How bad is Pearson's customs backup? The chief of the fire department at Canada's busiest airport has warned the airline, so if you drop off passengers before they are told, they will violate the National Fire Service Act.
Fire chief Todd Aitken issued a directive on June 23 and came into effect on July 1. A copy of the directive shared withToronto Sunis a problem in clearing passengers through Pearson on federal requirements.
"Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto Pearson) is a government-mandated process and agency staffing," Aitken wrote.
As a result, all international flights arriving in Toronto accommodate passengers. Must be on the plane until given specific instructions that they can be released.
"In the case of an airline not following such instructions and self-releasing passengers to the passenger terminal, the CBSA primary inspection line may be overwhelmed by passengers and the line may retreat. It may be up to the arrival transfer level. Subsequent congestion creates safety risks, disrupts other operations at terminals and ramps, and worsens the passenger experience, "says the directive.
Aitken quoted seconds. 2.1.2.2 of the National Fire Service Act, which states that "activities that pose a danger and are not permitted by the original design must not be carried out inside the building."
Needless to say, Pearson's customs are so backed up that they violate the Fire Service Act and are a safety issue. Citing "Government Mandatory Processes and Staffing of Government Agencies," Aitken once again shows that the Trudeau government is not telling the truth.
"We did everything we could," Transport MinisterOmar Alghabra said last week
to the Commonwealth. There are two areas of responsibility contributing to the problem at the airport, both of which lead to other delays and problems for airlines and passengers. The federal government handles international passengers through customs and is responsible for passenger and baggage security screening for passengers leaving Canadian airports such as Pearson.
Both are confused and have been going on for months, dating back to late March. It's true that there are other problems, but nothing is more persistent or persistent than the one at Pearson. Things are getting worse in Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary, but not so bad even at other Canadian airports.
The federal government claims that it has no role, it is just a matter of airlines and their schedules, or it is a matter of staffing. I want you to believe me.
To be clear, from the beginning I am responsible for the airlines, such as baggage disposal disasters, but screening and customs are federal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers need to stop blaming slow passengers and bad airlines for what they can only fix.
As Aitkens pointed out, Pearson of the Canada Border Services Agency, who is in charge of customs brokers, has a staffing problem. Unions representing those workers have been warning about staffing issues for months. They also point out issues caused by the ArriveCan app.
"All frontline border guards will tell you that the implementation of the ArriveCan application has seen a surge in processing time," said Union PresidentMark Weber. Before telling the Commons Commission in two weeks"At the airport, this means travelers pile up inside and outside the customs area."
The government ignored him and the airport, We have extended the forced use of the ArriveCan app until September 30 because we have made calls (in addition to the union) from airlines, border mayors, and the First Nation community and are considering it by federal authorities. Permanent. At the airport, this app is blamed on the average processing time for passengers traveling from 30 seconds to 4 minutes.
When hundreds of passengers enter the country in an hour and the customs are suddenly backed up, the gate fills up, so the plane waits at the gate with passengers or sits on the tarmac. It will be like. ..
This will result in loss of connectivity and extra passengers trying to get a new flight at the airport. It leads to delays in other flights, disruption of baggage and even more problems. This is all because Pearson's customs functions are not working.
Not so good at the entrance to the airport.
After 6am on Sunday, the security screening lineup at Terminal 1 extended from the Air Canada check-in area to the door. Airports and airlines instruct passengers to arrive at least two hours before their domestic flight so that they can be processed in time.
Other airports around the world, such as Charles de Gaulle in Paris, are experiencing strikes, and airlines and airports across Europe are experiencing complete or partial outages. .. This is what the Trudeau government points out when other countries are experiencing the same kind of delay.
Canadian airlines are the latest in terms of flight percentage, but Air Canada is the latest on Saturday, with WestJet in 3rd, Swoop in 4th and Jazz in 10th. The level of problem as our airline or airport.
The Trudeau government needs to stop trying to blame others and fix their turmoil. Government officials can then call on airlines and airports to resolve the issue.
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