As if a two-year-long global pandemic lockdown wasn’t annoying enough, travellers are enduring slug-like lines for airport security and customs. Offi cially, air passengers are recommended to arrive at the airport two hours before domestic fl ights and three hours for international departures. But with some security lines taking 75-90 minutes, that timeline seems woefully inadequate. At Pearson International Airport (YYZ), passenger complaints of 80-minute waits for baggage check-ins, followed by mile- long, 90-minute lineups for security checks, prompted Toronto Region Board of Trade president and CEO Jan De Silva to hold a May 12 press conference. “Over the past week alone more than 100,000 people, 50% of travellers moving through Toronto Pearson, suffered extensive delays. International passengers are being forced to wait for up to three hours, sometimes inside the aircraft they fl ew in on, because of longer processing times by customs offi cers. These challenges refl ect staffi ng shortages and outdated pandemic policies that create unnecessary delays. When the need was there we did the right thing and we protected travellers and our economy by putting new policies in place. But now to realize our potential we must act to reduce the duplications, withdraw the restrictions that were put in place and fully reopen our economy.” There are rumours afl oat that some groups, specifi cally sports related, may have skipped lineups to drive across the border for fl ights. Elsewhere, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) has been advising travellers to come three hours ahead of all fl ight times. Halifax Stanfi eld International Airport (YHZ) reports their security lines are at a pre-pandemic 5-20 minute average. However, notes Leah Batstone, communications and marketing advisor with YHZ, “As travel returns to volumes near or exceeding 2019 levels, many smaller markets such as ours could face similar challenges with longer lineups during the busy summer season.” This may be another manifestation of the big resignation (see page 28). Suzanne Perseo of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) media relations says, “Wait times at any airport occur for various reasons, even when staffi ng levels are optimal, and can fl uctuate throughout the day based on passenger volume/number of fl ights. At the beginning of the pandemic, we had almost 7,400 screening offi cers across the country. Today, we have approximately 6,500 How will extended airport lineups impact business and group travel? by Allan Lynch The Waiting Game active and pre-certifi ed screening offi cers. CATSA is targeting the hiring of approximately 1,000 screening offi cers this year, in addition to over 1,200 recalled in 2021.” So far the airport chaos hasn’t manifested itself at either the Vancouver or Toronto convention centres. David Chisholm, vice-president of sales for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, says, “We are not seeing anyone delay or modify their events at this time. It would be my opinion that it will be a short- to mid-term issue. We all are trying to fi nd more people to work. The labour shortage for the travel and hospitality industry is a far greater issue.” While it’s too early to quantify how much damage this issue causes group business, it is impacting some. David Morrison, group sales manager with Uniglobe Specialty Travel, says after several frustrating experiences at Pearson, “a group client pulled the plug” on a 120-person incentive planned for November “and will revisit next year. He simply does not want his people to be subjected to that type of delay or lineups. It’s very frustrating as we are doing everything we can to try to rebuild confi dence in the travel sector after two disastrous years. The one thing we should not have to worry about is service at the airport, and yet it could be our biggest obstacle.” Summer 2022 | Ignitemag.ca | 27
