

New York to Toronto is the most competitive: Air Canada, Porter, Delta, American and United all fly it, with something like 40 or more nonstops a day in the data I saw. If you can pick the day, Wednesday tends to be cheaper and Sunday dearer on that route.

The rest of the map is similar. Boston, Washington, Atlanta and Newark all link to Toronto and Montreal, and Seattle and San Francisco link to Vancouver and Calgary. You’ll find the Canadian side of those routes on our Canada to USA flights page. That page is written for travellers leaving Canada, but the airlines and schedules are the same.

Which Canadian airport should I fly into?

Pick the airport nearest to what you actually want to see, not the biggest. Toronto (YYZ) for Ontario and Niagara, Montreal (YUL) for Quebec, Vancouver (YVR) for Whistler and the islands, and Calgary (YYC) for Banff and the Rockies.

• Toronto Pearson (YYZ): The busiest gateway. Also handy for a Niagara Falls day trip, roughly 90 minutes by road. Billy Bishop (YTZ) is closer to downtown and Porter flies there. It’s often more pleasant if your hotel is in the core.
• Montreal (YUL): Short nonstops from Boston and New York. The drive from either city is also doable if you like road trips.
• Vancouver (YVR): Well connected to the US West Coast. Whistler is about two hours north.
• Calgary (YYC): The usual choice for Banff, roughly 1.5 hours by road from the airport.

If you’re an Indian-American visiting relatives in Brampton, Mississauga, Surrey or Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary are the airports to compare. Our Toronto to Chicago and Toronto to New York pages cover the same routes in the other direction.

Do US citizens need a passport or visa to enter Canada?

US citizens need no visa and no eTA, but you must carry proof of citizenship, and for a flight that means a valid US passport book. The IRCC eTA page confirms US citizens are exempt from the eTA. The US State Department also lists a passport card or a NEXUS card as accepted forms of ID, but the passport card is for land and sea crossings, so don’t rely on it at an airport.

A few other points that trip people up:

• Criminal record: Canada can refuse entry over some convictions, including driving under the influence, even old ones. Check the US State Department’s Canada page and Canadian admissibility rules before you buy if it applies to you.
• Children: If you travel with a child without both parents, carry a letter of authorization and a copy of the birth certificate.
• Cannabis: Legal in Canada, but you can’t take it across the border in either direction.
• Length of stay: Visits up to six months don’t need a visa.

Do green card holders and Indian-passport holders in the US need an eTA?

US green card holders are exempt from the eTA and need no Canadian visa. Indian citizens on other US statuses, such as H-1B or F-1, usually need a Canadian visitor visa, and the eTA shortcut doesn’t apply to India.

Here is the breakdown from the IRCC pages:

Traveller	What you need to fly to Canada
US citizen	Valid US passport. No visa or eTA.
US permanent resident (green card)	Passport from your country plus a valid green card. Exempt from the eTA since April 2022.
Indian citizen on a US work or student visa	Canadian visitor visa (TRV). India isn’t on the list of visa-required countries that can use an eTA.
Citizen of an eTA-eligible country (for example Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines) with a valid US visa	eTA, for air travel only

Many people assume a US visa gets an Indian passport holder an eTA. It does not. The IRCC list of eTA-eligible visa-required countries includes Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and a handful of others. India isn’t on it. Some third-party sites say otherwise. Go by the Canada.ca page.

So if you’re on H-1B and want to visit family in Mississauga in December, apply for the visitor visa well before you buy a ticket. Visa processing times change often. Check the current estimate on the IRCC site. If you’ve already got a booking, ask about changing the date, not cancelling. For the wider picture, see our guides on the essential visa and documents checklist for Canada and visas, documents and immigration.

Do I need ArriveCAN to enter Canada in 2026?

No. It isn’t required. The ArriveCAN Advance Declaration, where you submit your customs and immigration answers up to 72 hours before a flight, is a voluntary time-saver at participating airports. The CBSA says it speeds up kiosk and eGate processing.

The CBSA’s page lists about ten airports, including Toronto Pearson, Vancouver and Montreal-Trudeau. Travellers can’t use it with NEXUS kiosks. My view: do it if you’re flying into a busy airport, because the queues at Pearson at peak times can be long, and the declaration is a few minutes of typing. If you skip it, you fill in the same details on a kiosk at the airport. The CBSA ArriveCAN page has the current list.

Should I fly or drive into Canada?

