Travel influencer tells how to avoid the ‘madness’ at Pearson Airport in Mississauga

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Published July 28, 2022 at 11:05 am

Travel influencer tells how to avoid the 'madness' at Pearson Airport in Mississauga
(Photo: Johnny Jet)

A renowned international air travel influencer suggests travellers at Pearson Airport in Mississauga fly mid-week and mid-day if they can to avoid many of the problems that have been plaguing Canada’s largest airport for months now. 

Those are just a couple of tidbits of advice Johnny Jet, aka John E. DiScala, offers in his latest daily online newsletter. Named one of Forbes’ Top 10 Travel Influencers in 2017, Johnny Jet has travelled about 100,000 air miles annually and has been to more than 100 countries since launching his newsletter in 1995.

In a column published earlier this week titled “I just flew through the world’s worst airport and here’s what it was like,” Johnny Jet details “the madness” at Pearson Airport and how to beat it–or at least minimize it.

Since early spring, Pearson and other airports across Canada and beyond have experienced ongoing problems of delayed and cancelled flights, lost luggage, huge lineups and, at times, a general environment of chaos.

Staff shortages combined with unexpectedly large numbers of people returning to air travel after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted earlier this year have overwhelmed airports.

But the issues have been more prevalent at Pearson.

Last week, the Mississauga-based airport was identified as having more delayed flights–more than 52 per cent of scheduled trips–than any other airport in the world. The same study showed Pearson was fourth in the world in number of cancelled flights.

This major transit route could also link up with Pearson Airport in Mississauga

And a recent Ipsos poll revealed that seven out of 10 Canadians believe the situation at Pearson Airport and other airports across the country is an “embarrassment to Canada.”

Although a good number of travellers have recently posted to social media that their experiences at Pearson Airport were just fine, with no delays or other issues, many others tell stories of cancelled or delayed flights, huge waits and lost luggage.

Johnny Jet, who notes that he travels to more than 20 countries each year, wrote in his column that “I just spent over a month in Toronto and almost every day there was a local news story about the madness at Pearson.”

He pointed out that the coverage wasn’t only local.

“In fact, the New York Times published a story…titled ‘Turbulence on the ground at Toronto’s Pearson Airport’ and last month, Ryan Whitney, a former NHL star, called (Pearson) ‘the worst place on earth’.”

On the flip side, Johnny Jet notes: “However, I’ve flown through Pearson Airport multiple times and didn’t have any problems.”

Here are a few tips from Johnny Jet for travellers at Pearson Airport:

  • fly mid-day: while many experts suggest grabbing the first flight of the day for various reasons, Johnny Jet says that’s not the case at Pearson as there are so many flights departing in the early morning
  • fly mid-week: if you can, choose a Tuesday, Wednesday or even Saturday to fly out of town. Saturdays are good, Johnny Jet notes, because most people want to maximize their vacation days by leaving on a Thursday or Friday
  • get NEXUS (Canada)/Global Entry (U.S.): these are expedited customs clearance programs for pre-approved, low-risk air travellers entering Canada and the U.S. NEXUS ($50 for five years) is better than Global Entry, Johnny Jet adds
  • buy a premium ticket or an upgrade, if you can: allows you to check in at the priority line, which many times will be empty or small compared to the main cabin lineup
  • don’t check bags: “easier said than done,” Johnny Jet concedes, but it’s a great time-saver if you can swing your trip with only carry-on bags. “…since this latest travel surge, most of the hassles around the world are baggage-related,” says Johnny Jet
  • arrive early on both ends: Johnny Jet notes that when flying out of Pearson, “be sure to leave plenty of time for the long lines because if you miss your flight, there are not a lot of empty seats on alternative ones, so you will probably be stuck for days.” Also, flying into Pearson, get there as early as possible to avoid the very busy afternoon and evening periods when many international flights arrive at Pearson
  • don’t fly Air Canada: Johnny Jet suggests avoiding Canada’s flagship carrier these days as “most of the problems I’ve been hearing about YYZ (Pearson) involve either Air Canada or the beautiful Terminal 1, which is the terminal they use”
  • always keep your passport handy: travellers can be asked to produce it at any point throughout the airport

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