Toronto Pearson announces new program to curb security stalls ahead of travel surge

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TORONTO – Canada’s busiest airport says it will offer passengers a way to bypass long security lineups as it looks ahead to a winter travel surge and tries to avoid a repeat of the travel chaos seen earlier this year.

Toronto Pearson International Airport today launched the YYZ Express program which will allow customers to reserve their security screening spot in advance on select domestic and international flights.

Greater Toronto Airports Authority chief executive officer, Deborah Flint, says that having a timeslot booked in advance should remove some of the stress that comes with airport travel.

People line up before entering the security at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, August 5, 2022. Pearson airport attempts to get ahead of the winter travel surge and avoid a repeat of summer delays with the launch of its security reservation program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

She says passengers who wish to reserve a spot in security will get to do so free of charge, so long as passengers arrive within 15 minutes of the reservation time.

The airport’s effort comes after a summer of delays and flight cancellations during which Pearson was the most delayed airport in the world, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Since then, the airport has seen improvements and according to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, 89 per cent of passengers cleared security in less than 15 minutes for the week of Oct. 10 to 17.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2022.