I Travelled Through Pearson Airport On Christmas Day & It Was Nothing Like 'Home Alone'

The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

Travelling during the holiday season can be expensive and possibly put a dent in your bank account. However, opting to fly out on Christmas day could save you a few bucks. But is it worth it? I'm not so sure.

I went through Toronto's Pearson Airport on December 25, 2022, to fly to Dubai, and it was the emptiest yet one of the worst experiences ever.

It definitely did not feel like that scene from Home Alone, where the McCallisters had to rush to get to their flight, in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Waiting at the gate.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

I checked in my luggage, went through security and got to my gate within 20 minutes of arriving at the airport — that might be a record for me. But, my flight was delayed 6 hours, which not only ruined my mood but also made my jet lag worse.

My Air Canada flight to Dubai was supposed to leave Toronto Pearson Airport at 9:25 p.m. Instead, I got on my flight at 2:00 a.m. and departed around 3:17 a.m.—technically, I flew out of Toronto on boxing day because of the delays.

At first, I was happy to know that my flight was delayed while I was still home. I postponed my ride to the airport so I wouldn't wait so long.

It then got delayed again and again, and then we got notified that it became earlier—at which point, I got in the car and went to the airport.

Once I checked in, it got delayed again, then again, and again.

In total, the flight got delayed nine times, and the gate kept changing too.

Messages from Air Canada.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

I tried to make the best out of sitting at the airport for endless hours, but it only worsened.

When I tried to change my flight to a different date, there was no one to speak to. Customer service had gone home for the night, and they left a sticky note with an e-mail address behind.

The lounge was not accepting any customers who were not business class passengers, so paying for more comfort was not possible either.

It's worth noting that a couple of days before my flight date, Ontario got hit with a pretty big and icy snowstorm that caused Pearson Airport to cancel a bunch of flights, and nearly all flights were delayed.

However, on Christmas Day, there was no snow on the ground and weather conditions were optimum, but I assumed due to the backlog that flights on this day would be affected.

When I emailed Air Canada for reimbursement or compensation, they told me "the compensation you are requesting does not apply because the disruption was caused by a safety-related issue."

"This flight is delayed due to additional time needed to substitute the aircraft. Due to an unforeseen maintenance issue, the aircraft for your flight may have had to be changed, and the arrival of the replacement aircraft took longer than expected," the airline added.

Messages from Air Canada.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Nevertheless, a bunch of other flights were delayed too, which made the whole process a lot worst than it should've been because other people were also miserable.

As a result of my complaint, Air Canada gave me a $100 e-coupon to be used on my next flight, which isn't great, but at least it's something...

Flight landing in Dubai.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Flying around Christmas time is usually risky, because more often than none snow will make an appearance and cause all sorts of problems.

For example, this one time I got stuck in Chicago—as part of my connecting flight to Toronto— for 3 days because of a blizzard and I got home with no luggage and a flight experience I will never forget. But that's a story for another time.

Anyways, if I were you, choose a safer time to travel rather than cheaper. Unless you're okay with getting delayed, then make sure to pack a bunch of snacks!