Toronto airport delays on return to Canada

[archer_310]

Friends returning from Miami Monday night were able to bypass a LONG line using Nexus (about 20 minutes apparently), but one of their family did not have Nexus and had to wait 7 hours in line to get out of the airport.  We have a cruise booked in just over a week and will be returning Nov. 7.  All of our party have Nexus except one.  Does anyone know if this is now a routine experience at Toronto, or is it hit and miss?  Is there any way to check what the daily waits are - or is anyone reporting on this?  Just trying to figure out what to do regarding our 5th person?  Have them drive separately just in case?  Does anyone know what the holdup is?  Is it customs, or checking vaccinations and tests - or both?

[broberts]

See https://www.torontopearson.com/en/notices/passengers-should-expect-delays

 

I expect much of the delay is caused by arrivals that have not used the arrrivecan app and / or do not have appropriate documentation.

[hancogran]

Wow..that's a lengthy wait.   Here's a website that lets you check wait times at various Canadian airports although I don't know how accurate it is    Airport wait times

 

 

[Magicat]

Did CBSA ratify their contract?

[Fouremco]

Delays are to be expected, and the airport says to anticipate delays up to 3 hours, but 7 hours sounds crazy. Hopefully that was a singular occurrence. 

[hancogran]

3 minutes ago, Magicat said:

Did CBSA ratify their contract?

Yes, back in September I believe.

[archer_310]

8 minutes ago, hancogran said:

Wow..that's a lengthy wait.   Here's a website that lets you check wait times at various Canadian airports although I don't know how accurate it is    Airport wait times

 

Link just goes back to this thread.

 

[hancogran]

1 minute ago, archer_310 said:

 

 

Let's try again.. Airport wait times

 

(I think the moderators might have picked it up but if you google "Canadian airport wait times" , you'll come up with it.  

 

[lx200gps]

34 minutes ago, broberts said:

See https://www.torontopearson.com/en/notices/passengers-should-expect-delays

 

I expect much of the delay is caused by arrivals that have not used the arrrivecan app and / or do not have appropriate documentation.

My thoughts exactly. Question is, do airline staff at, say, Hong Kong or Heathrow precheck the ArriveCan status and deny boarding to anyone who has not filled in the app, or do they just let anyone board and have the CBSA sort out the mess on arrival here? I would imagine that Air Canada staff at foreign airports would do so, but what about foreign airlines.  If a few very large aircraft all arrive at Pearson at the same time, from the Far East or Europe, with only a fraction of the passengers having properly completed the ArriveCan info, the delays would be massive.

[netpj]

We returned from England in early October on a Sunday around noon.  The entire process from the time we left the plane, did the long walk to the customs and immigration area, used the machines to scan our passports and complete all the questions (everything now done electronically) and saw a border official who asked a few questions (everyone has to see a real person) to colleting our luggage, took no more than 25 minutes.  It was the fastest transit through Pearson we have ever had.  Perhaps it had to do with the time of day.  Our ArriveCan receipt had been verified at Heathrow along with vaccination proof which had been uploaded to ArriveCan.  We were not asked to produce the receipt here,   We had heard about the lengthy delays so were fortunate.  

[tert333]

There will be new procedures that will be implemented at US customs after November 8.   I would expect the new protocols of needing to show vaccination records, may slow things down.   We are travelling to the US November 20.   I was thinking of getting there 3 hours in advance just to be safe.

[Fouremco]

12 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

My thoughts exactly. Question is, do airline staff at, say, Hong Kong or Heathrow precheck the ArriveCan status and deny boarding to anyone who has not filled in the app, or do they just let anyone board and have the CBSA sort out the mess on arrival here? I would imagine that Air Canada staff at foreign airports would do so, but what about foreign airlines.  If a few very large aircraft all arrive at Pearson at the same time, from the Far East or Europe, with only a fraction of the passengers having properly completed the ArriveCan info, the delays would be massive.

My understanding is that all airlines must verify that a passenger has submitted the requisite information using the ArriveCAN and has the receipt to prove it. Like having to ensure that passengers have a passport, required visas, etc., I believe that all international airlines cooperate willingly, as failure to do so means that their landing rights in Canada would be cancelled.