Drive for short hops and fly for anything over about 4 hours. Buffalo to Toronto and Detroit to Windsor are easy road trips. Seattle to Vancouver works by car or train, but New York or Chicago to Toronto is faster in the air once you add border waits.

• Seattle to Vancouver: Amtrak Cascades runs two daily round trips of about four hours between the two cities. Flying takes less time in the air but more on the ground, once you add the airport and border queues.
• Buffalo to Toronto: Roughly two hours by road. Fine unless you have a lot of luggage and a late flight.
• Anywhere further than about six hours’ drive: Fly. Border wait times vary hugely, and a long weekend can add an hour or more.

When is the best time to fly from the US to Canada?

For fares, April and October appear cheapest on the routes above, with January good for Chicago. For weather, June to September is the Canada season, with the best foliage in late September and October in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

• April: New York to Toronto was cheapest in April in the snapshot I looked at, around US$261 return.
• August: The dearest month on that route, at about US$347.
• October: Cheapest for Los Angeles to Vancouver in the data, about US$198 return, with December the dearest.
• Winter: Good for skiing around Whistler, Banff and Quebec, with fares rising near Christmas.

Aim to book roughly 5 to 8 weeks out for short hops and 3 to 6 months for peak summer. One of the trackers suggested 26 weeks for some routes. That’s early, and I’d only do it for school holidays. Our Canada and US flights guide goes deeper on seasonal patterns.

Can an agent help with a trip from the US to Canada?

For simple point-to-point flights, usually not much. Metairfare is a Calgary-based agency with real human agents, 750+ Google reviews and 2,000+ Trustpilot reviews, and its core is Canada and India travel. If your trip combines the US, Canada and India, you can call +1-877-700-0520 and ask what’s possible.

Booking online yourself is perfectly fine for a simple return from New York to Toronto. It gets less simple when you want to fly into Vancouver and out of Calgary, or combine Canada with a flight on to India. Say you live in New Jersey and want to visit family in Brampton, then continue to Delhi. An agent can compare a US-to-India itinerary with a Canada stopover against two separate tickets and tell you where the risk is. That’s the type of job a person does better than a search box.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Americans need a passport to fly to Canada?

Yes, for air travel you need a valid US passport book. A passport card or enhanced driver’s licence is accepted at land and sea crossings, but not for flights. You don’t need a visa or an eTA as a US citizen. Make sure the passport is valid for your whole stay.

Do US green card holders need an eTA for Canada?

No. Since April 2022, US lawful permanent residents are exempt from the eTA. You need a valid passport from your country of nationality and your green card. Border officers can still ask questions on arrival, so keep both documents in your hand luggage and have your return plans ready.

Can an Indian citizen with a US visa get a Canadian eTA?

Not on current IRCC guidance. The eTA-for-visa-holders programme covers a short list of countries, and India is not on it. Indian citizens on H-1B, F-1 and similar statuses typically need a Canadian visitor visa. Check the IRCC site for your exact case before booking.

Is ArriveCAN mandatory for flights into Canada?

No. ArriveCAN is not mandatory. The optional Advance Declaration lets you submit your customs and immigration information up to 72 hours before landing at participating airports, which speeds up the kiosk or eGate step. Without it, you complete the same declaration at the airport on arrival.

Which US city has the cheapest flights to Canada?

It depends on the destination, but busy corridors such as New York, Chicago and Boston to Toronto, and Los Angeles or Seattle to Vancouver, usually have the lowest fares because of the competition. Fares from smaller US airports to Canada are often higher, so check a larger airport nearby too.

Is it cheaper to drive or fly from the US to Canada?

For short trips like Buffalo to Toronto or Detroit to Windsor, driving is usually cheaper and simple. For New York, Boston or Chicago to Toronto, a fare of a few hundred dollars often beats fuel, tolls, parking and a long day. Add border wait times to the road estimate.

Can I bring my children to Canada without both parents?

Yes, but carry a letter of authorization from the absent parent or parents, plus a copy of the child’s birth certificate and proof of your relationship. The CBSA can ask about the trip’s purpose. A letter is recommended, not a visa-type requirement, but it can save a long conversation at the border.

Can I bring cannabis from the US to Canada or back?

No. Cannabis is legal in Canada, but you can’t take it across the international border in either direction, including on flights, even from a state where it’s legal. Penalties can include fines, a ban from Canada and criminal charges. Buy it locally if you choose to use it there.

Visiting Canada from the US this winter, or heading on to India afterwards? Call +1-877-700-0520 or WhatsApp us your dates and cities, and we’ll price it for you.