Pearson to US destination: how early to arrive?
January 17, 2024 10:20 AM Subscribe
We're flying from Pearson to a US destination on Friday morning at 8am. How early do we need to arrive at the airport?
There are two adults and a child. We do not plan to check a bag and intend to use the Mobile Passport Control app.
Air Canada and Pearson both say three hours ahead of time, but I am not sure if that assumes going through baggage drop-off, or if it's an excessive estimate based on peak travel seasons (i.e., Christmas, spring break, etc).
Air Canada and Pearson both say three hours ahead of time, but I am not sure if that assumes going through baggage drop-off, or if it's an excessive estimate based on peak travel seasons (i.e., Christmas, spring break, etc).
Either way, yes, the 3 hour estimate does assume you are checking a bag. But whether you want to give yourself more like 1 hour or 2 hours depends on the answers to the above questions. As a US citizen flying YYZ -> DCA I waited in the customs line for over an hour.
posted by capricorn at 10:27 AM on January 17
posted by capricorn at 10:27 AM on January 17
Response by poster: Are you going through customs in Canada or the US? And are you American citizens or Canadian citizens?
I am not sure but I believe we have to clear customs in Canada. We are all Canadian citizens.
posted by synecdoche at 10:28 AM on January 17
I am not sure but I believe we have to clear customs in Canada. We are all Canadian citizens.
posted by synecdoche at 10:28 AM on January 17
Got it. Yeah, give yourself about 2 hours to be safe. The long line I waited in was in late summer, not around a major holiday. (And then after this experience I gave myself 2+ hours at Trudeau and there was 0 line whatsoever, hah)
posted by capricorn at 10:31 AM on January 17
posted by capricorn at 10:31 AM on January 17
I agree, 2 hours is good. Definitely check in online 24 hours before the flight so the airline can notify you of any changes in the flight. Also use YYZ Express to save a spot in the security line (if you don't have Nexus). There may be no line anyway, but it's still useful. https://www.torontopearson.com/en/departures/yyz-express Also check if there's a spot saver for your destination airport for when you come back.
Good call using the mobile passport control app.
posted by foxjacket at 10:38 AM on January 17 [2 favorites]
Good call using the mobile passport control app.
posted by foxjacket at 10:38 AM on January 17 [2 favorites]
I am not sure but I believe we have to clear customs in Canada. We are all Canadian citizens.
When flying out of Pearson to the US, you do need to clear US Customs in Canada. (This allows the flights to go to domestic as well as international American airports). This and security are the two major bottle necks when flying from Pearson to the US. The three hour recommendation is based on non-holiday times; I used to occasionally fly from Toronto to NYC and I recall there being very long lines on a weekday morning. There are a lot of business travelers.
If you aren't checking bags, then maybe you could get away with being there 2 hours before your flight. But I would probably aim for 2.5.
posted by jb at 11:03 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]
When flying out of Pearson to the US, you do need to clear US Customs in Canada. (This allows the flights to go to domestic as well as international American airports). This and security are the two major bottle necks when flying from Pearson to the US. The three hour recommendation is based on non-holiday times; I used to occasionally fly from Toronto to NYC and I recall there being very long lines on a weekday morning. There are a lot of business travelers.
If you aren't checking bags, then maybe you could get away with being there 2 hours before your flight. But I would probably aim for 2.5.
posted by jb at 11:03 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]
You definitely clear customs *in Canada* before getting on your airplane . This means interacting with US border guards and jumping through whatever hoops they require.
95%+ of the time this isn't a problem, 5% of the time it can add significant delays.
The key question is always "are you ok with missing your flight?"
When I'm ok with missing a flight, 2 hours is plenty. If not, 3 hours. Weigh the extra hour with a kid in an airport against the relatively small chance of missing your flight.
Pearson isn't a great airport (I avoid flying through Pearson). It has more than one terminal; Air Canada (and Star Alliance) flies from Terminal 1, and almost everyone else from Terminal 3. Mixing up which terminal could add 15+ minutes to your plans. You don't have to worry about transfers, but it isn't a smooth operation (add significant time if you are changing terminals in a connecting flight at Pearson, especially with checked bags).
