The travel headaches and turbulence that have become commonplace in recent months at Canada’s busiest airport appear to be going away.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), the organization that oversees operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport, held a press conference Friday to update the public on the progress of the transit hub.
“We are indeed far from the finish line, but the actions of the GTAA, the federal government, agencies, airlines and many other partners working in concert together are truly having a positive impact,” said GTAA President and CEO Deborah Flint.
Flint said the airport has seen “measurable” operational improvements in recent weeks following a surge in travel demand prompted by the lifting of public health restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
These improvements are specifically seen in metrics related to security wait times, flight delays, cancellations and baggage delivery.
According to Flint, data from the Canadian Aviation Security Authority (CATSA), which screens passengers before boarding at the airport, shows that 82 percent of passengers who boarded a flight last week passed security for more than less than 15 minutes.
That’s a one-percentage-point improvement from the four-week moving average, which Flint said was due in part to CATSA hiring “hundreds” of new employees.
Flight delays at Pearson are also down, GTAA says – albeit slightly.
Deborah Flint, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), provides an update on the progress of Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto on Friday, August 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Dennett
Flint said that as of last week, 44 percent of all flights were on time. While admitting it wasn’t a number the GTAA would normally tout as a success, Flint said it was a “significant” improvement over last month’s 35 percent statistic.
Passengers who have recently arrived at Pearson from overseas travel may have been asked to wait on the tarmac due to customs delays. Flint said that process is also seeing an improvement due to an increase in the number of Canada Border Agency (CBSA) officers at the border.
Last week, only 19 planes were held up on arrival due to queues at the customs hall. In July, the moving average of detained aircraft was 60 per week.
Flint also credits the “streamlining of the ArriveCAN application” as part of the reason planes are held on the tarmac less frequently. Earlier this week, Pearson touted the app’s new pre-declaration feature – which allows travelers to submit their customs and immigration information up to 72 hours before their arrival – as an effective way to save time.
Meanwhile, the waiting time at the baggage carousel also seems to be decreasing.
Flint said domestic passengers waited an average of 24 minutes for their belongings after the flight. That’s three minutes less than they waited last month.
Bags are also returned to their owners three minutes faster for international passengers and four minutes faster for cross-border passengers.
The GTAA said it will make the metrics discussed during Friday’s press conference available to the public in the coming weeks and months as a way to provide travelers with a “resource at a glance” for airport operations.
In addition, passengers have access to interactive infographics and a “rush hour board” to help them navigate the airport as more and more people flock to travel.
And while the messages Flint sent Friday were overwhelmingly positive, few forward-looking operational metrics were actually mentioned in the progress update, other than Flint saying he was “looking forward” to the day when on-time targets are back above 70 percent.
However, Flint said she and her team are “committed” to providing “the best experience for Canadians and international travelers” — despite being named the world’s worst airport for delays by the Wall Street Journal last month.
“We will continue to find a solution. To be persistent, to continue to innovate, to create new opportunities and solutions, not just to get back to where we were, but to create an opportunity for the airport of the future,” Flint said.
People line up before entering security at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Dennett
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