Toronto Pearson says it’s made a dramatic turnaround in on-time performance, baggage handling and other issues.
A year ago, headlines around the world blared that Canada’s biggest airport was a disaster. It’s wait times were listed as the worst in the world.
But the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says it has made remarkable improvements, and that this summer is a very different story.
GTAA President and Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint today provided a YYZ mid-summer performance update.
“Since last summer, Toronto Pearson has tangibly improved passenger experience across its operations, implemented digital innovations and bolstered staffing. These advancements have expedited check-in and boarding processes, reduced wait times and upgraded baggage infrastructure,” she said.
As a testament to these improvements, Toronto Pearson was recently informed that it has secured the top position in the Airports Council International (ACI) Large Airport Category for Q2.
Flint said Pearson enhancements have yielded significant results compared to the summer of 2022:
- On-time performance: Toronto Pearson currently ranks 17th in the on-time performance global ranking published by Flight Aware versus last place (1st) at the height of the industry restart. That’s still nothing to write home about. At this time last summer, on-time performance was 35%. In recent weeks, it has touched as high as 74.5%. That still means one-quarter of flights are delayed.
- Baggage: Airlines manage baggage delivery, but Toronto Pearson has made it an ongoing focus for collaborative improvement. The average wait time for all bags arriving at the carousel from July 3 to 9 was 20 minutes, compared to 26 minutes last year. That’s a good change.
- Gate holds: For the week of July 3 to 9, there was just one flight where passengers were held on the aircraft at a Toronto Pearson gate. The aircraft was held for nine minutes. This situation represents a marked improvement over last summer when holding passengers at the gate was a regular practice due to overcrowding in the customs hall – the same week last year saw 34 flights with an average hold time of 10 minutes.
- Security wait times: As passengers have experienced, international and domestic security wait times at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are significantly improved since last summer. The most recent data from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) for the week of July 3 to 9 indicates that 91 per cent of passengers cleared security in less than 15 minutes.
- Customs wait times: Wait times to enter Canada at Toronto Pearson’s customs halls are significantly and noticeably faster than last summer. Currently, the average wait time for passengers at customs is seven minutes.
“I am proud of the exceptional teamwork demonstrated by the Toronto Pearson team leading up to the summer season, which has collectively strengthened the overall resilience of our ecosystem. Our ranking as No. 1 in ASQ Customer Quality in Q2 across North America reflects the strong foundation of Toronto Pearson, even as the industry globally continues to face challenges from the pandemic,” said Flint. “The tangible improvements in Toronto Pearson’s performance go beyond mere recovery but lead us toward a future airport with more choices and excellent customer experiences. Day in and day out, employees across the ecosystem show Toronto Pearson’s unwavering commitment to delivering a seamless and enjoyable air travel experience.”
SUNWING WINTER CAPACITY UP 15%: MORE FLIGHTS FROM WESTERN CANADA + ATLANTIC CANADA
Playa Rincon in the Samana region of the Dominican Republic. JIM BYERS PHOTO
| Amid strong, continued demand for leisure travel to sun destinations, Sunwing Vacations is unveiling its 2023-2024 winter schedule featuring flights on board Sunwing Airlines from 23 airports from coast to coast to 26 sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and the U.S.
Sunwing’s overall capacity is growing by 15% over the previous winter season, including more travel options to the customer favourite destinations of Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Orlando, Florida. What’s more, Sunwing will be servicing Canadians with packages to over 700 hotels, the largest assortment of any vacation provider in Canada.
New for this winter season are packages to the Cuban destinations of Cienfuegos along with Manzanillo de Cuba. Sunwing customers have a deeply rooted affinity for Cuba, due to its combination of beautiful beaches, rich history and unbeatable price points on vacation packages. This winter, customers travelling from Toronto and Montreal can look forward to booking winter escapes to these two sun destinations. Canadians can expect a sizeable expansion in vacation options for destinations in Pacific Mexico, including Los Cabos, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, and more options for travel to Puerto Plata, located on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.
“As the leading vacation provider in Canada, we’re thrilled to deliver more vacation packages and flights to Canadians this winter season, including furthering our commitment to servicing our customers in key regions such as Atlantic Canada and the Prairies,” said Andrew Dawson, President of Tour Operations. “We are growing capacity from last winter and thrilled to be returning to pre-pandemic travel levels, with more great packages and affordable travel options available to our valued customers this winter, including Cienfuegos and Manzanillo de Cuba which are new for this year, in addition to offering more flights to key areas within Pacific Mexico, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and Orlando in Florida. “With our ongoing commitment to offering competitive pricing on sun packages, we encourage our customers to book their winter getaways early to unlock the most value on their preferred travel dates and to their destinations of choice.” Additional highlights from Sunwing’s winter lineup:
Sunwing customers can lock in great savings on their dream winter escapes by booking on Sunwing.ca or through their local travel agent. Plus, customers can look forward to the Sunwing Guarantee on their vacation packages, which includes the first bag checked for free (a value of $100-plus roundtrip), complimentary airport transfers in destination for packages with flights on Sunwing Airlines, exclusive resort perks and extras, and more! |