[Liverpoolfan181]

Have (Canadian) friends and colleagues who just got back from Florida and they had a quick return and were with their luggage in under 30 mins. No Nexus. Time of day along with weekend vs weekday?

 

I haven't heard too many horror stories for return trips back to Canada, but mixed reviews and luck of the draw for departing to the US at Pearson.  

[broberts]

25 minutes ago, tert333 said:

There will be new procedures that will be implemented at US customs after November 8.   I would expect the new protocols of needing to show vaccination records, may slow things down.   We are travelling to the US November 20.   I was thinking of getting there 3 hours in advance just to be safe.

 

I have always arrived at least 3hrs before departure of any international flight. My dad instilled this at an early age.

 

23 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

My understanding is that all airlines must verify that a passenger has submitted the requisite information using the ArriveCAN and has the receipt to prove it. Like having to ensure that passengers have a passport, required visas, etc., I believe that all international airlines cooperate willingly, as failure to do so means that their landing rights in Canada would be cancelled.

 

Two thoughts. I am constantly surprised at the number of people that seem to be able to ignore or circumvent rules. And, just because data has been entered does not mean it is completely accurate.

[lots-of-km2]

1 hour ago, archer_310 said:

Does anyone know what the holdup is?  Is it customs, or checking vaccinations and tests - or both?

 

Nexus is a godsend.  Full stop. 

 

Three weeks ago, when my flight landed in Toronto mid evening (Terminal 1), the pilot announced that we might need to wait in the plane on the tarmac for anywhere from 1/2 hour to 3 hours while passenger backlog was cleared in the customs clearance area.  We were told that the CBSA wasn't fully staffed up.  People with tight flight connections got very nervous. 

 

Our wait inside the plane wasn't terrible -- about  1/2 hour, and flight attendants provided water and a calming presence.  By the time we reached the CBSA clearance area, the snaking lines inside were huge.  I could see many of the CBSA inspection kiosks were unstaffed, confirming the pilot's comments.  I have Nexus, which bypassed the hordes entirely and had dedicated CBSA staff.  I was in and out of that hall in under 5 minutes. 

 

In the baggage claim hall,  a lot of baggage was  pulled off belts and lined up by Pearson staff, awaiting owners. That was the biggest indicator to me that the CBSA might be struggling with the passenger volume and current processing complexities/variables during peak periods.  All it takes is one person who hasn't filled out ArriveCan correctly or at all, and the passenger processing slows right down. 

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by lots-of-km2

[Fouremco]

20 minutes ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

Nexus is a godsend.  Full stop. 

 

Three weeks ago, when my flight landed in Toronto mid evening (Terminal 1), the pilot announced that we might need to wait in the plane on the tarmac for anywhere from 1/2 hour to 3 hours while passenger backlog was cleared in the customs clearance area.  We were told that the CBSA wasn't fully staffed up.  People with tight flight connections got very nervous. 

 

Our wait inside the plane wasn't terrible -- about  1/2 hour, and flight attendants provided water and a calming presence.  By the time we reached the CBSA clearance area, the snaking lines inside were huge.  I could see many of the CBSA inspection kiosks were unstaffed, confirming the pilot's comments.  I have Nexus, which bypassed the hordes entirely and had dedicated CBSA staff.  I was in and out of that hall in under 5 minutes. 

 

In the baggage claim hall,  a lot of baggage was  pulled off belts and lined up by Pearson staff, awaiting owners. That was the biggest indicator to me that the CBSA might be struggling with the passenger volume and current processing complexities/variables during peak periods.  All it takes is one person who hasn't filled out ArriveCan correctly or at all, and the passenger processing slows right down. 

 

 

 

It's too bad that passengers with NEXUS weren't allowed off the plane upon arrival.

[lots-of-km2]

Just now, Fouremco said:

It's too bad that passengers with NEXUS weren't allowed off the plane upon arrival.

 

I didn't (and don't) expect that, to be honest.  AC doesn't prioritize Nexus status, the CBSA does.  AC does stuff to facilitate their business and flight operations. 

 

What AC did do was let the people with tight connections disembark first -- that seemed to feel right to everybody on board.

[Fouremco]

9 minutes ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

I didn't (and don't) expect that, to be honest.  AC doesn't prioritize Nexus status, the CBSA does.  AC does stuff to facilitate their business and flight operations. 

