Hamilton International Airport Review

Took a tour of the Hamilton Heritage War Plane museum and was truly amazed! Had a virtual reality experience of flying behind the lines in Germany and was blown away. Utilizing actual voice communications from a world war 2 bombing raid a virtual experience was put together. You feel like you re actually riding in the belly of the Lancaster bomber. Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. A cheap and informative afternoon for the entire family. Highly recommend a day here.

One star for friendly staff, ZERO stars for lack of food and beverage services. If you want more passengers to use this airport, upgrade your F&B services. Parking cost was obnoxious for such a small airport.

Love this airport and never had an issue until today. Parking rates are rough and zero information for the consumer. Booked an Uber (no signs of anything) and was told to cancel and take a cab. Uber had pulled up and fought with the lady. Uber went away and called me to walk down the road, the lady pursued us. Ended up having haggle with the cab to match Ubers price with is what they are supposed to do. I mentioned to her that letting the customers know is a better way to do it. She was short, advised she doesn't even work for the airport. I advised that had I read anywhere that u we isn't allowed or only authorised vehicles are allowed then I would have looked into to other options. I advised that I normally drive and park but there is only parking information for one week on the website and that it was much cheaper for us to Uber than to pay 65 for the first 7 days and 15 dollars per additional day. I was advised that this information is incorrect.

This entire issue could be avoided if the website is up to date with the information required for the consumers to use the facility. My frustration is the lack of information available. Update your website Hamilton airport with more information on longer term parking rates and who can pick you up or drop you off at the airport.

Thank you

Love that Swoop flies me cheap across the nation, but I hate this airport. Even though their parking is a great price, and there is no fight in a line up waiting for me. I hate how disgusting the bathrooms remain. Today I hate how the water fountain was not working because they couldn t be bothered to tend to the maintenance of it. Whoever they are, because the only people I see working here are the Tim Hortons staff, the security staff, and the airline staff(which is a skeleton crew at best).
Whoever you are who run this airport, get some standards about you and sort this garbage airport out. Now.

Good customer service but physical distancing rules should be applied with more strictness

Easy walk from parking lot to check in. Great little airport. Cheap weekly parking rates. I will be flying out of Hamilton instead of Pearson in future.

It's just easy. Small and unpretentious. Great alternative to Pearson if visiting the Kitchener/Waterloo area. Basic food options inside security--pizza, wraps, sandwiches, basic Tim Hortons with coffee/muffins (no hot food options at this Tim's, though more full Tim's options pre-security.

Fast processing through security, quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Staff are friendly and professional. Nice little airport.

Flying at it's best. No stress. No pushing, no long lines, quick check in....from point of parking until you are in the plane awesome experience.

Hamilton international airport gives an old look and looks more like a bus station. Flight choice is limited due to nearby Pearson Airport. But it s easy to drop and pick up someone. Immigration is also fast paced

We had a GREAT experience here. We'd definitely fly out of Hamilton again instead of Pearson.

Small but cute little airport.
Easy to get around. Very efficient and check-ins and check out quick to get out. Very simple but has all the basic amenities that you. Parking for 2 weeks gets little pricey.
Overall very good experience recommended. I will use it again.

Pretty good; could have been better.

Baggage drop-off could have a much better flow than what it does. It doesn't have a natural flow to the next step, which seems to congest everything a bit.
Going through security was pretty simple. Staff were pretty clip, but whatever.
The room where you can wait for your flight is pretty spacious. I didn't see any outlets near us though, so unfortunately we could not charge our electronics before the flight.
We didn't use airport parking, but it look like an absolute nightmare when we left.
I prefer Kitchener, but Hamilton was fine - more bearable than Toronto.

It was awesome, easy check in with Swoop, calm atmosphere.

Awful, just unorganized and a dump. Left for the west coast through Hamilton using Swoop, ( never again FYI). They took our car and valet parked it due to volume, so be it, when we returned it was in such a large area the panic button didn't even trigger so it took 1/2 hour to find the car. Worse, the plane was literally 100M from the baggage area and it took over an hour to get our luggage from the plane to the carousel. We landed at 1AM and never got out of that place until 2:30AM and then had to pay ANOTHER $10 on our parking because they took so long to bring the luggage from the plane to the terminal...just a joke. Avoid at all costs, fly out of Pearson.

A nice clean airport although seating can be hard to come by during peak periods.

