Toronto's Pearson Airport is so hectic lately that Canada's transport minister called it out

Whether it's people complaining about preposterously long waits, a lack of waits or something else, it seems no one has anything good to say about Toronto's Pearson International Airport these days as the demand for travel has reached a level that the pandemic-struck industry can no longer properly handle.

Morning update. Toronto Pearson is as reported. This is the security line. It's maybe 750 m + long pic.twitter.com/1vA1cbmyRp

— Chris MacQuarrie (@CMacQuar) June 30, 2022

Footage and stories of people waiting in lines or on planes for hours, encountering flight delays or cancellations, missing connections, dealing with baggage claim chaos and more have abounded across social media, some of them garnering more attention than others and giving the hub the reputation of being an absolute mess.

The situation has become so bad that Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra has actually publicly called it out, acknowledging how frustrating things have been in recent weeks for air travellers in Canada, especially at Pearson.

Toronto Pearson Airport baggage area is just insane… 😳😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/m5O43RwWz8

— Kris Pangilinan (@KrisReports) June 27, 2022

"What we are seeing today is that while many of those Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and Canadian Border Security Agency issues have significantly improved we continue to see delays, cancellations and luggage issues," Alghabra told reporters on Wednesday, calling the current situation "unacceptable."

It's a topic he's addressed before, saying earlier this month that the nation is not seeing as many delays at other airports as we are at Pearson, and pointing to a labour shortage, process issues, a surge of travel after a 90 per cent reduction over COVID, and more as the root causes that are impacting Pearson here at home, but also other hubs internationally.

I experienced the delays at Pearson on Monday morning. Nothing to do with COVID protocols. They are clearly short staffed and the problem is systemic. So many foreign travellers saying they will never fly through Canada again. Incompetence isn’t and excuse for this govts fail.

— Josie (@canadian_josie) June 30, 2022

He's also noted what a few arguably lucky passengers have noticed: the "extreme peaks and valleys" that leave the airport absolutely rammed at some times, and people arriving three hours early only to get through security in 15 minutes at others.

The minister stated that he's been in talks with airport authorities as well as WestJet and Air Canada to ensure more resources are brought in to tackle these ongoing issues. He also just announced $105 million in funding for four airports, Pearson included, for air traffic control, efficiency and infrastructure upgrades.