 

What AC did do was let the people with tight connections disembark first -- that seemed to feel right to everybody on board.

I realize that NEXUS isn't an airline issue, whether AC or other, but when there's a backup as you have described, letting NEXUS passengers off upon arrival would an easy step and would make those passengers happy while having no negative impact on their business or flight operations. Increased customer satisfaction at no cost sounds like a win-win to me.

[lots-of-km2]

5 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I realize that NEXUS isn't an airline issue, whether AC or other, but when there's a backup as you have described, letting NEXUS passengers off upon arrival would an easy step and would make those passengers happy while having no negative impact on their business or flight operations. Increased customer satisfaction at no cost sounds like a win-win to me.

I hear ya.  But would make for bad optics to let Nexus passengers off before people with flight connections.  It would p**** those connecting passengers off.   And AC's first loyalty is to its passengers, not Nexus card holders. 

 

More importantly, it may be CBSA that's calling all the shots here. AC didn't get instructions from the CBSA to let NEXUS people off first.  The CBSA didn't want anyone to get off the plane initially. 

Edited October 21, 2021 by lots-of-km2

[Fouremco]

3 minutes ago, lots-of-km2 said:

And AC's first loyalty is to its passengers, not Nexus card holders. 

Beg your pardon? I didn't realize that my NEXUS status meant that AC was less loyal to me. 

 

Seriously, all it would take is an announcement from the captain that as CBSA processing was backed up, there would be a delay disembarking. However, as there was no similar backup for the NEXUS lanes, NEXUS passengers would be able to leave immediately.

 

If the passengers could understand the logic of letting those with connecting flights off first without becoming annoyed, I quite sure that they could understand the logic of letting NEXUS holders off. And, as a bonus, passengers with connecting flights who were also NEXUS members would be doubly happy! 😇 As someone who is a NEXUS member who often has to fly back to Ottawa via Toronto because AC doesn't offer direct flights from FLL every day of the week, I would be ecstatic! 

[Ginnyfyr]

Friends of mine sat on the tarmac for 2 hours after their return to Pearson from Punta Cana a few weeks ago. They were told the same thing - passenger backlog inside due to CBSA understaffing. When hubby and I landed (with AC) in Toronto after our cruise from Seattle, we were told there would be a wait for the same reason and the flight attendant was honest and said it could be a couple of hours. They allowed anyone with a connection to disembark so they wouldn't miss their next flight. We only had to wait about 20 minutes (I suspect because we weren't a very full flight) and since hubby and I have Nexus, we breezed through security and were outside waiting for our car within about 20 minutes from leaving the plane. I'm curious to see how our experience will be when we fly home from Florida on a Saturday in a few weeks!

[archer_310]

Yeah, we're supposed to arrive back in TO on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 4:40pm - so right in the middle of peak time probably.  I know we'll be OK with Nexus, but still wondering what to do about our 5th person who doesn't have Nexus.  I agree, though, people with connections and Nexus should be allowed to disembark earlier if there's a delay.

[tert333]

15 minutes ago, archer_310 said:

Yeah, we're supposed to arrive back in TO on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 4:40pm - so right in the middle of peak time probably.  I know we'll be OK with Nexus, but still wondering what to do about our 5th person who doesn't have Nexus.  I agree, though, people with connections and Nexus should be allowed to disembark earlier if there's a delay.

You are lucky to be arriving on Nov 7 and not Nov 8.   I would expect when the US implements their new vaccination policy, there will be some hiccups.

 

 

[thon]

5 hours ago, Magicat said:

Did CBSA ratify their contract?

It was ratified Sept 23 but has not been signed yet.  My daughter works at CBSA (in HQ) and is covered by this agreement.

[gnome12]

4 hours ago, archer_310 said:

 

Thanks.  I'll monitor this to see what happens over the next few days.  Just to be clear, if we're returning to Canada from the US via terminal 3, would I look at T3 Canada or T3 US?

I know that we have US customs preclearance here in Toronto, so when  you arrive in the US you are a domestic arrival. I don't think that we (yet) have Canadian customs preclearance in the US; there will be a whole lot of airports to cover. Without it, you would be arriving at T3 International; I don't think that there is any differentiation between US and international arrivals in customs or baggage claim.