Airports are expected to be busy during the March break, with Vancouver, Calgary, and Cancun topping the list of popular destinations this spring.
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport says it anticipates about 144,000 passengers travelling through its airport every day for the next week. That is a 10 percent increase over 2023, a news release
said.
“As Canada’s busiest air travel hub, we’re connecting passengers on 1,000 daily flights to all corners of the globe,” a social media
post from the airport said.
Over 125,500 of those passengers are expected to be heading to Vancouver from Toronto, making it the top destination for travellers during the spring break.
Montreal is the second top destination, with an estimated 90,000 travellers heading there through Pearson.
Calgary is expected to see 87,000 passengers arrive from Toronto, with Cancun coming in fourth as about 80,000 Canadians head down to enjoy the sun and surf in Mexico.
Over 70,000 passengers are expected to head to Ottawa to enjoy the break, according to Pearson.
Travellers will continue to seek a break from the Canadian winter as 63,000 are expected to head to Punta Cana, and a further 56,000 head to Fort Lauderdale.
Other top spots include New York, Chicago, England, Orlando, and Miami.
Pearson Airport offers some tips for those travelling this spring, which include going digital with the live wait times dashboard. This travel tool offers real-time information to passengers before they get to the airport. Travellers can also check the
peak travel times dashboard to find out if they are heading through Pearson during a busy travel time.
Using advance declaration can also save time for passengers heading outside of Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency allows travellers to submit customs and immigration declarations up to 72 hours before flying into Canada. Filling the forms before getting to the airport means passengers can forgo the line up in the customs area and use the express lane instead.
U.S. Customs has a
mobile passport control app where travellers can digitally submit information, which simplifies and speeds up the process when heading to the United States.
Saving time in security at Pearson is possible with the
YYZ Express app, giving passengers the opportunity to book a spot in the security line up to 72 hours before a flight.
The airport made
changes to its passenger services after a rough time in 2022 that saw stranded passengers and flight cancellations. The airport said at the time a surge in travellers following the lifting of pandemic restrictions contributed to the chaos.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
