Pearson Airport chaos now has passengers waiting in lines for longer than their flights

Any hope of Toronto Pearson International Airport getting its act together is quickly evaporating as the air travel hub consistently ranks among the worst worldwide for delays.

Pearson has been under fire for over three months now due to an apparent inability to process passengers and luggage amid an unprecedented surge in air travel, and despite pledges from officials and politicians to get the airport back to full capacity, social media posts reveal it's the same old story at Pearson.

It’s now been 100 days since the delays started at Canada’s airports.

And there are 56 days left in the summer travel peak.

— Duncan Dee (@duncandee) July 11, 2022

Even in the dead of night, Pearson Airport's Terminal 3 looks like an absolute madhouse.

Picture taken by my wife at 4am this morning at T3. The Nexus line was barely faster. pic.twitter.com/BxR2AlMXW6

— Louis-Éric Mongrain (@mongrainle) July 12, 2022

One passenger posted a video of a customs line at Pearson, claiming, "Im going to spend more time waiting in this line for Customs than my actual flight to NYC. Pearson is the worst."

Im going to spend more time waiting in this line for Customs than my actual flight to NYC. 🤯🤯🤯

Pearson is the worst… pic.twitter.com/JCG1RWEIKy

— LAG Asim (@GstaAsim) July 12, 2022

As bad as Pearson looks, some travellers are finding out that the long lines and delays aren't a guarantee. A lucky Dominican Republic-bound passenger tweeted, "Had absolutely no problems whatsoever, check-in was very fast and so was going through border services."

We're currently at Pearson's international Airport, no hassle going through any lines. Had absolutely no problems whatsoever, check-in was very fast and so was going through border services. Punta Cana here we come, hasta luego pic.twitter.com/km9XNac7N5

— Patrick Gagnon (@patgagnon_75) July 12, 2022

And even if you arrive early and end up one of the lucky ones, good luck killing those extra hours you had set aside for long lines.

#YYZ
I don't know who is lying to us or why but this is Pearson Airport, three days ago, NO LINES AT SECURITY!
I arrived three hours early because @globalnews and @PierrePoilievre told me about how crazy the airport is. I was through in under 5 minutes. pic.twitter.com/DlEA4myLDD

— Jesus H Christ (@FoolePeter) July 12, 2022

A few have been lucky, but the rest of passengers have been irate about Pearson's travel conditions since the spring, when an uptick in travel and a shortage of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) staff handling security screening at airports in the country set the stage for the months-long chaos that has persisted into mid-summer.

And as many passengers grumble and rant on social media, others suggest tangible solutions to staffing shortages, like the introduction of self-serve border entry points already in use at other international airports.

When will Toronto Pearson get self service border entry? Arrived last night in the UK through Heathrow and the process was seamless and took less than 30 seconds. @CBSANOR #CanadaBorderServices #TorontoPearson pic.twitter.com/MXlxJE66IB

— Nero Naveendran (@realtor_nero) July 12, 2022

It doesn't seem like Pearson will be returning to normal any time soon, and travellers should be packing plenty of patience if the air travel hub is part of their summer travel plans.