Getting to Halifax Airport

You know those commercials they ran a few years ago espousing the virtues of flying from Charlottetown rather than from Moncton or Halifax because of the savings in time, gas, bridge tolls, hassle, etc. It turns out they’re true.

I’m rendezvousing with Catherine and Oliver in Halifax next Monday – they’re flying in from Ottawa – and we’re flying on Condor to Germany.

Because we’re going away for 6 weeks, the usual “drive to the Airport hotel, park the car, get 14 days of free parking” plan doesn’t work this time, leaving me looking for alternatives ways to get to Halifax for a late evening departure. And then getting all three of us back to Charlottetown on August 26 in the late afternoon.

Here are our options:

  • PEI Express Shuttle – Leaves Charlottetown at 11:15 a.m., presumably arriving around 3:00 p.m., so a 8-hour wait in the airport. Only returns to Charlottetown at 7:30 a.m., so would require an overnight stay in Halifax on the return journey. $230 for the shuttle plus $100 for hotel for a total of $330.
  • Advanced Shuttle – Leaves Charlottetown at 7:45 a.m., arriving 11:30 a.m., so an 11 hour wait in the airport. Only returns to Charlottetown at 3:45 p.m., to early for us, so would require an overnight stay in Halifax on the return journey. $245 for the shuttle plus $100 for hotel for a total of $345.
  • Acadian Lines – Leaves Charlottetown at 7:45 a.m., arrives at 12:30 p.m., so a 10-hour wait in the airport.  Only returns to Charlottetown at 8:05 a.m., so would require an overnight stay in Halifax on the return journey. $228 for the shuttle plus $100 for hotel for a total of $328.
  • Drive my own car and park at the Halifax Airport Hotel – I can leave and arrived whenever I want. $80 for gas, $50 for bridge toll, and $40/week for parking, for a total of $370. (Parking at Holiday Inn Express is the same $40/week; at the Hilton Garden Inn it appears to be $29.95/week, but their clerk seemed very confused at the question; the Inn on the Lake has a 2-week maximum).
  • Drive my own car and park at the airport Park’N Fly. Rate is $361, plus $80 for gas and $50 for tolls for a total of $491.
  • Air Canada, on Aeroplan points – Leaves Charlottetown 1:00 p.m., arriving 35 minutes later, so a 9 hours wait in the airport. 10,000 Aeroplan miles and $72 in taxes and fees on the way there. No availability for 3 people on August 26th, so we’d have to fly on the 27th and spend most of the day in a hotel. Return would be 30,000 Aeroplan miles and $238 in taxes and fees. So a total of $410 and 40,000 Aeroplan miles.
  • Air Canada – flying without Aeroplan means a much more flexible schedule, leaving Charlottetown at 7:45 p.m. on the way there and leaving Halifax at 6:50 p.m. on the way back, so no need for a hotel. But convenience costs: total air fare $876.
  • Renting a car and driving – Hertz is $149 one-way rental on the way there and $223 on the way back. Plus $80 in gasoline and $50 in bridge tolls for a total of $502.
  • Driving to Sackville, NB, parking (somewhere) and taking VIA Rail to Halifax, then shuttle to airport – Leaves Sackville at 1:34 p.m., arriving Halifax at 5:10 p.m. Return requires an overnight stay, leaving Halifax at 12:15 p.m. Train fare is $129, shuttle from Halifax to Airport is $19.50 each. And then bridge tolls of $50, gasoline of $40 and hotel for a total of $297 plus whatever it would cost to park.

I’m welcome to other suggestions!

Comments

Robert Paterson's picture
Robert Paterson on July 3, 2011 - 09:39 Permalink

Tough — see if Jevon can out you up in Halifax???

Sheila's picture
Sheila on July 3, 2011 - 12:56 Permalink

Maybe have a good friend/family member drive you over & then that good friend could come & pick you all up… would work really well if they could use loan of a car…plus karma points!

Peter Rukavina's picture
Peter Rukavina on July 3, 2011 - 14:17 Permalink

Even friends and family cost: 2 x bridge tolls plus gasoline would be $180. Moving around should be easier, shouldn’t it?

Peter Rukavina's picture
Peter Rukavina on July 3, 2011 - 16:18 Permalink

The important thing for me to remember here is that by flying Condor out of Halifax I saved us $3,000 over what flying Air Canada from Charlottetown to Berlin would have cost.&#160 So even $1000 for a deluxe ride to Halifax would be “savings.”

Jevon's picture
Jevon on July 4, 2011 - 15:14 Permalink

There is definitely room here if you need a place to stay. Extra bedrooms and basement space are aplenty.

Ryan's picture
Ryan on July 5, 2011 - 19:41 Permalink

Ask Tim if he’ll drive you over.

Rod's picture
Rod on July 10, 2011 - 07:05 Permalink

I once got 6 adults and 2 kids from a downtown Victoria hotel to a downtown Vancouver hotel for less than the cost of using a bus by hiring a limo at either end of BC Ferries. Looked into limos?
Or, check with the car rental companies to see if they need a car returned.
Oddball suggestion … a small U-Haul (or other such one-way, moving-type rental) van or pickup — some advertise at $19.99/day (“and up”). But instead of moving stuff, you just use it to move people.