By Plane
Ottawa airport (YOW) is served by many airlines including Air France (a SkyTeam airline, see discount information below), Porter (for which Ottawa is a hub, and which interlines with Delta, El Al, Qatar, Icelandair and Alaska ), Air Canada (A Star Alliance airline), Westjet, and United (a Star Alliance Airline).
YOW arrivals. YOW departures. Full list of current cities with daily flights
The following is a map of flight connections as planned by airlines at the time of the conference (click on the map to go to a live version of the map where you can select particular routes and see the flights available):
If you are coming from Europe, Asia or Africa
At the time of the conference, in April 2025, Travellers from or via Europe will be able to travel directly from:
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Paris France (CDG) with Air France. Incoming flight AF328 daily, Outgoing flight AF327 daily. We have obtained a 10% discount for ICSE2025 attendees on Air France or KLM coded flights. A booking code and instructions will be provided here later.
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London UK (LHR) with Air Canada: Incoming flight AC889 Saturday April 26 and Monday April 28, and outgoing flight AC888 Thursday May 1 and Saturday May 3.
International travellers can also make connections in Toronto (YYZ or YTZ) , Montreal (YUL), Vancouver (YVR), Halifax (YHZ), Calgary (YYC) and other Canadian cities.
If you are coming from or via the United States
Travellers from or via the United States can also connect through cities like Montreal and Toronto but can directly fly to Ottawa from several airports including Newark/New York EWR, Boston (BOS), Washington (Dulles IAD or Reagan DCA), Orlando MCO, and Chicago ORD. When leaving Ottawa you would clear US customs and Immigration directly, saving time at your US destination.
Other tips for international travel to Ottawa
If you first enter Canada at an airport other than Ottawa, remember that you will have to clear customs and immigration at your transfer airport, so ensure you have time to connect. After clearing in Toronto and Montreal you will be able to follow the purple “Connections” signs to your domestic departure. To speed your way through customs and immigration, you should download the ArriveCan app and enter your personal data just before you fly; you then scan your passport on arrival and may not even need to speak to an officer. It is sometimes possible to get through customs and immigration in as little as 10 minutes … but be prepared for longer waits.
If you are arriving in Montreal, you can consider not connecting to another flight, but instead taking the VIA Rail train, a 2-hour journey, from Dorval station (see the section below). You could also take the Orleans Express bus (see below), which also takes 2 hours. That bus drops off and picks up at the VIA Rail train station, but it also stops at the University of Ottawa, which is downtown, near the Shaw Centre.
By Train
The train from Montreal takes just two hours, so instead of flying from there, consider the train (then transfer to the light rail to get to the conference centre and your hotel). The train from Toronto takes just 4.5 hours. Click here for information about the VIA Rail Ottawa station.
Here are directions to get from the Ottawa train station to the Shaw Centre (conference venue).. Turn left as you exit the VIA Rail station and after a few meters you will find the Tremblay light rail station. Take the light rail direction “Tunney’s Pasture”, and get off at Rideau station, which is underground. From here you can exit directly into the Rideau Centre mall. On the second floor you will find a pathway into the Shaw Centre (and another into the Westin Hotel).
The following is a map of train routes.
By Inter-City Bus
If you are coming from the North-Eastern part of North America, and are willing to spend more time travelling and pay less money, there are several options to travel by inter-city bus. The following companies provide service:
Greyhound / Flixbus
Link: https://www.greyhound.com/bus-routes
Example cities in 14h or less: Toronto, Hamilton, Syracuse NY, Detroit
Orleans Express
Link: https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/schedule/#ottawa
Example cities: Montreal, Québec
Megabus
Link: https://ca.megabus.com/journey-planner/map
Example cities: Kingston, Toronto
Red Arrow
Link: https://www.redarrow.ca
Cities: Kingston, Toronto
Book a ride:
Link: https://www.bookaride.ca
Example cities: Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto
Maheux
Link: https://autobusmaheux.com
Example cities: Montreal, Quebec