TORONTO — What a difference a year makes, particularly for Toronto Pearson International Airport.

According to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s mid-summer performance update, the airport, which was overwhelmed with delays and cancellations last year due to a labour shortage, has significantly improved the passenger experience across its operations since summer 2022. By implementing digital innovations and bolstering staffing, the check-in and boarding processes have been expedited, wait times have been reduced and baggage infrastructure has been upgraded.

As a result, Toronto Pearson has secured the top position in the Airports Council International (ACI) Large Airport Category for Q2.

“I am proud of the exceptional teamwork demonstrated by the Toronto Pearson team leading up to the summer season, which has collectively strengthened the overall resilience of our ecosystem,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO of the GTAA. “Our ranking as No. 1 in ASQ Customer Quality in Q2 across North America reflects the strong foundation of Toronto Pearson, even as the industry globally continues to face challenges from the pandemic.”

Improved results at Toronto Pearson include the following:

•  On-time performance: Toronto Pearson currently ranks 17th in the on-time performance global ranking published by Flight Aware versus last place (1st) at the height of the industry restart. At this time last summer, OTP was 35%. In recent weeks, it has touched as high as 74.5%.
•  Baggage: Airlines manage baggage delivery, but Toronto Pearson has made it an ongoing focus for collaborative improvement. The average wait time for all bags arriving at the carousel from July 3-9 was 20 minutes, compared to 26 minutes last year. During the week of July 10-16, baggage service availability at Terminals 1 and 3 was 99.3% and 98.7%, respectively.
•  Gate holds: For the week of July 3-9, there was just one flight where passengers were held on the aircraft at a Toronto Pearson gate. The aircraft was held for nine minutes. This situation represents a marked improvement over last summer when holding passengers at the gate was a regular practice due to overcrowding in the customs hall. The same week last year saw 34 flights with an average hold time of 10 minutes.
•  Security wait times: As passengers have experienced, international and domestic security wait times at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are significantly improved since last summer. The most recent data from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) for the week of July 3-9 indicates that 91% of passengers cleared security in less than 15 minutes.
•  Customs wait times: Wait times to enter Canada at Toronto Pearson’s customs halls are significantly and noticeably faster than last summer. Currently, the average wait time for passengers at customs is seven minutes.

According to the GTAA, the effective rollout of the YYZ Express program and the successful collaboration with United States Customs and Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency, facilitated by the introduction of tools like Mobile Passport Control and Advance Declaration, have expedited departure and arrival experiences.

A recent survey by Pollara found that 75% of travellers who have passed through Toronto Pearson Airport over the past year are satisfied with their experience. These positive feelings are partly driven by increased usage of new digital tools at the airport, including a live wait times dashboard, interactive digital maps, and YYZ Express.