Originally Posted by
Donkey497
I've been through YYZ in particular quite a few times both transatlantic to Canada and transatlantic to transfer internally and internationally & I cannot for the life of me think of any routing that hasn't involved me going through passport control and technically "landing".
I did have one occasion where I did not have to clear customs there, but that was a complete cluster.... and I don't recommend a repetition.
The circumstances would be extremely difficult for most to replicate in any case, as I doubt you'd be travelling with trefoil marked kit as hand luggage.
The current Federal limitations on entry / exit points defined by Ottawa do give you the option to maybe think about YVR as an option, depending on exactly where you are trying to get to & from it might be a great circle short cut. However, as with YYZ & YUL, the international routes and service frequencies are severely curtailed for the foreseeable future, so if you NEED to travel, best to just bite the bullet and shell out for a standard seat.
I'd suggest that in these unusual and rapidly changing times it is often unwise to stand out from the herd by travelling in an unusual way and thus attract additional scrutiny from those who may be inclined to be seek reasons to say no.
Thanks for your info. Most probably I will fly straight from the US to Europe to keep things simple...