Very close to downtown Hamilton and the GTHA with absolutely no hassle. Drop off and transit (A-Line) are very convenient and check-in is very fast. If you park and fly, the price is low. The only downside is that there aren't any boarding tunnels so you have to walk on the tarmac. But the low price of flights makes up for the walk! On top of that the staff are friendly and accommodating. I recommend this for your next trip!

Very clean and organized airport, fast check in, there is time horton inside the airport .this review in October 2020
During coronavirus time :)

Terrible experience, plane was crowded and was asked to clean the seat myself before sitting in it. When we finally landed my 8 month old babies cars eat was put outside in the rain for us to pickup ...therefore it was completely soaked when we tried to use it leaving the airport.....all in terrible experience...will not be using this airport again.

So convenient and close to home. Efficient and friendly staff. Always a positive experience going through here. I don't mind if I'm paying an extra $50 or so to fly through here compared to Toronto!

Great To And From Montreal And Great Service Also Very Good To Vancouver And Calgary.

NEVER USE SWOOP.. if you value your sanity.

The internet quote is not the price you will pay, they charge you up to $100 for checked baggage and carryon luggage? Also, they are severely understaffed at the airports and there is no troubleshooting performed there. Even if they arbitrarily decide to CANCEL YOUR FLIGHT during your vacation. And guess what on Sundays their call centre is completely closed! If you call on weekdays, you do have the privilege of speaking to them for a flat rate of $15 added to your bill.

Absolutely terrible experience and the only solution to my experience was to buy another set of one way tickets back home for $1000. And the staff there gave me the fear mongering words of DISCOURAGEMENT saying that I might not get my money back. Imagine spending another $1k on flights you already paid for after your vacation? In what universe does that make sense? This is what happens when companies think computers will be able to do all the work to serve PEOPLE. PEOPLE need to serve PEOPLE!!

Cheapest definitely does not mean quality service for a pleasant experience, folks. You definitely won t find it with Swoop that I can tell you.

Landed at 12:30am after being diverted from Billy Bishop flying from Chicago. Luggage unloaded at 1:20 am because one (one!) plane was prioritized as it was domestic. Most frustrating though was the attitude of the staff in the baggage area who answered all questions with sarcasm, and just generally seemed to go out of their way to be as unhelpfull as possible.

This airport is worth the drive. Its is always a stress free departure and arrival comparing with Pearson airport. Thanks to their friendly staff.

Convenience, great parking, often lower flight prices compared to YYZ.

Quick, efficient and easy. If possible, I always choose this airport over Pearson.

I live in this city, I live 5 minutes from this Airport, however I travel to YYZ because to fly out of the city I live in is more then TWICE the amount of anywhere else, get with the program man, your airport is WAY to expensive

This has been the most disappointing airport I've been to in the GTA region .Our flight left 10am and we were at the airport at 8 as instructed. It's fairly small and we went through pretty quickly and were hoping to eat when we got in. They claim to have a bar lounge but there was only some (few) juices in a fridge and prepackaged veggies with dip. There wasn't any warm food available except got dogs. There is a Tim Hortons on the premises but they only serve beverages and baked goods. Again no hot meals available. The board says all day breakfasts but they mean the prepackaged food in the fridge until it's gone. The whole place looked as it hasn't been funded in decades. I would rather pay more to go to Pearson where there is service than come to this place and have to sit through an airport with barely anything to eat.

Big disappointment for our first experience.

Westjet flying to Calgary, Victoria and Halifax.
Air Canada flying to Montreal

Oh my goodness, I love the Hamilton airport.
Such an easy airport. We got through so quickly. I was met at the plane by a wonderful volenteer by the name Leonard with a wheelchair. He pushed me to the luggage pickup and even collected my luggage . My Son in law John was a bit delayed so Leonard brought me around the corner to Tim Hortons to wait. He would not even accept a tip. That whole experience left me feeling so warm and welcomed.

Fantastic little airport. Never a long wait. Friendly people.

Great airport. Although small & far from the GTA, I got thru security check in one minute and the employees do their best to do their job well as quick as possible. Wi-Fi works pretty well.

Small but clean and orderly. No chaos like most other airport. Parking is not covered so you'll hope there's not much snow that could melt into ice when you return.

Location is amazing and the available flights make it a better option than flying out of London.

I love this airport. The people in all areas are friendly and helpful. I fly through Hamilton whenever I can, just to avoid the terribleness that is Toronto Pearson.

Part of what wins me over is the unembarrassed embrace of the Expo-era Canadian style. Without disclosing my age, I will say that it's a real nostalgia trip for me. Who else has the balls to fit out their aeroport with orange and teal seating? It might be my imagination shaping my memory, but did I see a stuffed moose head on the wall of the waiting lounge?

