Arriving at Toronto Pearson from Miami & Fort Lauderdale

Miami and Fort Lauderdale to Toronto Pearson: a homecoming route

This route is different from the business corridors. A large share of the passengers are Canadians coming home: snowbirds returning after months in South Florida, families back from March Break, and cruise passengers flying in after sailing from PortMiami or Port Everglades. They carry more luggage than any other group we meet at Pearson, they are often older, and in spring they step out into weather far colder than the one they left. A pre-booked car solves all of that at once. You book the vehicle for the real luggage, give us the flight number, and the chauffeur is waiting at the commercial pickup area with a warm car and a fare that was fixed before you left Florida.

Airlines flying South Florida to Toronto

Both South Florida airports have several nonstop options to Pearson, and the lineup changes by season, with extra flights in winter. Fort Lauderdale is served by Air Canada, Porter, WestJet and Flair, among others; Miami by Air Canada and American, with other carriers adding seasonal service. Check your ticket and the official Miami International Airport or Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International sites for departures. Flights typically take around three hours. Fort Lauderdale tends to be cheaper and easier for Broward and Palm Beach County residents; Miami has more connections to the Caribbean and Latin America, which matters if you are connecting there.

Which Pearson terminal: Florida flights

Air Canada flights normally arrive at Terminal 1; WestJet, Porter, Flair and American typically use Terminal 3. That split changes, and codeshares complicate it, so check your booking or the Pearson terminal finder and put the terminal in the reservation. The terminals have separate commercial pickup areas, linked by the free Terminal Link train. If two couples are returning together on different airlines, send both flight numbers and we will plan one larger vehicle with a short wait or two cars, whichever costs less.

Documents for Canadians, Americans and other travellers

Canadian citizens returning home need a valid Canadian passport or a NEXUS card if they are members. US citizens need a valid US passport but no eTA; US green card holders carry their passport and green card and are also exempt from the eTA. Travellers of other nationalities connecting through Miami from Latin America or the Caribbean need whatever their own passport requires, which may be an eTA or a visitor visa, and should check the official eTA page before flying. Canadians who have been away for months should also remember that provincial health coverage and travel insurance have their own absence rules; that is between you and your insurer, but it is worth checking before booking the flight.

Customs for returning snowbirds

Everyone arriving from Florida clears the Canada Border Services Agency customs hall at Pearson. Returning residents have personal exemptions that depend on how long they have been away, and the rules on alcohol, tobacco and goods bought in the US are published by the CBSA; declare everything you bought, including items shipped home separately. Citrus fruit, plants and meat bought in Florida should be declared too, as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency restricts some of them. An Advance Declaration through ArriveCAN is optional. With several checked bags and golf clubs from the oversized belt, allow extra waiting beyond the included 30 minutes.

Waiting time: why it matters on this route

Every pickup from a US flight includes 30 minutes of free waiting from actual landing, then 15-minute blocks. For a Florida return, that is often not enough: customs, then several suitcases, then golf bags or a folding bike from the oversized baggage area, so many snowbirds add 30 minutes of waiting at booking. If someone in your party has requested wheelchair assistance from the airline, add at least 30 minutes, because the assistance team moves passengers in its own order. The chauffeur does not start charging until the included time has passed, and dispatch will call before extra time builds up.

Fares from Pearson for Florida arrivals

Planning figures for one-way trips from Pearson, all-in (chauffeur, fuel, 407 tolls if used, airport fees and gratuity), HST shown separately. The reservation engine quotes the exact address, date and vehicle.

Other destinations are on the flat-rate price list, and the fare calculator prices any address.

Choosing a vehicle for golf bags and winter luggage

The sedan's three-bag limit is where most Florida bookings go wrong. A couple returning after a winter in the sun commonly has four large suitcases, two golf bags and carry-ons, which will not fit in a sedan's trunk. An executive SUV or luxury van takes six bags; golf bags lie flat in the back with the third row folded if the party is small. Two couples returning together belong in a Sprinter. Tell us the count of suitcases, golf bags and anything unusual, such as a folding bicycle or a mobility scooter, in the booking notes, and dispatch will send a vehicle where everything fits without being stacked on a passenger's lap.

