Toronto Pearson Airport

I arrived into Tornoto between 2:00-3:00 Saturday afternoon from Rome Italy. I expected to have an easy 2 hour layover before my connecting flight to Detroit. I was wrong. The airport experience here was horrible. We had to wait in a confusing series of lines being commanded by unhelpful staff. After traveling since 7:00 am that morning (Italian time) I was tired and uncomfortable like most of the travelers around me. The rude and unhelpful behavior of the airport staff made a bad situation even worse. The lines were long due to lack of competent staff. If a traveler was confused by the computers they were directed to then the directions were simply shouted again with no real help given. Of course by the time we came to the last customs hurdle many people were going to miss their flights and had to be pulled to the head of the line. Again there was not enough staff to handle the situation. I was extremely disappointed in the management of Toronto Pearson Airport. I will try to avoid it in the future.

I have often travelled internationally and just returned to Toronto Pearson from Japan and Hong Kong. The problem is the long time it takes to get through customs. It took me almost 1.5 hours to be processed and my baggage was not yet on the turnstile. There was no signage advising that Canadian and US passport holders could go through self-service to save time. This I found out only after I was processed along with all foreign visitors. We were corralled into a long line without being advised of our options. The whole area is painted in a hospital green and gray and is a dark and depressing atmosphere with a low ceiling. I feel ashamed, as a Canadian, to know this is how we welcome our visitors. Most countries I have visited have well marked signage advising who should line up where and are bright and welcoming. Can we not improve? It need not be expensive - a little paint and mural, brighter lighting and some clear signage would do wonders.

Living in the GTA, I always head to this airport for my Air Canada travels. The inbound drive to CYYZ via Highway 409 is a mess on map but surprisingly easy to comprehend on road. The check-in lines can get long should you be late, so I recommend going earlier. The architecture of the terminals are incredible as always. Going in, the two individual travelators or moving walkways in each terminal, one spans the entire length and goes faster, the other has intermittent ground, are like any other. Once inside the terminal, you are greeted by a variety of restaurants and duty-free shops. Duty frees include, but not limited to, jewelry, beer and cigarettes, and souvenirs. Restaurants include noodles, snack bars, and cafés, and certainly much more. The WiFi is mostly functional, but don't set your standards too high. What surprised me is that there are many free iPads and outlets at the terminal so if you don't have a device or whatnot, you can use those. There's an abundance of seats per gate and each are labeled nicely. The glass walls provide a spectacular view of the airport grounds, especially Terminal 1 Int'l and US pier, a curved terminal. At the arrival, taxiing in such a big airport may take a while, so of course, be patient. When you enter the terminal, you get sent on a bridge that spans above the terminal, and although baggage may take some time to show up at the belt, I had never lost a baggage travelling Air Canada. Overall, I would consider this airport to be of the higher ranking ones in the world. Comfortable, responsive, unique, and functional is what I'd say. 8/10

Our Air Canada flight landed after circling Toronto Pearson airport for 15 minutes and then we had to wait for a gate. We were then told the ground staff were not ready to accept us. We were told to wait another 15 minutes in our cramped plane standing and all miserable. We were told that customs and immigration were overwhelmed and that there would be a long wait once we got into the airport. Sure enough it was chaos. Only one man was helpful. I am a senior citizen I'm not familiar with all the ins and outs as I wander through this airport trying to find someone to give me directions to my next flight. Very unhelpful staff.

I use Toronto airport 3-4 times every year. Unfortunately, I do not see any improvements in service or any attempts to make it cozy and to contribute in the good impression of city of Toronto. It is far behind of European airports (Zurich, Munich, Geneva, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, etc). The interior of airport is very primitive and it demonstrates lack of taste. Cafes, restaurants have very pure menus, but the prices are pretending to present the delicious dishes. The tablet menus on the tables is not a good idea from any aspects - it is not cozy at all, it creates a difficulty to communicate for people sitting around the table and it is not hygienic at all when hundreds of people are touching the same screen.

✅ Verified Review | The line for the security check in Terminal 3 was incredibly long, right into the check-in area in the departure terminal. It took us almost three quarters of an hour before we were through. The last 5 minutes the line started moving faster, which shows that the capacity to deal with the numbers of passengers was not up to scratch initially.

This is by far the worst airport I have experienced and is so consistently. The line through customs/passport control took almost 2.5 hours. 7 of the posssible 13 desks were manned. Totally inadequate for the hundreds of people, young, old, elderly, infirm jammed into a grubby room without proper a.c. (if any). No washrooms, seating or place to purchase water. Staff were doing their best but were overwhelmed by the numbers. Signposts could not be seen by virtue of the throngs blocking them. Only consolation was the warm, friendly and sympathetic attitude of lady on desk 10 at 7pm on Tuesday the 6th Sept. Her attitude was commendable. It is such an unwelcome and shoddy way to enter such a wonderful country.

Long lines, unclear signage, a lack of decent restaurants. If you get stuck departing international from Terminal 1, gates E and F, bring your own food. There are minimal options, they gouge you with high prices (think, movie theatres but worse), and they are unable to accommodate allergies. I'll definitely be trying to avoid this place in future.

✅ Verified Review | I spent a few hours here during a layover on a trip from Montreal to Seoul-the area I was in seemed to have been dedicated mostly to international flights. Two things stand out to me about my experience transiting through Toronto Pearson: First, the connection from my arrival in Toronto to my gate for the flight to Seoul was the easiest international connection I have ever made. Unlike some other airports, I did not have to go baggage claim and re-check my bag, and I did not have to go through another layer of security. I just exited the plane after arriving from Montreal, and walked straight to the gate where my flight to Seoul was located. Second, the part of the airport that I saw had a certain 'pristine' feeling to it. The corridors and gate area were exceptionally clean, the lighting was bright, and the space in general had a calming effect. I highly recommend Toronto Pearson for transfers (do not have experience with other aspects of the airport). Transferring passengers will not be delayed by redundant layers of baggage claims and security screenings, and will be in an enjoyable space as they freshen up between flights.

Missed our connecting flight to Zürich, due to unclear signalisation and communication (wireless access not working correctly). Everybody should try to avoid this airport. Poor airlines, that have to live with this as hub. Thanks a lot for the generous help of the CS to rearrange our flight for the following day.