Anyway. Keep your stick on the ice.

Not the best experience. The line up at security was mental- took us 45 mins to get through and the only had two scanners going. All the am flights were delayed as a result. By the time we got to the gate there were still 56 people who had to board all because of poor organization on the part of the airport. Might be worth just flying out of Pearson.

Airport is normally operating.
Temperature is - 7 degrees Celsius.

This smaller older international airport is about an hour south-west of Toronto. Line ups are much shorter with the lower volume of travellers, especially if you arrive early. A small kids play area is available. Bring an empty bottle and fill it in their water fountain for free (inside the secure waiting area near the restrooms).

Good little airport. Sure beats the hustle and hassle of Pearson airport. Would definitely fly through here again.

My plane landed at the same time as 2 other flights which led to the baggage claim area being very overcrowded and a line about 25 ppl long for the washrooms, for 2 stalls. More washrooms and space is needed given the high volume of this airport now.

Nice and helful airport staff. Check in and boarding were very efficient.

Worst airport ever. The service was horrible form the check in process to boarding.

We were in line at check in for over an hour even though we checked in on line there was no where for baggage drop off. We had to wait in line and do the check in process all over.

When we finally got through the check in we went through security pretty easy.

We got to our gate and had to walk outside in the freezing cold to board the aircraft.

We finally got on board and have to wait an hour and a half for them to load the baggage onto the airplane. This is very unacceptable. Why do they only have one conveyor belt with all 3 airlines using it at the same time.... Ridiculous.

This is the most backwards inneficient airport I have ever been to.... They didn't deserve the 1 star that they received.

I absolutely love flying from here. It's half the drive distance to Pearson, never busy, everyone including security are friendly and helpful. I've flown to Orlando, and now to Abbotsford from here. This time is on the new discount airline Swoop, which now has a very large presence in Hamilton. I'll review them separately.

Cute and clean
I hope the roads in area were a little better.

Convenient to fly out of, but food options are limited and the air in the boarding lounge always smells of exhaust of some type. I have flown out of here 10-12 times and the smell is always there. No other airport has this odour.

Tiny, crowded, not enough security screening lines, not enough bathrooms, not enough ground equipment and crew and no jet bridges. Not worth it.

Used to be the best kept secret but will never fly into this airport again . Currently sitting on tarmac with 4 other planes at an airport that has one terminal and can only handle one plane at a time . Swoop is guaranteed to run at least an hour behind at the end of the day and this piece of junk airport has five flights arriving at the same time Currently 1:50am and still sitting on plane. Looks like another 3:30am arrival home
Will never fly into this airport again.

Please do not rent a car here if you plan to pick it up early in the morning from budget Avis national or enterprise. Cause no one will be here despite the published opening time of 5 AM and even if they show up they will say they have no cars in the lot despite you having a reservation.

Good airport but they take 45 min to bring your bags from the plane, it s rather unacceptable I give this airport 2 thumbs down

Traveled to Hamilton during Covid. We didn't have to wait 5 minutes for our luggage to come around the carousel. Fairly small airport but has everything you need.

First time flying my daughter to Edmonton. Love the ease, convenience and price of parking. So much more laid back than Pearson. Closer to my Niagara location too!

I fly out of here any chance I can, best service, short wait times and much more personable than larger airports.

Its small airport.
And when i was there there was some renovation work in progress so didnt had much of experience of an airport.

Anybody who gives this airport less than four stars hasn't traveled from Pearson enough.

All airports are good but this I don't really like and I live in Mississauga so I'm familiar with Lester b. Toronto Pearson international airport.

So far so good. As with any air travel, people don't know how to listen. But we're on board and can't wait to get airborne.

I'm sleeping now like a homeless bear Tim Hortons at 2AM waiting for my flight at 7AM to Vancover. It's cold, I can't go washroom with my language, everything is closed and no food or drinks here yet. Other people around me sleeping on 3 chairs and me as well. It's a hard time that I need to get over while I'm in these terrible conditions.

I really enjoy flying out of the Hamilton airport. It s always kept clean. Staff are helpful and friendly.

Simple but amazing airport with a quite vibe that is relaxing especially for people with anxiety to fly.

Easy to get in and out of plenty of budget priced parking.

