How was Pearson Airport? I’ve been hearing this question a lot since my family and I recently travelled through Toronto’s now infamous airport. We came back with no horror stories to share, which I suspect had a lot of it had to do with sheer luck and the fact that we didn’t fly with one of the major national carriers.
That said, if you’re travelling through Pearson or another delays-plagued transport hub in the next few weeks, here are four tips based on personal experience and my reporting on the issue:With all the staffing shortages, no one will be checking you in any earlier than the customary two hours or three hours before departure. Arriving, say, four hours early likely means you’ll end up sitting around without so much as an assigned check-in counter to line up at.
That said, arriving 15-20 minutes before check-in begins can make all the difference between breezing through your baggage drop and a long, slow line in front of you.I had no intention of spending my vacation waiting for our bags to arrive, so I squeezed the bare minimum for a week into three carry-on bags. That lowered my stress levels and considerably reduced our time at the airport.
If minimalist packing isn’t an option, make sure to stuff your carry-on with everything you’d need to get by for a day or two without your checked bags. Starting your holiday by having to shop for underwear and pyjamas is no fun.Sometimes your bags take so long to catch up with you that you’ll end up having to buy some clothing no matter what. In that scenario, it’s nice when your insurance chips in with a few hundred bucks.
An allowance to replace essential items is a handy feature of many trip cancellation and interruption policies. This kind of insurance – often sold separately from the kind that covers medical emergencies – will also refund you all or some of the costs of hotel nights, pre booked excursions and activities you might miss because your flights were cancelled or delayed. These days, it’s a must-have.No insurance will cover the actual cost of a cancelled flight.
Media: airport apocalypse at Pearson!! 10 hour lines!! Also media: who shows up super early for flights? Losers. Y'all just print anything these days as long as it gets a click.