Do check in 24 hours in advance online, and YYZ express looks like a good plan (note that it provides 15 minute windows - getting that level of precision when traveling with a child is "fun").
posted by NotAYakk at 11:04 AM on January 17
95%+ of the time this isn't a problem, 5% of the time it can add significant delays.
The key question is always "are you ok with missing your flight?"
When I'm ok with missing a flight, 2 hours is plenty. If not, 3 hours. Weigh the extra hour with a kid in an airport against the relatively small chance of missing your flight.
Pearson isn't a great airport (I avoid flying through Pearson). It has more than one terminal; Air Canada (and Star Alliance) flies from Terminal 1, and almost everyone else from Terminal 3. Mixing up which terminal could add 15+ minutes to your plans. You don't have to worry about transfers, but it isn't a smooth operation (add significant time if you are changing terminals in a connecting flight at Pearson, especially with checked bags).
Do check in 24 hours in advance online, and YYZ express looks like a good plan (note that it provides 15 minute windows - getting that level of precision when traveling with a child is "fun").
posted by NotAYakk at 11:04 AM on January 17
How old/mobile is your child and have they flown much before? If they are on the younger side (5-6 ish or younger) I'd leave more time and aim for 2.5 - 3 hours to have lots of time for things like slow walking, bathroom breaks, etc. An older kid would probably be faster walking and easier to wrangle through the airport. Mind you, this is based on my experience flying with a 3 year old who was in the midst of potty training. We left looooots of time just to be safe last time we flew and was glad we did, there was more than instance of running to find a bathroom that slowed us down.
posted by snowysoul at 11:11 AM on January 17 [2 favorites]
posted by snowysoul at 11:11 AM on January 17 [2 favorites]
If you are using Mobile Passport Control, I would not hesitate to plan 2 h for this, and in fact have done so recently at YYZ with two adults and a child recently quite easily without feeling even a little rushed. Assuming you don't have other access to priority security queues, YYZ Express should also help.
posted by grouse at 11:13 AM on January 17
posted by grouse at 11:13 AM on January 17
I wouldn't count on MPC as a guaranteed thing. The other week I was transiting in Atlanta and the MPC queue was closed. I have no idea why or if it's a regular occurrence at the moment.
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:58 AM on January 17
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:58 AM on January 17
Be careful!
Pearson is unique in that it has a hard 90 minute cut off for international flights.
If you aren’t at the counter at the 90 min mark, they will not check you in. No exceptions.
I’ve been burned with this before!
posted by cacofonie at 4:54 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]
Pearson is unique in that it has a hard 90 minute cut off for international flights.
If you aren’t at the counter at the 90 min mark, they will not check you in. No exceptions.
I’ve been burned with this before!
posted by cacofonie at 4:54 PM on January 17 [1 favorite]
As others have noted - 8 AM USA departure is business traveller prime time. If you are planning on getting food before your flight, get there early. If you require Starbucks it’s 2.5 hours early at the minimum.
posted by shock muppet at 5:14 PM on January 17
posted by shock muppet at 5:14 PM on January 17
I just read up on the MPC and I just note that the official site says it can be used by Canadian B1/B2 visitors. (Visa holders.)I assume you meet that definition, but just pointing out that doesn’t mean Canadians without visas. (I’m a dual citizen who flies with Canadian-only family but hasn’t done it w/MPC yet.)
The first bottleneck is security and given that’s prime time I honestly would not risk arriving right at 2 hours. Bag check is usually negligible in comparison to security + customs, which is indeed at Pearson. If it were me I’d reserve a time on YYZ express for around 5:30-5:45.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:25 AM on January 18
The first bottleneck is security and given that’s prime time I honestly would not risk arriving right at 2 hours. Bag check is usually negligible in comparison to security + customs, which is indeed at Pearson. If it were me I’d reserve a time on YYZ express for around 5:30-5:45.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:25 AM on January 18
3 hours before 8 brings you to 5am arrival at the airport. We flew twice as a family out of Pearson recently on 7am-ish departure times and arrived around 4am. It's astounding to me how many people are at the airport at that time! Do yourself a favour and aim for 3 hours -- or at least a generous 2.5 -- so you don't have to rush with young ones and panic should anything not go to plan. Worst case scenario is you have more time to handle the long coffee line.
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 5:00 AM on January 18
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 5:00 AM on January 18
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posted by capricorn at 10:23 AM on January 17