Cross-border, it's not just for shopping...

Despite lofty plans to see the world, I've never focused my attention on much of the U.S., Caribbean, nor South America.  Therefore I've had little to say about travels going in that direction until some travel-related status updates/tweets last week sparked a conversation with a knowledgeable friend.

I'm struggling to find a cheap flight to Newark/New York City for Easter weekend and my friend Jos suggested I look for alternative flights out of Buffalo or Niagara Falls airport.  Though I have yet to take advantage, I have kept an eye out for flights from Buffalo for some previous travel.  I don't know enough to write about it, but I'm aware that contracts exist between certain countries which will make travel between them cheaper, and airport taxes and fees differ between airports/countries.  Therefore it is advantageous to look into flying out of the US sometimes, perhaps less so since 9/11 tightened security, but there are times when money is money.

From what I've learned clicking around on the net, Buffalo Airport offers a large number of domestic and international flights.  Most still require a stop in one of the major hubs (ie. New York, Newark, Chicago, Detroit) before actually crossing international lines, but for flights to the west coast, or if the US offers much more affordable travel to your destination, it's worth the drive across the border.  For those who don't drive, both Greyhound and Megabus have buses that will take you directly to Buffalo Airport in about three hours (hopefully there's adequate time in there for getting across the border, I've personally had some difficulties with Megabus.  Definitely allot extra time in there.)  Megabus has excellent pricing from Toronto to Buffalo Airport, I've found a number of $1 tickets.

Niagara Falls airport is much smaller and more akin to Toronto Island's Billy Bishop Airport.  While there are fewer flight options, it was also easier to isolate what they do offer -- and that's affordable travel down south, specifically Florida (where you can catch many connecting flights to the Caribbean, Central, and South America.  The airport is serviced by three airlines - Direct Air, Spirit Airlines, and Allegiant.  Their flight routes are as follows:

Direct Air:

Allegiant:

Spirit Airlines:

For non-drivers like myself, Jos has informed me Greyhound has a bus that goes to Niagara Airport. Sweet!

Have any of you flown out of Buffalo or Niagara?  I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts about this route.  I've been told about flights from Buffalo to New York for under $100, hope one of those flight sales pop up soon!