Toronto Pearson International Airport

[Streety McCarface]

Do we have any new timelines for future Pearson gateside expansions? I haven't heard anything from them in a while.

I was there a few days ago, it's been massively renovated, but nowhere near the needs of Domestic commuter transborder traffic, a pier F is definitely needed to make the system work sustainably.

Also, they just need to get rid of T3 altogether, it's dated, inefficient and should be rebuilt as an expansion of the existing T1. The challenge of rebuilding it will be insanely difficult however.

Here are some really really bad screenshots from a video of the new Pier G, but they'll at least give you an idea of what the new space looks like.

When getting off my CRJ from O'Hare, I also saw a weird looking design feature of the gates but it was under construction, but couldn't get a photo of it because I had to go through immigration.

 

[steveintoronto]

Sorry...was that a prison waiting room? I love the plants and the lovely soft atmosphere. Reminds me of the airport at:

Tuktoyaktuk/James Gruben Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuktoyaktuk/James_Gruben_Airport

 

[Streety McCarface]

Terminal maps

Digital and downloadable maps of Pearson airport terminal 1 and terminal 3, including an arrivals map and a gate map for each terminal.

www.torontopearson.com

Looks like they've released new airport maps. I have noticed that gates E80-E85 and E70-71 are not labelled as swing gates. Does anyone know why?

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Terminal maps

Digital and downloadable maps of Pearson airport terminal 1 and terminal 3, including an arrivals map and a gate map for each terminal.

www.torontopearson.com

Looks like they've released new airport maps. I have noticed that gates E80-E85 and E70-71 are not labelled as swing gates. Does anyone know why?

Hmm, assuming you are correct that these were once swing gates. I can only assume that the gate 193 expansion (to 10 gates) is complete, or nearing completion, and those gates are no longer required to be used as swing gates.

 

[Streety McCarface]

Hmm, assuming you are correct that these were once swing gates. I can only assume that the 10 gate expansion at F83 is complete, or nearing completion, and those gates are no longer required to be used as swing gates.

The gates were almost always used for 787/77W flights to and from LA/SFO. I'm not sure they'd be able to fit larger narrowbodies at the new Pier G gates, or if they can fit the widebody 77Ws at any of the other F Gates.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

The gates were almost always used for 787/77W flights to and from LA/SFO. I'm not sure they'd be able to fit larger narrowbodies at the new Pier G gates, or if they can fit the widebody 77Ws at any of the other F Gates.

66 and 64 could handle widebodies no? It's not so much about creating new wide body gates but moving narrowbodies off of widebody capable gates.

I'm just speculating here. What gates are today's LA/SFO flights departing from?

 

[Streety McCarface]

66 and 64 could handle widebodies no? It's not so much about creating new wide body gates but moving narrowbodies off of widebody capable gates.

I'm just speculating here. What gates are today's LA/SFO flights departing from?

I think those gates can handle 767s, but I've never seen a 787 or 77W at either of those gates. Whenever I fly to SFO, I usually leave from F69, F70, or F71, LA is a similar story. Flightradar has shown AC 737 has apparently departed from F61 but I don't think that's a normal operation — I would think that Gate F63 would be unusable if a 77W were present there. It's also worth noting that last I checked, the swing gates were still in place at all the gates aforementioned. Even with the expanded commuter Terminal, I don't think those gates can support planes larger than an ERJ 140, so I doubt that the 737s, A320s, C-Series planes, or even the E190s could be used there.

It just comes as a surprise to me because the transborder segment has the most number of aircraft movements at Pearson, yes, even more than the domestic market.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Terminal maps

Digital and downloadable maps of Pearson airport terminal 1 and terminal 3, including an arrivals map and a gate map for each terminal.

www.torontopearson.com

Looks like they've released new airport maps. I have noticed that gates E80-E85 and E70-71 are not labelled as swing gates. Does anyone know why?

Circling back around to this, GTAA Twitter just posted this:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1163448536094130176

So as I speculated. It appears they are ready to open the new Trans border gates at Pier G, which would reduce the demand on swing gates along the length of Pier F.

 

[ViveleCanada]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1163551216728776704

Happy to see the ticket machines and maps more neatly organized at T3. Last time I was at the ground transport level in T1, the ticket machines were blocking out portions of the "next departures" display with maps placed uncomfortably low to the ground (placed comfortably for children though). Hopefully, the GTAA will be a bit more kinder to bus passengers and also organize the T1 waiting area in a similar fashion.

 

[kEiThZ]

Glass bridges. Yes! And better transit integration. GTAA is doing good things here.

 

[Tim MacDonald]

I love the glass boarding bridges. Much better than the windowless tunnel of doom we have been subjected to at Pearson since 1991 when T3 opened and the first driveable bridges were installed.

 

[thethrows]

I was there a few days ago, it's been massively renovated, but nowhere near the needs of Domestic commuter transborder traffic, a pier F is definitely needed to make the system work sustainably.

Also, they just need to get rid of T3 altogether, it's dated, inefficient and should be rebuilt as an expansion of the existing T1. The challenge of rebuilding it will be insanely difficult however.

Here are some really really bad screenshots from a video of the new Pier G, but they'll at least give you an idea of what the new space looks like.
View attachment 189922View attachment 189923View attachment 189924
When getting off my CRJ from O'Hare, I also saw a weird looking design feature of the gates but it was under construction, but couldn't get a photo of it because I had to go through immigration.

Thank you for posting these photos. I'm shocked that Pearson is going for the cheap-out on this. This will do little to attract Americans/Other Intls to use Toronto on their way to Europe/Asia. Montreal is doing a better job of setting the passenger experience in particular with its new expansion. It's little surprise that YUL is attracting a larger share of the international traffic.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Also, they just need to get rid of T3 altogether, it's dated, inefficient and should be rebuilt as an expansion of the existing T1.

I worked as a customs inspector at Pearson in the early 1990s. That's when the original T1 was still in use and T2 was essentially an old freight warehouse.

Torontoist Remembers: Aeroquay One

It's been demolished for two years now, but the old Terminal 1 at Toronto's international airport was once world-renowned for its futuristic and innovative design. State-of-the-art when opened on February 28, 1964, it was obsolete only a decade later as jet travel became commonplace. Known as...

torontoist.com

When they opened T3 is seemed like space age modernity.

The challenge of rebuilding it will be insanely difficult however.

Since that time Pearson has rebuilt the place multiple times. I don't see why it can't be done again.

 

[Tim MacDonald]

T2 was never planned as an old cargo shed - it just felt like one particularly before the reno in 1988 when additional windows/skylights were installed. The cargo myth has gone on for decades.
1990 was the peak of the chaos at Terminal One when Customs holds (gating airplanes but not allowing passengers to deplane) approaching an hour were not unusual and it could easily take 45 minutes to approach the terminal for pick up/drop offs due to the limited space curbside. Man, those were the days.

 

[Tim MacDonald]

Indeed, terminal 3 felt like a palace when it opened in Feb of 1991. I remember flying in on opening day and it took forever to get the bridge positioned since the agents were not yet proficient in maneuvering the bridges. Great place to work compared to old T1.