From hiring more staff to improving ArriveCan and creating new traveller resources, the federal government says it is continuing to take action to streamline customs procedures to help reduce wait times for travellers at Canada’s air borders.
Transport Canada says it continuing to meet regularly with airports and airlines alongside the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and NAV CANADA to find solutions to address bottlenecks affecting travel.
The latest measures, which follow the recent move of random testing to offsite locations, include:
Increasing staffing for security screening and customs processing: CBSA is making more border services officers available at the most congested airports, has temporarily re-hired retired officers, and has hired additional student border services officers. Since April, more than 1,600 CATSA screening officers have been hired across Canada and the number of screening officers at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport are now over 100% of summer target levels. Efforts to increase screening officer staff levels at all airports continue.
Upgrades at YYZ: The Greater Toronto Airports Authority and the CBSA are adding 10 new eGates and 30 more primary inspection kiosks at Toronto Pearson by the end of this week. CBSA continues to monitor and prepare for peak arrival times to maximize efficiencies.
Improving ArriveCAN: Travellers arriving in Toronto and Vancouver, and later this month at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, can save time by using the Advance CBSA Declaration optional feature in ArriveCAN to submit their customs and immigration declaration in advance of arrival. This feature will also be expanded to other international airports in the coming months.
Information resource for passengers experiencing flight delays, cancellations and lost or delayed baggage: The Canadian Transportation Agency has developed an information resource to help passengers who are experiencing issues during their travel. The guide provides answers to many frequently asked travel questions and advises passengers of their rights under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations should their flights be delayed or cancelled, or in the event their baggage is lost, damaged, or delayed. It can be accessed HERE.
Is it working?
As of July 18-21, CATSA says collectively 81% of passengers were screened with 15 minutes at Canada’s airports, even as passenger volumes continued to increase. Individually, YYZ was 82%, YVR 81%, and YYC 81% – all improvements on the week before. Only Montreal declined during the same period, from 78% to 68%.
CATSA says less than 2% across all airports waited more than 45 minutes to be security screened for the week of July 11-17.
Meanwhile, the agency also notes that the number of aircraft being held on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson – Canada’s largest airport – has decreased significantly since early May. For the week of July 11-17, 58 aircraft were held on the tarmac as compared to the peak of 373 the week of May 23-29.
This decrease, says CATSA, is attributable to adding more Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers and more kiosks and eGates in the CBSA hall at Terminal 1.