The One Airport You Should Avoid At All Costs
There is one airport that you should avoid traveling through at all costs amid all of the sustaining travel woes.
If you’ve traveled via plane recently you know what a harrowing experience it is likely to be for anyone at present. Severe industry-wide staffing shortages combined with an immense uptick in travel have led to a whole host of problems. From flight delays and outright cancellations to lost luggage galore, the woes associated with travel right now have been unceasing. And the overarching problems apply to airlines and airports across the board. There is just no escaping it. However, there is one airport in particular that you should avoid traveling through at all costs – Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Sadly this airport has taken a serious fall from grace. After being touted as one of the premier airports for stellar customer service, Toronto Pearson International Airport is now being touted as the absolute worst for flight delays. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Toronto-based airport reported that 53% of its flights arrived or departed late between June 1st and July 18th. That situates that Canadian airport dead last among the world’s top 100 airports. There is only one word that can adequately reflect that statistic – yikes!
The reasons for Toronto Pearson International Airport’s troubles align with what other airports and airlines are dealing with currently. Too many travelers and not enough staff to meet that demand. Deborah Flint, who is the chief executive of the airport’s operator, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, told the Wall Street Journal that the end of June was particularly challenging. Flint admitted that things got so bad that the airport decided to leave gates open instead of closing them, just so travelers could have a place to sleep for the night.
Further complicating matters for Toronto Pearson International Airport is the fact that Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, operates out of there. Since it’s the largest airline in Canada, this means that more travelers will inherently fly via it. Needless to say, that did not go over well at an airport already pushed passed the upper threshold of its operating limits. Air Canada was also fielding woes of its own separate from the Toronto Airport that it operates out of. Consequently, Air Canada reported that 55% of its flights flying in or out of Toronto were late during the month of June.
Toronto Pearson International Airport might be the lowest ranked airport in terms of delayed flights at the moment, but there are other airports that hurting nearly as bad. Canada’s Montreal Airport and Germany’s Frankfurt Airport followed closely behind in terms of delayed flight metrics. FlightAware recorded percentages equal to 48.2 in Montreal and 46.2 in Frankfurt. Double ouch.
Thankfully, Toronto Pearson International Airport is working hard to rectify its current shortcomings. Flint said that even though “We have a long way to go to get the system and Pearson where we want it to be,” she is working hard with other controlling parties like air traffic control to ease the current circumstances. And their collective efforts are seemingly beginning to pay off. Since July 18th the percentage of delayed flights has slowly begun to recede.
