After nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians are once again getting ready to travel, but they should be prepared for a “busy” holiday season, experts say.
“Over the holiday season, in particular, you are going to see busy, busy airports,” Susan Postma, Regional Manager for CAA in Manitoba, told Global News.
“There’s some pent-up (travel) demand,” Postma said, so it’s important for Canadians to be prepared for their travels, “especially this winter.”
Arriving at the airport early may sound like common sense, but it is an important thing to follow, according to Postma.
For Canadians travelling domestically, reaching the airport two hours before their flights will suffice, but for those flying abroad, she suggests arriving at least three hours beforehand.
If you’re travelling with presents, it’s important not to wrap them before storing them in your suitcase as airport security will likely unwrap those, Postma said.
For Canadian airline WestJet, which flies to over 100 destinations globally, this holiday travel season is anticipated to be “reminiscent” of 2019 traveller volumes, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
During this year’s peak travel period, WestJet expects to carry more than 1.2 million guests across its network. Its busiest days are predicted to be Dec. 22, 23 and 27, Denise Kenny, spokesperson for the airline, told Global News.
“On our busiest days we anticipate flying more than 65,000 guests, in comparison to 2019 when we carried 71,000 guests,” Kenny said.
Like Postma, Kenny also urges travellers to arrive early for their flights but wants them to be prepared for delays as well.
“Be aware that travel may take longer than expected as things like cold winter weather can cause delays,” said Kenny.
Checking in at the airport online ahead of time and ensuring travel documents are up to date is also important, Kenny added.
Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, expects more than two million customers over the holidays, according to a statement released Thursday.
“We know that airports will be busy and our aircraft full,” Kevin O’Connor, Vice President of Air Canada’s Systems Operational Control, which oversees the carrier’s daily operation, said in the statement.
The airline has asked Canadians to consider packing only what they really need when travelling, as many tend to overpack.
They also reminded travellers to ensure medication, keys and valuables – including money electronics and jewellery – are kept in carry-on bags.
In Saskatchewan, more than 2,000 passengers a day are expected to be departing from Saskatoon’s YXE during the Christmas period, a statement from the airport said.
“We remind everyone to make sure they check the status of their flight direction with the airline prior to arriving at the airport,” the statement cautioned.
Toronto Pearson Airport is expected to be “particularly busy” this holiday travel season, according to a statement released last week.
“For the first large scale Christmas holiday travel season since 2019, we are excited to welcome passengers,” Deborah Flint, President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said in the statement.
The week leading up to Christmas is expected to be the busiest time for the airport, as well as the days around Jan. 9, when children return to school.
To speed up the security wait time at the airport, using the online reservation program YYZ Express to book a spot in line up to 72 hours ahead of takeoff will help, the airport says.
The airport also has a live wait time dashboard and a peak travel time dashboard for travellers to check if they’ll be passing through a busy period and prepare accordingly.
Although Toronto Pearson is expected to be bustling this holiday season, passenger levels are still anticipated to be below pre-pandemic numbers, the statement said.
Pearson has been known, especially in the summer, for its delays and long wait times.
Delays began to improve in August as the average wait time for bags to arrive at the carousel came down to 24 minutes for domestic travel, a three-minute improvement over the July average.
Barb Crowe, with Ixtapa Travel, said, “This is probably going to be the busiest season since the pandemic,” and urged travellers to pre-book parking if leaving their cars at the airport for the travel period.
“Do whatever you can before going to the airport. Get that seat booked and get that boarding card in your hands or on your phone,” said Crowe, noting it should help speed things up for travellers.
— With files from Global News’ Brody Langager & The Canadian Press
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