Our Review of Toronto Pearson Airport

Our Review of Toronto Pearson Airport

At Plan Your Trips, we have analyzed hundreds of airports around the world, gaining a clear understanding of what users expect when visiting an airport. With this know-how, we have created this guide, placing passengers at the forefront of everything, aiming to simplify and enhance the airport experience. 

In this guide, our goal is to present information in a manner that is both quick and reliable. Recognizing that passengers often have limited time and may be in a hurry, we strive to ensure that they do not waste time unnecessarily.

Another key focus of our guide is to highlight the strengths of the airport and also the weaknesses, and in some cases, offer recommendations to travelers. In alignment with this approach, we provide users with aggregated information on delays and on-time performance, analyzing both airlines and individual flights.

Pros and Cons of Toronto Pearson Airport

PROS

Location: Toronto Airport (YYZ) is located 22.5 km (14 miles) northwest of Downtown Toronto, in the municipality of Mississauga, and serves the province of Ontario, the most populated province in Canada with 13 million of inhabitants.

Hub: Toronto Pearson Airport works as a hub for Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, FedEx Express and Porter Airlines. It is a focus city for Air Transat, WestJet and an operating base for Canada Jetlines, Flair Airlines and Sun wing Airlines.

Modern and Comprehensive Facilities: Modern terminals at Pearson offer an extensive range of amenities, such as many stores, eateries, lounges, and business services. Both leisure and business passengers are well-served by the airport.

Efficient Baggage Handling: The airport is known for its relatively efficient baggage handling system, minimizing wait times for luggage collection.

Accessibility and Transport Options: The UP Express rail connects the airport to the city and takes just 25 minutes to get to downtown Toronto. In addition, there are numerous taxi and ride-sharing services, as well as public transportation choices like as buses and shuttles.

 

CONS

Crowding and Congestion: The airport can get extremely crowded during popular travel periods and seasons. This can lead to lengthier wait times and stressful experiences.

Seasonal Delays: During the busiest travel times of the year, including the summer and holidays, the airport may face major delays that impact the overall duration and quality of the travel experience.

Customs and Immigration Wait Times: During busy times there may be long lines at immigration and customs, and some travelers may have to wait a long time.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

There are two terminals:  Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are the two primary terminals at Toronto Pearson Airport. Since there is no pedestrian access between terminals, it is imperative that you are aware of the terminal from where your aircraft departs.

Transport to and from Toronto: There are several ways to get from the airport to downtown Toronto, such as the UP Express train, taxis, public buses, and ride sharing services. Make appropriate travel arrangements, particularly if you anticipate arriving late, as certain services could have decreased.

Departures: Terminal 1: T-1 Parking Garage (level 5). Terminal 3: Inside Terminal 3 and the Sheraton Hotel pedestrian bridge.

Amenities: Terminal 1 offers the Sky Center, a plaza with shops and a variety of dining options airside. Terminal 3 also has a selection of shops and restaurants near the gates.

Family-Friendly Features: Pearson Airport is family-friendly, offering children’s play areas, child seats, lactation areas, and separate family check-in areas in both terminals.

Lounges: While waiting for a flight, travelers can select from a number of lounges spread out over the airport that provide comforts like food and drinks.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Annual Passengers Evolution

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Toronto Pearson Airport (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Toronto Pearson Airport (last month)