Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport (YOW) is free across all terminals. Join “YOW-WiFi”, then accept the terms on the sign-in page.

Yes. Free, unlimited Wi-Fi is available at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport.

• Common SSIDs: YOW-WiFi, #YOW Free WiFi
• Sign-in: Open network; if splash doesn’t appear, open a browser and accept terms
• Provider: Ottawa International Airport Authority (YOW)

Terminal specifics

• Single terminal
  Coverage across departures/arrivals, gates and food court

Power & places to work

How to connect at YOW

1. Join "YOW-WiFi" or "#YOW Free WiFi".
2. Open a browser; if the portal doesn’t appear, visit a non-HTTPS page to trigger it.
3. Complete any email/SMS step.
4. Start your VPN, then browse normally.

Interesting Facts about Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport Airport

• Served 4.6 million passengers in 2024, a 13% increase from 2023, making it Canada's sixth-busiest airport and Ontario's second-busiest by passenger traffic.
• Hub for Porter Airlines (which invested over $65 million to build two maintenance hangars), focus city for Air Canada, and home base for Canadian North.
• Single modern terminal with three levels opened in 2003, featuring 12 gates with jetways plus additional gates, designed by architect Richard Brisbin with Canadian art throughout.
• Three runways: 14/32 at 10,000 ft, 07/25 at 8,000 ft, and 04/22 (shorter), making YOW the first major Canadian commercial airport to groove its runways for enhanced safety.
• Named Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in 1993 after Canadian founding fathers Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier.
• Located 8 nautical miles (15 km) south of downtown Ottawa covering 1,686 hectares (4,166 acres), with direct O-Train light rail connection opened January 2025.
• Won Best Airport in the World for 2-5 million passenger category in 2010 Airport Service Quality Awards by Airports Council International.
• Direct flights to two European destinations (Paris-Charles de Gaulle and London-Heathrow) plus destinations across North America, with US customs pre-clearance facilities.

Sources

• YOW — ‘Wi-Fi upgrade…’ (new SSID ‘YOW-WiFi’)
• iFly — legacy SSID ‘#YOW Free WiFi’