A staggering number of travellers will be going through Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario

The equivalent of a small city, in terms of population, will pass through the gates at Pearson Airport in Mississauga today, making it one of the busiest travel days of the year.

With Christmas Day on Monday, Canada’s biggest and busiest airport is expected to be jam-packed the next couple of days with holiday season travellers, say Pearson officials who are anticipating upwards of 150,000 travellers today and perhaps again on Saturday.

“Passengers are flowing smoothly through the terminals as we anticipate today to be one of the busiest travel days of the year, with over 150,000 passengers arriving, departing or passing through,” Pearson officials said via social media on Friday morning.

In a news release earlier this week, Pearson officials said they’re ready to meet the challenge of the busy days — and an anticipated busy winter, which they say could see a record number of Pearson travellers make their way through terminal gates.

They say they’ve increased staffing levels, added more snow removal equipment, placed more volunteers throughout the airport to assist passengers and added “greater system resiliency to our baggage system” as they deal with the large crowds. 

Airport officials are also offering tips to help passengers make their way smoothly through the airport.

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In addition to staying up to date by checking out Pearson Airport on the X platform (formerly Twitter), they recommend travellers use the following digital tools:

• YYZ Express, an online reservation program that allows travellers to book a spot in the security line ahead of their flight, up to 72 hours in advance
• Mobile Passport Control, an app introduced by United States Customs and Border Protection that allows travellers to digitally submit their information for a smoother departure experience if they’re travelling to the US
• a live online wait times dashboard provides travellers with real-time information ahead of arriving at the airport
• a peak travel times dashboard shows if you will be passing through the airport during a busy period
• Advance Declaration continues to be offered by the Canada Border Services Agency, which lets travellers submit their customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours in advance of flying into Canada, giving them a faster border experience and saving them time at Pearson. Passengers who complete Advance Declaration will have access to an express lane in the customs area

Pearson officials also have one final bit of advice.

“The airport will be busy, so travellers are urged to plan ahead, to check weather forecasts ahead of any flight and to be prepared in case plans are affected,” they said.

(Cover photo: Pearson Airport)