The Complete Guide to Calgary International Airport (YYC)

Calgary International Airport (YYC) is the main gateway serving the Province of Alberta. It’s considered one of Canada’s four major airports, serving over 18 million passengers per year.

A hub for Westjet and a focus city for Air Canada, the airport offers plenty of direct domestic and international flights, rivaling Vancouver in neighbouring British Columbia.

Location and Transportation

The airport is located 18 minutes northeast of Downtown Calgary, at 2000 Airport Rd NE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Public transportation, operated by Calgary Transit, is available at the arrivals level of both the domestic and international terminals.

The following bus routes run from the airport:

• Route 300 BRT Airport/City Centre goes directly into Downtown Calgary and back with limited stops in between. Recently, its fare has been lowered, and a ride now only costs the regular bus fare of $3.60, with free transfers up to 90 minutes.
• Route 100 North Pointe/Airport/McKnight-WestWinds LRT Station offers a connection to the LRT that also leads to downtown. A ride likewise costs $3.60, with free transfers up to 90 minutes.

For those planning to travel beyond Calgary, Red Arrow Motorcoach operates scheduled services to other cities in Alberta, such Edmonton, Red Deer, Fort McMurray, and Lethbridge. Its pick-up point is on the domestic arrivals level.

Rideshare apps are allowed at Calgary Airport to both pick up and drop off passengers, with Uber and local startup TappCar available in the city. However, note that the airport charges rideshares a $3.15 fee, which is included with your fare.

Meanwhile, taxis can be hired from the arrivals level. Fares are based on a standard metre system, and it costs approximately $45 to Downtown Calgary.

Car rental companies can be found on the departures level at the dedicated rental cars centre. On-site car rentals include:

• Avis/Budget
• Dollar/Thrifty
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• National/Alamo

On the other hand, the following off-site rental companies offer a courtesy shuttle from bus bay 22 on the arrivals level:

• Discount
• Routes
• Driving Force
• NU
• UDrive
• Economy

Terminals

Calgary International Airport is set on two floors, with a landside mezzanine in between. The upper level is for check-in and departures, while the lower level is for arrivals.

The landside mezzanine gives access to in-terminal parking and hotels, and it also houses restaurant chains, A&W and Tim Hortons.

The airport is then subdivided into two terminals, Domestic and International. While calling them terminals suggests that they’re in separate buildings, both are in the same building, and are connected both airside and landside.

Domestic Terminal

The Domestic Terminal has three concourses, A–C, with gates within them numbered according to the concourse they’re in.

The airport’s main tenants, WestJet and Air Canada, may use any of the three concourses, while smaller carriers, such as Porter Airlines and Flair Airlines, mostly utilize Concourse A.

International Terminal

The International Terminal has two concourses, D and E, with gates also numbered according to their respective concourses.

The D gates are used for international departures, though sometimes they may be used for domestic flights as needed.

The E gates, meanwhile, are for US transborder flights, and as a pre-clearance area, the entire concourse is separated from the others airside.

To facilitate your connections, you may use the complimentary YYC LINK, a regular shuttle service that links the five concourses airside.

Airlines and Destinations

As one of Canada’s four major gateways, Calgary Airport connects passengers to 91 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Local airlines also offer scheduled flights from Calgary to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

The following airlines operate out of Calgary Airport:

Star Alliance

• Air Canada
• United

SkyTeam

• Delta
• KLM

OneWorld

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways

Non-alliance airlines

• Air North
• Air Transat
• Central Mountain Air
• Edelweiss
• Flair Airlines
• WestJet

Lounges

There are four lounges at Calgary Airport — one lounge each operated by Air Canada and WestJet, and two by Aspire.

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge

There’s only one Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary International Airport. While it’s located in the Domestic Terminal, it’s also accessible for those flying out from the International Terminal, since the two terminals are connected airside.

The lounge is located near Gate 50 at Concourse C, and it’s open daily from 4:30am–12:30am.

