Holiday Travel At Pearson Airport Is Already Looking Rough & Here's How Airlines Are Coping

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) has already said it's preparing for one of its busiest holiday travel seasons since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with some passengers already dealing with issues, an incoming winter storm in Ontario isn't going to make things any easier.

The storm featuring everything from heavy snowfall to flash freezing is due to arrive during the days leading up to Christmas, the peak of holiday travel that could see some 130,000 pass through Pearson each day, and some airlines are already trying to get one step ahead of the mess.

WestJet

Following an absolute disaster for travellers flying in and out of Vancouver after a major storm out west, WestJet apologized and also warned holiday travellers in a series of tweets.

"We understand your frustration, especially at this time of year," wrote the Calgary-based airline. "Unfortunately, weather challenges are expected to continue and there is limited availability to reaccommodate due to the demand. If your flight is cancelled, any available reaccomodation options will be communicated to you through email."

The airline explained that if you're one of the unlucky few to have your flight cancelled this holiday season, you should not go to the airport or call their contact centre for assistance, but just wait for that email.

WestJet said full refunds are available for anyone travelling between now and December 26 who might want to "proactively cancel."

Sunwing Airlines

Sunwing Airlines has already been somewhat in the spotlight this holiday travel season, after a Tiktok video of people chanting "f**k you Sunwing" at Pearson Airport went viral while people were stuck waiting nearly two hours for their bags.

In a statement to Narcity, Sunwing said the problem that led to this delay has since been resolved.

“Unfortunately, ground handler shortages at Pearson Airport in recent days have resulted in some baggage delays for customers. While that issue has since been resolved, we understand our customers’ frustrations and disappointment with waiting for their baggage," Sunwing said in an emailed statement. "We understand waiting for baggage can be unpleasant, and our team has done everything possible to help minimize time spent waiting at the airport and to reunite our customers with their baggage.”

In response to some more recent weather-related problems, Sunwing said in a tweet that "compensation eligibility will depend on the circumstances of the specific flight delay."

Porter Airlines

As for Porter Airlines, they're also trying to get one step ahead of the impending mess that is likely to be caused by this incoming storm for much of Ontario.

In a Tweet on Tuesday evening, the Toronto-based airline said travellers whose flights are impacted by the weather on Thursday (Dec 22), Friday (Dec 23), and Saturday (Dec 24) are being offered "complimentary flight changes" and could reach their call centre assistance.

That announcement came exactly one minute after the airline said it was dealing with a "third-party network outage" that was impacting various services and its website. It's unclear if that issue had been resolved by the next morning.

Porter is mainly based out of Billy Bishop Airport, but is in the early stages of its expansion plans that will soon see it fly to multiple destinations from Pearson.

Pearson Airport

When it comes to weather-related issues, there is very little the airport can do aside from trying to keep its operations running as smoothly as possible.

Pearson has said the days leading up to Christmas and the days around January 9, when kids head back to school, are likely to be the busiest.

While no one can control the weather, there are several steps you can take in advance of your flight that could make your YYZ experience a bit easier.