Parking.... Getting out of parking lot an absolute FIASCO! We're at 50 minutes ... and counting

Swoop airlines airport. Awful! You'd think they know what they are doing! Check in was brutal. People working around were rude. All the washrooms were being cleaned. There was a parking guy who opened our passenger door to let us know we cannot park here!!!! Wow. Awful!

Airports should be will connected to the city. Here are my thoughts:

Airport itself: Friendly staff. Small airport so security, check in and baggage are quicker.

Parking: Parking is a quick walk to the terminal which is super convenience. Tip - when you enter, put your credit card in. When you leave, you put the same credit card to validate how much you owe. You can then stick another credit card to pay. If you choose the paper ticket option, please note if you lose that ticket, it will cost you $240.

**I would recommend they hire someone to manage the exit as I know people can have a hard time figuring out the machines. i've been a car take 10 minutes and others take 10 seconds. It's annoying for the car who has to wait.

Public Transportation system:
Hamilton bus 20 goes to the airport ONLY on the weekdays and ONLY on specific route. IT DOESN'T OPERATE ON THE WEEKEND!!! HAMILTON NEEDS TO HAVE THE BUS RUNNING WHILE THE AIPORT IS OPERATING. SINCE IT'S NOW BECOMING A BUDGET AIRPORT, MORE PEOPLE WILL BE TAKING THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONS!!!!!! "IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME".

I cannot even believe there is NO bus service to downtown Hamilton on non peak time or weekends. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE.

Bathrooms: There are public bathrooms and around the corner are individual bathrooms which are amazing!!!

Your small airport. Winter travel in this airport is pretty rough (Especially with 2 early bird flights) Security lines can get pretty long if you don't check-in early enough in the winter. Summer travel is very easy as the lines are small. You get your Tim Hortons and your duty free. I do wish they add more destinations with Westjet.

Just wondering how they determine the price..its cheaper to fly to halifax from edmonton than to fly to hamilton from edmonton..

Hamilton (CYHM) airport has grown over the years. Somethings have come and gone. I went to aviation school here, unfortunately due to lack of instructors they closed. If you are coming here to visit, I would suggest stoping over to the war plane museum to check out some rare and unique airplanes.

Awesome display at the Canadian Heritage Warplane Museum!

Absolute garbage. I took a plane from Edmonton to Calgary to Montreal to Toronto and everything went well. Then I get to Hamilton to go home and they don't accept my slightly faded Canadian passport. They left me stuck in Ontario after my passport was accepted on three different occasions to get here. I'm a Canadian citizen trying to fly within Canada with a Canadian passport and I am somehow unacceptable. Absolutely baffling

Compact quick and easy in out. It is not a major airport but that is the point. Wish Westjet would make this their major eastern hub.

No substantial public transit, but neither does Pearson.

All is great unless the walk across the tarmac is very wet and rainy or windy

Definitely not enough seating, given the volume. The bar in the departure lounge closed at 4pm as the place was totally packed. The whole facility needs to rework their service area given the new volume

small airport so small security lines, beer available, 10/10

A few months ago we flew with Porter and we loved the feeling of a smaller airport, therefore this time we decided to fly from Hamilton instead of Toronto to Cuba, departure Dec 20, arrival Dec 27 after midnight. It is sad to realise that Underdeveloped countries have better services than Hamilton. Only a Tim Hortons as food choice, the Duty Free is a joke, and the basic services of an airport are non-existent.
At the middle of winter, you have to WALK to the plane and up and down a slippery ramp. Other 3rd world countries, if there is not direct boarding, the regular procedure is to have a bus from the terminal to the plane, NOT in Hamilton.
Coming back it was a nightmare, it snowed and it was cold, we had to walk over 200 meters in the bitter cold with the tarmac cover in snow and ice. There were several passengers carrying small children, elderly passengers with canes, I was in clutches, all of us skidding on the ice and snow. The area that we were supposed to walk did not even have salt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was one child on wheelchair and the employee at the airport was not able to push him through the snow, his parents had to do it because he was getting stuck.
When we reached Immigration all of us with mobility issues reached the line up last, but surprise, surprise we had to wait, up to the end, there was no special line for people with disabilities. Therefore, all the elderly passenger with canes and I (on clutches) were standing up for over half an hour. The plane crew did not wait; they went first, but not passengers with disabilities.
The myopic airport authority is really missing the point and killing an airport with so much potential. People like us, that travel quite often are tired of big airports thus Hamilton could have been an excellent option for us but NEVER AGAIN. I will not put my health or my husband health at risk using an airport that has complete disregard to the basic passenger safety.