If you’re soon planning to travel out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, you may want to leave much earlier than usual.
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has cautioned travellers that they should plan to be at the airport at least two hours in advance of domestic flights and three hours in advance of US and International Flights. CATSA is responsible for pre-board security screening for departing passengers.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has issued a statement advising travellers that there are three government checkpoints within the airport:
- Pre-board security screening on departure, provided by Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
- Pre-clearance on departure for all U.S. destinations, provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP)
- Customs clearance for international flights upon arrival in Canada, provided by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), including additional requirements established by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
Wait times for departing passengers at security screening points are being negatively impacted by staffing challenges at CATSA. Additionally, US-bound travellers are affected by staffing shortages with both CATSA and U.S Customs and Border Protection agencies.
International arriving passengers are facing bottlenecks and very lengthy delays in border processing as a result of public health requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To prevent severe congestion, airport and airline staff are being forced to hold passengers on board planes in order to control the flow of arriving passengers into the customs hall for processing by CBSA.
Travellers have taken to social media to complain of massive line ups and frustrating wait times.
The lineup before security at Pearson goes all the way to the front doors of the airport today! @TorontoPearson #travel pic.twitter.com/fup0fVaolx
— Angelique Toews (@Calcanius1) May 1, 2022
We got on our plane to come home from Punta Cana at 2:45 this afternoon. We had a 4 hour flight then sat on the tarmac FOR 4 MORE HOURS. With screaming babies & frustrated people. It’s almost midnight and we are finally off the plane in a jam packed customs line @TorontoPearson https://t.co/0G4AiOTycC
— Laura55 (@Laura5535819206) May 3, 2022
To alleviate these issues, GTAA has been petitioning the Federal Government to take steps such as eliminating random testing of arriving passengers, streamlining or eliminating the current public health requirements, and investing in necessary staffing of Government agencies such as CATSA while encouraging US partners to do the same.
With the summer travel season just around the corner, the pressure is on to find a solution.