Flight Report: Montreal to New York, November 14
On November 14, I took a flight from Montreal to New York, with a scheduled departure at 7:55 AM. I arrived at the airport at 6:00 AM, having completed my check-in the day before.
Security was very fluid and did not take me more than 10 mins.
Here’s where it gets complicated and stressful when you’re travelling to the US; you have to pass through US CUSTOMS at the airport of departure. The time you will spend waiting at customs is unpredictable. The process at U.S. customs took about me about 40 minutes, which was as expected. I highly recommend downloading the MPC app (mobile passport control) to speed things up, since there’s two lines: one for people that have filed all their infos and downloaded their receipt on their phone, and for the others.
6:40AM/ clearing US customs
After clearing customs, I headed to the U.S. terminal, which was very calm. I ordered a latte at Starbucks, as expected, it was one of the busiest cafe of the terminal. I also felt like buying a magazine because I know we would not have any entertainment on the flight. The people at Starbucks seemed a bit overwhelmed, there was a few items they didn't have anymore and also didn't have their usual large Starbucks cup (not that I mind really, but it felt de organized.
Here’s the plane:
CRJ-9000
Boarding was on time, and although the plane was small, everything went smoothly. The 50-minute flight was seamless. They served drinks as soon as we took off and even publicly announced that we could order wine and beer free of charge. Maybe not for a 8am flight but it’s nice to know.
Here’s where it gets really great. I was fortunate to enjoy a stunning view of Manhattan and Brooklyn during the approach. Make sure you book a seat in row A, because if you are fortunate enough to witness this approach, it is the best position on the plane.
We landed 30 mins early at LaGuardia. The crew was especially friendly.
Overall, I’d rate this experience 8.5/10, with the highlight being the incredible view during landing. I also recommend choosing a window seat on the A side for the best views when approaching New York.
Thanks for sharing your first report here with us! I agree that pre-clearance facilities can be stressful as you never know how long they will take! Luckily I have global entry. For long-haul though, I do like pre-clearance from the few destinations that have it, like Ireland as it saves a ton of time on arrival where you land in the U.S. like a domestic flight.
AC really need to update the interiors of their larger regional jets —I believe they have begun that process. The covered up TVs just looks bad. AC do get points for having better service on transborder flights than their U.S. counterparts, especially with the free wine and beer.
Thanks for sharing and welcome!