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Toronto Pearson Airport Photo Gallery


Pearson is Canada's busiest airport, handling over 47 million passengers in 2017. It has 2 terminals. Terminal 1 was redeveloped from 2 older terminals in the early 2000s while Terminal 3 opened in 1991.

Terminal 1 is primarily used by Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners. Canadian airports separate departures into domestic, transborder (US), and international sections.

Departure boards display 2 types of flight information. This one lays out flights in chronological order, while some screens list the destination cities in alphabetical order.

Air-side, the gates tend to be crowded with insufficient space for the various queues, which are dictated by the airline.

For arriving passengers, luggage carts used to be paid. But the new management company has removed that awful first impression cash grab to align with international practice.

Plane spotting at this terminal is quite boring with almost all Air Canada birds.

Terminal 3 has aged and become less user-friendly over the years. This terminal is used by non-Star Alliance and charter / low-cost airlines.

Most large Canadian airports have US immigration pre-clearance right in Canada at the airport so the plane arrives as a domestic flight.

The new management has tried to improve the passenger experience with nicer gate lounges offering iPads at every seat on the tables.

Plane spotting here is more interesting with a wider variety of birds.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Chinese airlines flying to Toronto.

During Toronto's long and cold winters, de-icing takes place on the tarmac in a centralized area just off the terminal.

Getting to the airport has gotten easier with the opening of the UPX, an express train into Union Station. For residents residing outside downtown, GO Transit runs buses to various points outside the core, albeit on sparse schedules.

Further down, TTC buses take passengers to Kipling subway station. This used to be the only cheap public transport method into town.

Some older photos of Terminal 1 :

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