Cruise passengers flying home

Many Toronto travellers sail from PortMiami or Port Everglades and fly home the day the ship docks. Those flights fill with cruise passengers carrying their full holiday luggage, and customs at Pearson can be busier than usual on turnaround days, typically weekends. If you are on a post-cruise flight, add 30 minutes of waiting at booking and choose a vehicle one size larger than you think you need. If your cruise line's transfer to the airport is tight and you might miss the first flight, we cannot help at the Florida end, but we can move your Toronto pickup to a later flight as soon as you tell us.

Spring returns and the March Break rush

The heaviest Florida-to-Toronto traffic comes in late March and April, when snowbirds return, and around March Break, when Ontario families fly home together. Larger vehicles book up first in those weeks, so reserve early. Pearson's customs hall can be crowded on spring weekend afternoons. For older travellers, airport meet and greet puts the chauffeur inside the arrivals hall with a name board and a trolley at the customs exit (planning figure $25–35); the standard fare is curbside pickup at the commercial pickup area, which is a longer walk with bags. Many families book meet and greet for parents returning alone.

Heading north to cottage country

Some snowbirds go straight from Pearson to a cottage or a home in Muskoka, Barrie or the Georgian Bay area. A long drive after a flight is easier in a car with space to stretch out. Muskoka is a planning figure of $495–630 in a business sedan, more in an SUV, and the route goes north on the 400. In April, cottage roads can still be icy or muddy; tell us if the last stretch is a private or seasonal road so the chauffeur can plan the approach. See Toronto to Muskoka for detail, and our Barrie car service page for the city.

Flying back to Florida: US preclearance timing

When you fly from Pearson to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, you clear US customs and immigration at Pearson before boarding, through US preclearance. You then land in Florida as a domestic passenger with no customs queue. The trade-off is time in Toronto, and in December and January, when snowbirds head south, the preclearance hall is at its busiest. Airlines commonly advise arriving about three hours before a US flight; in peak snowbird weeks, add a margin. From Oakville or Richmond Hill, schedule the pickup about three and a half hours before departure; from Barrie or Newmarket, allow four. See how early to arrive at Pearson.

Winter weather on the way south

December departures often fall on snowy mornings. Chauffeurs check Environment Canada forecasts the night before and move pickups earlier when a storm is due; winter tires are on in season. The 400, 404 and 401 can slow badly in snow, and the 407, which is already included in the fare when the chauffeur uses it, is often the faster choice from York Region. If your flight is delayed by de-icing at Pearson, that is between you and the airline, but getting to the terminal on time is our job.

Grandchildren, car seats and family trips

Whatever the exemptions for taxis and buses, we fit the right child seat for every child who needs one. Add infant, convertible or booster seats at booking, free or at a planning figure of $10–15 each, and the chauffeur installs them before arriving. Ontario's car seat guidance explains the stages. For grandparents collecting grandchildren from Pearson, see our child car seat transfers page.

Cancellation and changes

Measured from the scheduled pickup time: more than 72 hours before, no charge; 72 hours or less, 10 per cent; 48 hours or less, 50 per cent; 24 hours or less or a no-show, 100 per cent. Snowbirds often book their return months ahead; changing the date or flight is free while you are outside the 72-hour window, and a flight delay is never a cancellation because the pickup follows the flight.

How to book your Florida arrival pickup

Use the reservation engine on this page or the booking page. Enter Pearson and the terminal, your home address, the arrival date and time in Toronto time, the flight number, passengers, and a full count of suitcases, golf bags and anything oversized. Choose the vehicle, add meet and greet or car seats, and the fixed fare appears before you pay. You can book the autumn trip south at the same time, and both legs appear on one confirmation.

Connecting through Miami from the Caribbean and Latin America

Miami is a hub for flights from the Caribbean, Central America and South America, so plenty of Toronto-bound passengers on a Miami flight started somewhere else. If that is you, remember that you clear Canadian customs at Pearson, not in Miami, and your documents depend on your citizenship. Bags checked through from the first airport usually arrive with you, but a tight connection in Miami is when bags get left behind. If you reach the Pearson carousel and your bag is missing, report it at the airline's baggage office before leaving; tell the chauffeur, and waiting beyond the included 30 minutes is billed in 15-minute blocks only after it runs out.

Book your Florida arrival pickup