TORONTO AIRPORT review :  17 November 2009 by I Maciver   (Canada/USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Toronto has matured significantly with the demolition of two older terminals and the Term 1 more or less fully on line. Though the old names remain Term 1 and 3. Reasonable shuttle between Terms. But indeed depending on arrival gate you can have a long walk (some moving sidewalks) - benefit being most times your bags are on the carousel when you get there. Food is good. Go to Tim Hortons if only a coffee, donut, soup or sandwich will suffice. Prices are close to outside the airport. Lots of hotels adjacent to airport. Bus service, taxi and Limo to get downtime. This is the weak link- no train, subway nor LRT- (express service) - solution keeps being a govt promises. There is now a cell phone lot. Customs hall is large - and signage (ie 'EXIT') could improve significantly. Drug/Contraband dogs are used - particularly for flights from Jamaica . Departing is easy other than during peak times (use e-ticket and carry-on to speed up). Security is very good - 'greeter' gives preliminary warning and plastic bags so you can be through in minutes.

TORONTO AIRPORT review :  8 November 2009 by D Gill   (UK)

Customer Rating :  5/5

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Immigration arriving in the country from New York was fine. The queue moved and we had a jolly young man who made us feel at ease. While leaving for New York, we went through an American run immigration sector and that felt very much like American immigration (rude staff, long, slow queues, etc). It's only an issue if you fly to America otherwise you get the good Canadian run immigration. There weren't many places to eat but everything is signposted and clean and I enjoy going to Toronto airport.

TORONTO AIRPORT review :  22 October 2009 by P Iosad   (Norway)

Customer Rating :  3/5

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AMS-YYZ-AMS using T3. Extremely long walking distances on arrival through empty corridors. Border guards meet you halfway but the check is only selective (I saw them checking people's passports and got mine out but was just waved through). Immigration officer was polite but extremely thorough, wanted to know everything including why I live in Norway as a Russian citizen. Needing a visa to essentially everywhere makes one used to dealing with immigration, but frankly this was the most thorough interrogation I've ever had. The whole immigration/customs thing is strangely organized (you fill in a card that the immigration officer checks and then you give it to the customs people). Didn't have any luggage so can't comment. Nothing special on arrival (pretty much a cramped room with a convenience shop), and no ATM would take my card (also brushed away rather rudely by the person in the currency exchange booth who barked they only dealt with cash - well why do they have a PIN pad sticking out then??), so had to the take the bus which you can pay for with the card. Departure was smooth, printed out my boarding pass (on a computer with a really slow printer attached, not a proper terminal) and into security which was reasonably fast but slightly chaotic (one officer instructed me to take metal objects off and then another told me to have my "stuff" on me). Once inside, clean and tidy but nothing much of interest, a few bland shops and sandwich/pizza places (again had problems with my card!). Boarding OK, but they could do with a screen that is higher up or a better microphone: boarding is by row but everyone was trying to get closer to hear what they were saying, so it was quite a scrum. Overall an OK airport, not your OSL or AMS, but not worse than many big European airports.

TORONTO AIRPORT review :  14 October 2009 by D Liane   (Germany)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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I am German and I came to Toronto from Mexico. I had my ticket back to Mexico and also the one from Mexico back to Germany. When I arrived in Toronto I had to pass Migration and the guy from Migration asked me a lot of questions like why am I coming from Mexico and what am I doing back home in Germany for work - I was never asked so many questions in no other country I travelled to (and I travelled a lot). But he was very nice and finally let me pass. When I came to customs there were only two officers working because it was already 12am. I had to go with that lady officer and she started to ask me the same questions like the migration officer. She wanted to see all my tickets and why I am visiting Canada and then she started interrogating me - I felt like a suspect. After 1 hour of questions she did her job - like she is supposed to do. Checking my bags. Since she didn`t find anything because there was nothing to find she let me leave. She was just on a power trip - that`s all. This lady was a nightmare. I would like to complain officially about her. So if anybody can tell me where I can file the complaint please let me know.

TORONTO AIRPORT review :  6 October 2009 by B Mitchell   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Our departure to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport was on Air Canada at gate 175 one elevator/escalator level below the Maple Leaf Lounge. One of us had some mobility problems and they were good enough to provide us with a golf cart to take us to the gate area and we were OK from there. The assisted check in area was a dream compared to the regular line up queues. I noticed that the wheelchairs were larger than the normal 16 inch width and readily available without charge. CDG was a horror story in comparison - arrivals had to walk uphill for part of a very long distance to baggage/customs with no moving walkways, from Air Canada's area of CDG Terminal 2 (section 2A).

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 22 September 2009 by P Smith   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Pearson is a very good airport that is well designed, clean and bright. Terminal 1 is the highlight with Terminal 3 slightly older but adequate. Security clearance is generally quick and the are motorized walkways to help with the distances. Only negatives are baggage delivery time (which is embarrassingly slow), shop selection (OK, but not great), and the fact that the express walkways in the International wing have never worked (you see technicians there all the time).

