Travelers arriving in Toronto facing "extreme" wait times
You can add Canada’s busiest airport to the list of places where staffing shortages and COVID-19 protocols are leading to long lines. This week, it got so bad that airport officials in Toronto sounded the alarm, calling on the Canadian government to make immediate changes. So far, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen, though, and it could continue to mean long wait times for passengers after their plane touches down.
On Wednesday, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) which manages Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) – Canada’s busiest airport, including for international travel – released a statement regarding “extreme wait times” for passengers.
Airport officials said staffing shortages were leading to longer than usual backups for departing passengers at security checkpoints, and for U.S. citizens going through customs preclearance.
Those appear to be two pieces of the puzzle.
What appears to be an especially urgent situation, though, is what’s happening with international passengers after they arrive.
Toronto airport leaders said passengers arriving from international destinations are facing “bottlenecks and very lengthy delays” in border processing. The airport said this is a “direct result” of the Canadian government's health requirements that are still in place due to COVID-19.
In an effort to prevent what the airport said would otherwise be “severe passenger congestion,” airlines and the airport have been holding passengers on planes to avoid a crush of foot traffic into the customs area – a tactic officials admitted is “incredibly frustrating for passengers.”
All you have to do is check Pearson Airport’s Twitter feed to see the frustration of travelers.
After the airport again warned Friday evening, “Arrivals processing this evening is expected to be longer than normal given high passenger volumes and (Canadian government) health checks,” the responses came pouring in.
“Been sitting in our plane for over an hour now to go inside,” one passenger, Paul, tweeted at the airport. “Can’t imagine how horrible it will be inside.”
Another passenger, Jake, tweeted just before midnight, “My flight landed at 10:10 and we are still not off the plane yet and no direction as of when it could even be.”
As part of its statement, airport officials put out an “urgent” call to the Canadian government to “streamline or eliminate” health requirements at the border to ease bottlenecks.
Some health measures are still in place
Interestingly, these “extreme” delays airport officials have spoken of in recent days come weeks after the Canadian government eased many (but not all) of its entry requirements for international travelers.
TPG reported earlier this spring, that the country removed its testing requirement for vaccinated travelers entering Canada.
There are a couple of caveats, though.
First of all, Canadian health officials are continuing to do random testing among arriving passengers – so even if you’re vaccinated, you could randomly get pulled aside and tested when you enter the country.
The other piece of this is that – like a lot of countries – Canada still has pandemic requirements in place for uploading health information. All incoming travelers have to upload their information, including either a vaccine card or proof of a negative test, to the ArriveCAN app.
Related: Vaccinated travelers can now enter Canada without a COVID-19 test
So, if you haven’t correctly or completely filled out the information on the app, presumably, your trip through customs is going to take longer than usual. The more people this happens to, the longer the wait for everyone.
On top of calling on the Canadian government to “streamline or eliminate” these health requirements, GTAA officials called on health leaders to stop random testing, and move to an option like community wastewater testing, which has been a tactic used in parts of the world to monitor COVID-19 trends.
Canadian officials respond (To TPG)
After Toronto airport officials sounded the alarm over these delays earlier in the week, I reached out to see if they’d received word of any possible solutions from the Canadian government.
“We have not yet received a response from the federal government regarding solutions to these issues,” a GTAA spokesperson told TPG Friday evening. “The challenging wait times experienced by passengers continue to persist.”
A spokesperson with the Public Health Agency of Canada responded to TPG regarding the issues, though, and told us, “There are various reasons for the current backlogs and bottlenecks” at Pearson Airport.
As part of the statement, Canadian officials said the government “has worked to build efficiencies and additional capacity at the border,” but warned, “travelers should still be prepared for potentially…longer wait times and delays.” The statement acknowledged those wait times may “differ” depending on the time of day when travelers arrive.
Health officials also acknowledged during “peak times, wait times for testing at the airport can be longer,” but gave no indication any of the requirements are set to change. They did, however, note that the government “continues to assess the increase in traveler volume” and is looking “to identify efficiencies,” including potentially exploring alternative locations for testing.
In the meantime, the government reiterated the importance of completing ArriveCAN information prior to travel in hopes of expediting entry into the country.
Related: My experience crossing the Canadian border
Bottom line
Like many countries, Canada is grappling with the impact of staffing challenges and continued COVID-19 protocols as interest in travel surges again.
On top of raising concerns over the delays caused by health protocols, GTAA is calling on both the Canadian and U.S. government to take steps to hire more workers to staff security and customs centers at the airport. As we’ve seen here in the U.S., though, solving these staffing challenges is not an ‘overnight’ fix.
Bottom line, airport, airline and government officials are looking for solutions to reduce wait times. For the time being, though, it appears these delays are going to continue.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.