Friday is expected to be the busiest travel day at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and airport officials are advising passengers to “pack your patience.” They are also offering a list of tips and tricks to help travellers make their experience as smooth as possible.
The Greater Toronto Airport Authority says approximately 85,000 passengers will arrive or depart at Pearson on March 11, ahead of the busy March Break week in Ontario. And while selected travel restrictions have been eased, existing government health measures will make for a travel experience that differs greatly from pre-pandemic times, specifically the likelihood of longer wait times due to many COVID-19 health measures still in place.
Pearson says it is working closely with airlines and government agencies to find every efficiency possible but says passengers should be aware that coming out of the pandemic, all companies and government agencies operating at the airport sometimes face staffing challenges like those in other service sectors.
As such, Pearson is asking passengers to demonstrate patience and to be kind to workers “who are committed to a safe, secure and healthy experience for every traveller.”
To help smooth check-in and arrivals experiences, Pearson offers the following advice:
Departing passengers
• Passengers should give themselves even more time when arriving for their flight. In addition to process changes, passengers may experience longer wait times during check-in, security and boarding their aircraft as there are still additional screening questions and health checks in place at Canada’s airports. Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes in advance of domestic flights and at least three hours in advance of international flights.
• Pearson has a wide variety of food and beverage options, including sit-down restaurants and take-out offerings, however travellers can also order ahead of time for pick up with Uber Eats to skip the line, available in select restaurants.
Arriving passengers
• Due to government measures in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, passengers arriving from international destinations will experience additional screening and health checks, which may result in delays. Passengers should be prepared for an arrivals process that may take significantly longer than it did pre-pandemic depending on their specific set of circumstances. When going through customs, passengers will be required to answer additional health questions.
• To expedite their arrivals experience, international passengers are encouraged to use the Advanced CBSA Declaration feature within ArriveCAN online to fill in their customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours in advance of flying into Canada.
• Finally, all fully vaccinated travellers eligible to enter Canada must provide a valid pre-arrival COVID-19 antigen test result taken no more than one day before their flight’s scheduled departure or a molecular test result taken no more than 72 hours before their flight’s scheduled departure.
Advice for travellers
• Access to the terminals is limited to airport employees and to passengers with a boarding pass, or to those whose itinerary involves same-day travel.
• While in terminal, all passengers and airport employees must wear masks at all times, with limited exceptions.
• Through the new Advance CBSA Declaration, international travellers arriving at Toronto Pearson can now use ArriveCAN online to prepare their customs and immigration declaration before arriving in Canada. Travellers to Canada must continue to use ArriveCAN for the mandatory submission of their travel and contact information, quarantine plan, pre-entry test results, proof of vaccination (if applicable) and COVID-19 symptom self-assessments.
• COVID-19 testing services are available at Pearson. The tests, conducted by Switch Health, are available to both departing passengers and members of the community who aren’t travelling but need access to testing services. Tests can be booked in advance via Switch Health’s booking portal HERE.
• Passengers headed to the terminals for March Break are encouraged to learn more about in-terminal activities to keep themselves – and their kids – entertained on the airport web site.
For a comprehensive guide to get you prepared for travelling, visit Pearson’s TRAVEL HUB.