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 15 September 2009 by R Humphreys   (Canada)

Customer Rating :  4/5

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Over the years I have used this airport more times than I care to remember. For the most part I have no complaints, except for one thing, baggage delivery upon arrival. Whether it is terminal 1 or terminal 3 that you arrive at, or on a domestic or international flight, you will find yourself waiting at the baggage carousel for at least 30 minutes, if not an hour to get your checked bags. Delivery often takes the form of a few bags followed by a long pause, then a few more, and so on. This airport really needs to hire more workers to perform this function.

TORONTO AIRPORT review :  9 August 2009 by R Waterman   (USA)

Customer Rating :  1/5

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I was going through to Rochester, NY and had 3 hours to make the connection. I needed all of it. Plan on very long walks and shuttle bus rides. Clearing Canadian customs and immigration took 2 hours. I couldn't find my bags. They had taken them off the carousel and piled them up two carousels over. No baggage check when I picked it up. Grimy, ugly, inefficient, poor signage.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 22 July 2009 : by G McGowan

Customer Rating : 3/5

T1. Huge new terminal for Air Canada and Star Alliance partners. Long walk when coming from US, clearing customs, rechecking baggage, clearing security and getting to connecting gate. I must give credit to airport security though as they could see my daughter and I were running to make our flight so they directed us to the shortest line. When transiting back to US, excellent signage to US connections except connection baggage claim could have been better marked. Also only 1 overpriced sit-down restaurant in the US flights section so eat before pre-clearing US customs.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 8 June 2009 : by Alex Buenafe

Customer Rating : 3/5

Huge, brand new, very clean but very long walks. The security check to get to the international gate going to Europe had only two screening machines at that time. The queue and the wait (as we have to take practically everything off) was stressful. The departure lounge had nothing special about it, just expensive food, expensive bars, just plain bland. The best thing I like about YYZ is when I pick up my bags at the carousel, through customs, and out the terminal.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 21 May 2009 : by A Annaport

Customer Rating : 2/5

It looks impressive from the outside, but inside it's a disaster (this goes for Terminal 1 and 3). It is a badly planned airport. Depending on where you're going, getting from the security check-in to your gate can take a really long time - endless, bland corridors that eventually take you to a gate area. It's the same if you're arriving from a flight - the walk to the baggage area can be really long. Inside, the staff tend to be surly or rude (with a couple of notable exceptions), and I really can't blame them, as the atmosphere of the airport would annoy me if I had to work there every day - it's loud, cavernous, and has bad air quality. Security check-in takes a long time. The services are okay, but again it depends where you are going - some of the gates to international destinations have next to no decent shops or restaurants - it can be an extremely tedious airport to wait in, which is not the case with many other major international airports. Baggage waits can be very, very long. Finally, this is the only major international airport I've ever been in that does not have basic shower services for passengers who are in transit. I believe you can access showers if you are a Maple Leaf Lounge member, but for everyone else there aren't pay-for-use showers, which is a huge oversight (and typical of the bad planning inherent in this airport). Then again, I suspect that if there were showers in this airport, they would be a disaster as well, so maybe it's a good thing there aren't any (the regular bathrooms can be pretty disgusting). The only good thing about this airport is that sometimes they have interesting art displays, which helps to pass the time.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 23 April 2009 : by Tom Kingsway

Customer Rating : 2/5

Terminal 1. Beautiful design, but brutally inefficient! From customs line-ups (both inbound and outbound), to baggage, this is one of the most frustrating airports to go through. The layout is perfect, but it is so clearly mismanaged. A majority of my flights coming inbound had issues with waiting 15-30 minutes for ground staff to connect the jet-way to the plane. Luggage is another issue. It takes them so long to process, often 45-60 minutes waiting (even after clearing customs). Which leads me to another issue - customs organization. There are no designated lines for priority staff/passengers, there are never enough staff at peak hours, and when arriving into Toronto, there are no lines dedicated to certain passports ie: Canadian/EU/International/US/etc. At least the place is clean.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 11 March 2009 : by P Herman

Customer Rating : 2/5

Have used Terminal 3 several times over the years. Beyond the spacious and airy Grand Hall where check in counters are located, the terminal is pathetic. The international pier (Pier C) has all the charm of a bus terminal, the food on offer is inadequate (pizzas, unappealing sandwiches) and yet incredibly expensive (I paid $13 CDN for a salad and small pastry). The sit-down-with-a-menu outlets are always very crowded at peak times. Toronto temperatures had reached 15 degrees one day but they obviously had the heaters on because it felt about 35 going through security and in the Duty Free area. The entire terminal should be relegated to low-cost airlines only. I had the pleasure of walking through the grand hall of the new Terminal 1. Impressive architecture, but I can only imagine the splendour ends after security there as well.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 16 January 2009 : by J Garcia

