Toronto Pearson Airport braces for 3.2 million holiday travellers

The holiday travel season is officially underway at Toronto Pearson Airport, with 3.2 million travellers expected to come through the terminals until Jan. 5.

That breaks down to around 171,000 people per day on some of the busiest days. Some of the busiest routes so far are to Vancouver followed by New York, Montreal and Calgary.

Toronto Pearson is sharing some of its tips for a smooth travel season — whether you’re flying within Canada or to a tropical destination.

Make sure to arrive early — two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.

You’ll want to plan for traffic, weather conditions and anything else that could cause delays along the way.

If you’re checking a bag, double check the baggage limits with your carrier before heading out to make sure you don’t run into added fees or experience the nightmare of emptying your bags in the middle of the airport to fit them into other bags.

Make sure to have all your documents ready when you get to security and customs.

Pearson has a wait time dashboard with real time updates on how long it will take to get through. Domestic flights are usually quite fast, but it’s about a 30-minute wait if you’re flying to the U.S.

As always, make sure to check your flight before coming to the airport, especially on days like today where the temperature is dropping and it could make for slick conditions.

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