Getting to Nova Scotia
Getting to Nova Scotia takes a little bit of extra work. There are not a lot of flights from the US that go directly into Halifax. in fact, at this time I only count six and some flights are seasonal and end once the summer season is over. At the end of this post, you will find a chart of the different airlines that have flights into Halifax. In addition to originating in the United States, you can take a flight into a major Canadian airport like Toronto and find a carries like Air Canada, Jazz or Porter that will fly you into Nova Scotia. If you take this option, be sure to leave yourself enough time to get through customs and still make your next flight.
The first leg of our flight was from Dallas to Newark, NJ on United Airlines. The flight took off later in the day that we are used to so we were able to pack that morning and make it to our 2:45 PM departure. There was some weather in our flight path so we had to fly east to Atlanta before turning and heading north to Newark. On our approach into Newark, we came in from the so we were able to see the skyline of Manhattan at sunset as we were landing. We landed at 7:08 local time in Newark and were headed off to our connection with about 50 minutes before departure.
The flight from Newark pushed back by 8:50 PM for an ontime departure, but was delayed 15 minutes on takeoff because a weather system again moved into the area. The flight path from Newark took us north to Portland, Maine before it turned right and headed out over the ocean.
We arrived in Nova Scotia via plane into Stanfield International Airport outside of Halifax.
We arrived just before midnight and had prearranged our ground transportation. There are no Uber or Lift ride-sharing services available so you have to take a Towncar or pay the taxi fare. Our car service was $50.00 CAN between the airport and the hotel and was reserved before we left home. I highly recommend this option, it was quick and easy and the driver was ready as soon as we got our bags and cleared customs.
The customs and immigration process is well designed and fairly automated with kiosks that scan your passport and help the screeners keep the process moving. The design of the customs area and baggage claim for international flights was very welcoming. Before you get to the customs screening area you head down and escalator where you see the large "Canada" wall pictured above and a stream makes a calming babbling sound.
You know you have come to the Atlantic Coast once you get to the baggage claim area where a lighthouse is featured in the decore.
After claiming our bag we had a 30 minute drive to our hotel. We asked why the airport is so far out from the main city and was told that it is far enough in that the fog from the ocean will not impact travel as bad. It was dark out so we could not see a lot, but as we went across the toll bridge into downtown Halifax we got a great view of the city at night. We arrived at The Westin Nova Scotian hotel at about 1:00 PM and checked into our room where we could get a nice night's rest before we started to explore Nova Scotia.
Airlines with Non-stop Flights from the United States to Halifax, Canada as of October 2019:
| Carrier | Contact | Destination | Frequency | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada | Reservations: | Boston | Daily | Year Round |
| 1.888.247.2262 | ||||
| Flight Information: | ||||
| 1.888.422.7533 | ||||
| American Airlines | Reservations: | New York LaGuardia | 1x Weekly | Summer Season (June 15 - Nov. 2) |
| 1.800.433.7300 | Philadelphia | Daily | Summer Season (June 13 - Nov. 2) | |
| Delta Air Lines | Reservations: | New York (LGA) | Daily | Summer Season (May 1 - Aug. 30) |
| 1.800.221.1212 | ||||
| United Airlines | Reservations: | Chicago | Daily | Summer Season (June 7 - Oct. 26) |
| 1.800.538.2929 | Newark | Daily | Year Round | |
| WestJet | Reservations: | Orlando | 1x Weekly/ Winter Varies (increased frequencies) |
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