Customer Rating : 4/5

The problem is that terminal 3 is rubbish. When built, it was a mistake really. It is really only used by the discounters, charters, and the unfrtunate 'One World' alliance members. Patience is required - this is a terminal-related issue. Once it is gone so will much of the problem. And the development of the airport has been a rather decent success - especially since i continued to operate while it built the new terminal, decommissioned 2 others and built new runways. The other side of that is its expense. Terminal 1 is quite good. The plan going forward is that the GTAA that runs the airport is planning on building terminal 1 right down towards terminal 3 and eliminating it. Customs can be a real pain though - last time was a solid 25 minute wait - although my trip before was about 5 minutes. The costs in the airport are also a little rapacious at times. The luggage carts are both expensive AND upon arrival inconvenient. Having the change available upon arrival is an absurd expectation. Also, $175 just to use it is rapacious. The biggest problem the (new) airport as is the lack of a fixed link to the city and other important areas of the GTA. This was truly a oversight in the design. There is nothing forward-thinking about having fuel-guzzling limos, taxis, and buses navigate te horrific traffic situation that is Toronto (particularly around the airport and through the city). It is embarrassing really. Surface rail is an issue that Toronto really MUST deal with going forward and the airport is not exclusive of this.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 6 January 2009 : by Phillip Watson

Customer Rating : 2/5

After an 8 hour flight from LHR the first thing you notice in Terminal 3 is that you cannot get a trolley for your baggage unless you pay $2, this was a real pain for us as we of course had no Canadian money on us and my wife had to exchange some money (no doubt at a poor rate) at a currency exchange place which is conveniently set up there. The baggage arrived fairly promptly but after being told that our stroller for our baby would on the baggage carousel we waited 15 minutes for it to arrive and it didn't and we found it on the other side of baggage claim dumped with all the other larger luggage at the airlines desk (where is the security - no-one challenged us when we took our stroller). On our return, the airport staff tried to stop us taking our stroller past security and to be loaded at plane side as 'it is quite cold and slippery and the baggage holders may not want to put into the aircraft' They also said that it was too large and only strollers that could fit into the overhead compartments could be taken airside! When we said that it was unacceptable to ask us to carry our baby boy for 2 hours they suggested that we can use one of the golf carts (no doubt for when we get tired) The manager arrived and common sense prevailed and allowed us to carry through the stroller. Airside, the airport is a bit dated, dull and there is very limited choice in shops and refreshments. Poor management and a poor airport

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 28 October 2008 : by A Stefanski

Customer Rating : 4/5

Bright, clean and spacious. Domestic and incoming flights are serviced fast. Transit to US works slower. Payment for baggage card is a pain if you don't have canadian change or don't want to use your credit card.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 21 October 2008 : by P Lush

Customer Rating : 4/5

Since I'm based out of Toronto, I have the opportunity to fly from YYZ on a frequent basis. Terminal 1 is a huge improvement form the old T1/T2 buildings but I find that it is visually unappealing (or should I say a big white box). I enjoy the elements of Calgary and Vancouver airports in that they have added a flair of local culture into the arrival experience - not Toronto, what a shame, given that it is one of the most culturally diverse cities in North America. Additionally, it has the worst baggage waits I've experienced in NA, including Miami, Orlando, Chicago, etc.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 15 August 2008 : by M Vos

Customer Rating : 3/5

Toronto Pearson has good things about it and bad things about it. Terminal 1 is very nice. Very big, and easy to get around in. Arrivals and Canadian Customs are very easy to get through. The only bad thing about Terminal 1 is that the group check-ins are on a lower level, so you have to go up and down levels. Terminal 3 is a very simple layout. It is clean, and easy to get around in. Lots of restaurants and shops.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 25 July 2008 : by M Keenan

Customer Rating : 2/5

The biggest problem with arriving at Toronto is baggage handling. In one recent experience at Terminal 3, we arrived at YYZ at about 200 AM, already running late. We were exhausted, and just wanted to get our bags and go home. The experience of waiting two hours for our bags was not a pleasant one - and there were several other flights having the same experience at the same time. It is my understanding that baggage handling at YYZ is centralized, and thus this problem is the responsibility of the airport, rather than the airline. It isn't always this bad, but I have noticed that baggage recovery at Toronto is a lot slower than other airports in Canada and the U.S. I'm not a fan of people who drag huge bags onto aircraft rather than checking them, but if they're flying through Toronto, I can understand why. The airport is otherwise pretty good, but they really need to work on the baggage situation.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 3 July 2008 : by D Howe

Customer Rating : 4/5

Departures and Arrivals (check in and baggage claim) are on different levels - like any airport the gates are on the same level and domestic inbound walk along the same level as domestic outbound to get to baggage claim and then go downstairs as is the case as any major North American airport. Just follow the signs to baggage claim (inbound) or to the relevant gate (outbound). I find there is an excellent selection for food and concessions, and Terminal One is already slated for future expansion.

TORONTO AIRPORT review : 21 May 2008 : by Gary Yiu

Customer Rating : 2/5

Toronto airport is no match compared to other airports. There aren't much shops and food to choose from, so be sure to go grab some food before going to the airport. Going through security was slow for both terminals and none of the staff gave smiles. T1 is especially confusing because departure and arrivals use the same level. Signs for buses and other sorts of transportation are poor. The overall layout and design of the airport is already a problem. Obviously planners did not put future expansion in mind. overall design is confusing and inefficient. Which brings me to the question, "Who on earth designed the airport?". Traveling to the airport is already confusing due to the confusing highway system in Toronto.