Montréal Airport

Arrival from United States: after walking to Canadian passport control I was surprised not to be in downtown Montreal already - I'd walked and walked. Canadian passport control slow but officer was moderately polite (he remembered not to scowl too much). No problem getting taxicab to downtown. Departure to United States destination: agonizingly slow security line staffed by extremely rude personnel who get nastier when (as I overheard) a person would rather speak a foreign language (one other than English or French). After security comes the more agonizingly slow US passport control which moves at the pace of a grumpy glacier. The technique of "smile" as these officers understand it is but dimly and imperfectly understood. I arrived at 5.15am for a 7am flight to the US and barely made it. I checked no luggage (would have made problems much worse). Considering how beautiful Montreal is and how friendly its local people were to me this airport as a gateway to those pleasures is like having a smelly dilapidated outhouse at the entrance to a lovely country estate.

Every time I've been through this airport there has been massive delays and problems. Yesterday a storm came through - which resulted in the grounding of planes for 5-6 hours. Hardly any announcements were made no extra staff on to deal with massive delays etc. The airport generally looks awful and the underground connector to more local Canadian flights is even worse. As a gateway into Quebec and the incredible city of Montreal it is a great disappointment. The signage is also pretty poor.

Avoid US connections. Transferring from BRU to FLL with more than 3 hours layover and almost missed our connecting flight! US transfer line is a nightmare! Hundreds of people cramped in tiny space. No information whatsoever and endless lines. Personnel extremely rude and unhelpful. No information. This facility was clearly not designed to handle a lot of transfer passengers only one security metal detector line available and one dedicated us customs officer! Avoid at all costs.

Very slow customs very rude at check in no help. No smoking facility very poor passenger services. Approach to airport is a nightmare taxi or regular transport even worse. If you have any choice to use or not Trudeau airport try to pass over it.

Trudeau is my home airport traveling most weeks as an Air Canada Super Elite. We are well served by an airport which has better than average international and cross border connections given the size of the city. Air Canada service during check in and boarding is good (especially if you have concierge access). However the key weakness is security twice as many staff as a typical US airport process passengers twice as slowly evidently under the influence of a 1970's style time and motion study. The many comments on the board about disinterested personnel engaged in important personal conversations see it every week. Checking in this morning the security officer demanded that bins be turned lengthways on the way to the scanner (not vertically where you could fit twice as many and move more quickly). The reason - "it was too noisy" for the bins to run over the rollers unless they were lengthways. I hang my head in shame at the international visitors who have to endure this treatment when traveling through my city.

The one-hour International to Domestic minimum connection time at YUL is unrealistically low. I arrived from Frankfurt on AC875 on Jan. 1 at 15.56 and connected to a domestic flight that departed to Winnipeg at 17.20 - officially well above the minimum required time. Clearing Immigration and Customs via the Connections line was as quick as I've experienced anywhere and I was slowed down only slightly by baggage re-check. Then came security where connecting and local passengers must all go through the same line. That was where things went pear-shaped with a long line snaking across the terminal followed by a few extra minutes going through a random more detailed (but professionally done) inspection. Literally ran for the gate without even putting my belt back on or refilling my pockets and was the final passenger to board just after the final call. Not everyone can run with a backpack on though without risking a heart attack or injury so give yourself no less than 90 minutes to make an International to Domestic connection at YUL.

Okay for domestic and international. Horrible for U.S. flights. Most insane customs procedure ever on this side whereas on the American side - things work great. When you have to get to the airport early and wait around food choices are bland and uninspiring. I fly a lot from YUL to YVR with kids and because Air Canada sells you poor off the cart even for flights that are 5.5 hours I would like to have a semi-digestible meal in the terminal. Also - flying domestically - get used to waiting for your bags for an average of 45 minutes at the carousel. No wonder people refuse to check their luggage and cram it all into the overhead bins. After your bags have finally arrived passengers can look forward to a taxi line that moves at a slug-like pace. The mystery is there's always a long line of cabs available. It seems that getting them to the waiting passengers is the problem. Like most things in Montreal third-world service is accepted with a shrug!

One of the worst airports in the world. The Immigration staff are rude and do not bother to check details thoroughly. The attitude of most of the staff is of a could not give a damn type. The floors and seating are filthy. If and when you finally get through the over the top immigration gestapo who need 2-3 checks for the same thing you will need to navigate the baggage hall where you will possibly find your bag if it hasn't already been moved from the carousel and dumped anywhere on the floor. Avoid.

For US citizens Montreal is the worst airport to connect through when traveling internationally. I base this on my numerous business travels globally over the past 10 years. One would think 3.5 hours is enough to make a connection yet my family and I spent 3.25 of it in line showing our passports and boarding passes numerous times to airport security staff going through a second security clearance in addition to US customs and border control clearance. Awful management awful system. Worst customs/border experience ever. Staff were uninformative and non- helpful to the crowds of folks waiting in line with us. There were only 2 customs officers on duty for 500+ people. Management needs an overhaul if they can't plan staffing according to flight arrivals! I highly discourage US citizen from making connections through Montreal.

I fly frequently from YUL both domestically within Canada and internationally. I have always been pleased with the service I receive. As a small airport there are no significant terminal changes to contend with. The new US departures wing looks great from the arrivals area. I have never had any problems with checking in and security is usually efficient. Customs is often slow though the new automated machines are great for Canadians returning from abroad. Customs staff are not always the most friendly but they get the job done. Amenities are limited once you pass security but you'll find food and convenience stores with all the essentials in case you forgot something. All wings are clean and signage is clear. Very difficult to get lost. Overall it's an easy airport to navigate and I would recommend it as a good option for those entering or transiting through Canada.