Here's Why Pearson Airport Is Having Delays & Wants Fliers To Come 2 Hours Ahead Of Time

Fliers who are going through Toronto Pearson Airport are facing some serious delays, and the airport is now encouraging travellers to show up earlier for their flights because of it.

A spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority told Narcity that at some points of the day, when its peak travel time for international flights in the late afternoons or evenings, Pearson is seeing almost as many travellers as they saw before the COVID-19 pandemic since more travel restrictions eased up.

Why are there so many delays?

"Due to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s additional health checks, the processing time within the Customs hall is significantly longer than prior to the pandemic," Tori Gass from the GTAA said.

According to Gass, there are about 30,000 international passengers flying into Pearson each and every day right now, and they're predicting that 45,000 passengers will come through the Toronto airport this coming summer.

"While pre-pandemic it took an officer on average 30 seconds to process an international arriving passenger, today the process can take at least two to four times longer," Gass said.

On Monday, May 2, the Canadian Air Transport Security put out a statement recognizing the long wait times travellers are currently facing across Canada, including Pearson Airport.

"CATSA is currently experiencing the pent-up demand for air travel occasioned by the pandemic. This follows two tumultuous years that resulted in a significant number of layoffs throughout the aviation industry, including the security-screening workforce," CATSA officials wrote, and apologized for the inconvenience this poses on travellers at this time.

Why travellers are held on their planes & luggage could take longer to come out

Passengers are asked to stay on board until there is space for them to walk through the customs hall, and according to Gass, Pearson works with the airlines to hold their bags until they're off their plane.

As soon as they're off the plane, the ground crews — who work for the airline, Gass said — will unload the bags and send them off to the luggage claim.

"When customs hall processing times are higher, there can be a buildup of luggage in the baggage hall," Gass explained.

"When this happens, the bags are removed from the carousels and organized proactively so that when passengers complete the customs process, they are able to collect their bags while other flights are unloaded onto the carousel."

What Pearson is recommending for travellers at this time

"Domestic departing passengers are asked to arrive at least two hours ahead of their scheduled flight and international departing passengers are asked to arrive at least three hours ahead of their scheduled flight," Gass said.

Before, Pearson would recommend fliers jetting off to other Canadian cities to arrive at the airport 90 minutes before take-off.

Pearson is still encouraging passengers to be prepared for security screening, like having all of their liquids and gels bagged up and ready for the conveyor belt.

They are also advising travellers to check their flight status with their airline or on Pearson's website before they come down to the airport.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.