Security lines
LYVR shows live security wait times for each checkpoint, grouped by terminal, refreshed every couple of minutes.
YOW Ottawa layover guide
A layover at YOW.
Ottawa / Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
Lounges, security and customs waits, and what a connection at YOW actually involves. LYVR plans the whole layover, with real walk times on the indoor map.
Updated October 2026 · Sources · Layover calculator
1lounge at YOW, with what gets you in
1open to Priority Pass or DragonPass members
Livesecurity wait times in the app
—border queue data isn't available here yet
Wait times
The lines at YOW, before you're in them.
Open the Airports tab in LYVR and pick YOW.
Counted in your time to spare
Every checkpoint on your connection becomes a step in the layover plan, so the time to spare already allows for the lines.
Lounges
1 lounge at YOW.
0 open with a credit card, 1 with Priority Pass or DragonPass, 0 with airline elite status. Rules and hours change, so check with the lounge before you go.
Aspire Salon Lounge
Memberships
Day pass / waitlist →Priority Pass
Plan it in LYVR
Your YOW layover, planned to the minute.
Save your flights and LYVR finds the connection at YOW on its own, then times every part of it.
Every minute, accounted for.
Deplaning, every walk on the indoor map, the checkpoints your connection passes and when the doors close. What's left is yours to plan.
Lounges you can actually get into.
Add your cards and memberships once. With LYVR Pro, every lounge at YOW shows whether you're in, and the live queue where there is one.
Directions that know which floor you're on.
Around walls, up escalators, onto the train between terminals and through security on the way.
Time to see Ottawa?
Getting out, the ride each way, security on the way back and a cushion, checked against your passport. With LYVR Pro, a day in Ottawa, planned.
Layover questions
YOW, answered.
Can I check the security wait time at YOW?
LYVR shows live security wait times for each checkpoint, grouped by terminal, refreshed every couple of minutes.
Which lounges at YOW can I use on a layover?
LYVR lists 1 lounge at YOW, 1 of them on Priority Pass. Which ones you can get into depends on your ticket, airline status, credit card or a lounge membership. Each lounge on this page lists what gets you in, and LYVR checks it against your own profile.
How much time do I need for a layover at YOW?
It depends on your terminals, whether you re-clear security or customs, and how far the gates are apart. LYVR adds up deplaning, every walk on the indoor map, any checkpoints your connection passes and the boarding door time, then shows exactly how much time you have to spare.
Is a 1 hour layover enough at YOW?
For a connection on one ticket, airlines won't sell you less than YOW's minimum connection time, and they rebook you if a delay makes you miss it. An international transfer with security screening is still more comfortable with 1.5 to 2 hours, and separate tickets need 3 or more. LYVR works out your exact time to spare for your own two gates.
What is there to do on a layover at YOW?
With an hour or two, eat near your gate and walk the terminal. With more, YOW's 1 lounge (1 on Priority Pass) have quiet seats, food and often showers. LYVR's Explore tab lists every restaurant, bar and shop near your gate with the walk time, so you only see what fits in your layover.
Can I leave the airport on a layover at YOW?
On a domestic connection, yes, with enough time. On an international one, only if you're allowed to enter Canada, since leaving YOW means going through immigration, and you'd want about 6 hours: the passport line both ways, the trip into Ottawa and back, and security on the way in. LYVR checks the ride each way, the time you'd have in the city and your passport's entry rule.
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Layover questions
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at YOW?
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Plan my layover →Sources
Lounges from Priority Pass's and DragonPass's directories, the card networks' lounge lists (American Express, Capital One, Chase, Mastercard), each operator's own booking or waitlist page. Who gets in is worked out with the same rules the LYVR app uses for your saved cards, memberships and airline status. Wait times come from the airport's or TSA's own data. Terminal times are LYVR's curated estimates. Compiled October 2026; details change, so confirm with the airport, airline or lounge before you travel. LYVR isn't affiliated with Ottawa / Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.