WestJet Elevation Lounge

There’s only one WestJet Elevation Lounge all over Canada, and it’s in the airline’s main hub, Calgary. The airline’s flagship lounge may be accessed by WestJet and Delta elite members and business class passengers. Priority Pass and DragonPass members are also accepted; however, you’re limited to entry three hours prior to departure.

Accessible to those flying domestic or international, the lounge is located at Domestic Terminal Concourse B, and it’s open daily from 5am–10:30pm.

Aspire Lounge

As an independent operator, Aspire Lounge by Swissport services other airlines’ elite and premium cabin passengers, as well as Priority Pass and DragonPass members.

There are two of them at the International Terminal: one at Concourse D and one at Concourse E (Transborder).

Priority Services

If you’re flying in a premium cabin, hold elite airline status, and/or certain credit cards, the airline you’re flying with will typically offer you the following priority services:

• Priority check-in counters
• Priority security clearance
• Priority boarding
• Priority baggage handling
• Lounge access

With Calgary Airport being its main hub, WestJet offers the services above to passengers who purchase a Business or Premium fare, or hold elite status with WestJet Rewards.

Meanwhile, Air Canada, despite having a smaller footprint in Calgary than WestJet, also offers the services above to its elite members and premium cabin guests.

But even if you’re not flying a premium cabin or holding elite status with an airline, there still are priority services you could take advantage of at Calgary Airport.

YYC Express is a service that allows you to schedule your security screening, so you’re in the front of the line by the time you arrive. It’s free for anyone, long as your flight is departing anytime from International Terminal Concourse D or E.

On the other hand, if you’re flying to the US through Concourse E’s pre-clearance facility, you may take advantage of Mobile Passport Control, which allows you to complete your entry declarations in advance and access an express line.

Its Canadian counterpart is Advance CBSA Declaration, which expedites your entry into Canada by allowing you to complete your declarations ahead and also allowing you to access an express queue.

Airport Hotels

There are two in-terminal hotels at Calgary Airport, namely Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel and Delta Hotels Calgary Airport In-Terminal. Both are located a few steps away from baggage claim.

Aside from the two in-terminal hotels, there also are a plethora of hotels with shuttle service to and from the airport, including:

• Acclaim Hotel Calgary Airport
• Best Western Plus Port O’Call Hotel
• Best Western Premier Freeport Inn Calgary Airport
• Comfort Inn & Suites Calgary Airport South
• Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport
• Hampton Inn by Hilton Calgary Airport North
• Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Airport
• Holiday Inn & Suites Calgary Airport North
• Holiday Inn Calgary-Airport
• Homewood Suites Calgary Airport
• Hyatt Place Calgary Airport
• Sandman Hotel Calgary Airport
• Sandman Signature Calgary Airport Hotel
• Staybridge Suites Calgary Airport
• Super 8 by Wyndham Calgary/Airport
• Wingate by Wyndham Calgary Airport

International Transfers

Since domestic and international concourses are connected, you can walk from one gate to the next when connecting from a domestic to international flight, except if you’re connecting to a flight going to the US.

In such cases, before you can proceed to your transborder gate at Concourse E, you must undergo pre-clearance, which allows you to clear US customs and immigration at Calgary Airport.

If you’re connecting from an international to domestic flight or from an international to international flight, you must clear Canadian immigration and customs, and in most cases, check your bag again at a connections counter.

As a general rule, if you’re arriving from outside Canada, you must satisfy Canada’s entry requirements, especially when it comes to travel documentation like visas and electronic travel authorizations (eTAs).

Even if you’re only connecting between international flights (e.g., London–Calgary–Los Angeles), you must still present your travel documents to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

To be sure about whether your bag must be picked up and re-checked at Calgary Airport, ask the ground staff when you check-in at your departure point or when you arrive in Calgary.

US Pre-Clearance

Calgary Airport is one of eight airports in Canada with US pre-clearance facilities, where you must clear customs and immigration if you’re departing on or connecting to a flight to the United States. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents process passengers entering Concourse E from 4:30am to 8pm daily.

To expedite your journey through US pre-clearance, you may use NEXUS, Global Entry, or Mobile Passport Control.