New York Montréal
LaGuardia sends more flights to Montreal than JFK does. New York's biggest international airport barely operates this route, so your Montreal flight is almost certainly leaving from LaGuardia or Newark.
From Manhattan or Queens, fly LaGuardia to Montreal-Trudeau on Air Canada or Delta. Both run several departures a day. The flight is about 90 minutes. Pick whichever time fits. From New Jersey, Newark has the same kind of coverage through Air Canada and United, with Sun Country as the budget option at lower fares.
The drive is five and a half hours, and FlixBus or Greyhound run the route for a fraction of the airfare. Factor in airport time on both ends and the ride from Trudeau into the city, and flying saves you two hours at best. The bus drops you downtown. If your trip is flexible, take the bus.
Every plane on this route is a small regional jet, CRJ-900s and Embraer 175s seating 70 to 76 people. Overhead bins fill up before boarding finishes. If you are in the last group, your roller bag is getting gate-checked. Travel light or board early.
Have a specific need? Use the decision guide below to filter by your airline, where you live, lounges, or where you're staying in Montréal.
Pick What Matters to You
Best pair by where you're coming from
Best pair by where you're staying in Montréal
Which pair your airline flies nonstop
| Airline | EWR–YUL | LGA–YUL | JFK–YUL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Country Airlines | ✓ | — | — |
| Air Canada | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| American Airlines | — | ✓ | — |
| Delta Air Lines | — | ✓ | — |
| Porter Airlines | ✓ | — | — |
| United Airlines | ✓ | — | — |
Ranked by on-time performance
Lounge access by airport and terminal
Ranked by flights per week
Getting to the airport
Red-eye vs daytime departures
Premium cabin options
Connecting through New York from a domestic flight
LaGuardia and Newark between them run close to 20 nonstop flights a day to Montreal. A connection through Toronto or another hub adds hours to a trip that takes 90 minutes direct. The math never works. If you cannot find a nonstop at the right time, try the other New York airport before booking a connection.
New York & Montréal Airport Profiles
Each airport has a personality. Terminal quality, transit access, lounge scene, and crowd levels vary dramatically — sometimes more than the flight itself.
New York Metro
LaGuardia is the New York airport that does not pretend to be anything more than a domestic terminal. No international flights, no customs hall, no transatlantic gates competing for security lane capacity. The result is a faster, simpler airport experience than JFK or Newark for any flight that stays in the country. Eight miles from midtown Manhattan, it is also the closest major airport to the city center.
The rebuilt Terminal B replaced what was widely considered the worst major terminal in the country. The new building is bright and open, with real restaurants instead of the food court that used to define LaGuardia dining. Gates connect via an elevated pedestrian bridge with a clear sightline to the Manhattan skyline. Terminal C is equally compact. Neither terminal is large, and gate-to-gate walks stay under ten minutes.
Newark Liberty has three terminals, and Terminal A opened as a full rebuild in 2023. The old Terminal A was demolished and replaced, and the difference is dramatic. Terminal C is United's hub, massive and busy, with most international flights departing from here. Terminal B handles most other carriers.
The AirTrain connects all three terminals and the NJ Transit / Amtrak rail station. Unlike JFK, the terminals are closer together and the AirTrain loop is faster. Security at Terminal C can back up during afternoon and evening international departures.
The airport sits in New Jersey, around 10 miles from Manhattan. That proximity is deceptive because the drive crosses the Hudson via the Newark Bay or Lincoln Tunnel, and both can be brutal during peak hours. NJ Transit from Penn Station is the more reliable option.
JFK spreads across four active passenger terminals connected by the AirTrain, and walking between them is not an option. Terminal 1 is the old international building. Terminal 4 is the largest, handling most international carriers. Terminal 5 is the former TWA terminal, now JetBlue's home, with the mid-century curves still intact. Terminal 8 belongs to American and British Airways.
The terminal you depart from depends entirely on your airline. Security wait times vary between them. Terminal 4 tends to be the slowest during evening international departures. Terminal 8 has improved since the co-location of its two main carriers. The TWA Hotel sits adjacent to Terminal 5 if you need to sleep before an early departure or after a late arrival.
JFK feels enormous because it is. Budget extra time for the AirTrain if you are connecting between terminals or arriving by subway. The AirTrain loop takes 10 to 15 minutes end to end.
Montréal Metro
Pierre Elliott Trudeau International is Montreal's only passenger airport, about 20 kilometers west of the city center. The terminal is a single connected building with domestic gates at one end and international and transborder gates at the other. Walking between the farthest gates takes about 15 minutes.
The airport has U.S. preclearance, so passengers heading to American destinations clear customs and immigration before boarding and arrive as domestic passengers. Signage is in French first, English second. Food and shopping are concentrated past security on the international side. The domestic concourse has fewer options.
Which Airlines Fly Which Pairs
Air Canada serve both EWR and LGA to YUL — airport flexibility on the New York side.
Not all planes are the same size. The aircraft type below each checkmark tells you whether you are getting a widebody (777, 787, A350) with wider seats and a quieter ride, or a narrowbody (737, A321) with a single aisle. On flights over five hours, the difference is significant.
E170
A320, CRJ-900
737 MAX 8, CRJ-900
E175
CRJ-900
Dash 8
CRJ-900, E175
737-800