Toronto Airport Connecting flight via aircanada

[BLTOH]

We are flying to vancouver, BC via aircanada with a connecting flight in Toronto. their website says to have a min. amount of 1 hr and 10- min to connect and their schedule option is only giving us 1 hr 15 min. my question is will we be busting but to make this connection or should i trust the airline that they provided this schedule with ample amount of time to make the connecting flight? we are fliying out of cleveland ,ohio. what kind of average time frame does it take for connections there?

 

[ccudmore]

The biggest thing to be aware of is the fact that you'll not only have to make a connecting flight, but clear Canadian customs too. You should be okay with the connecting flight part (as long as the inbound flight is ontime) but the customs can vary widely. I've seen it take 5 minutes and I've seen it take 45 minutes depending on how busy the airport is. If you do go with this connection time and when you get to customs it looks like you make not make your connection, talk to a CBSA person and tell them and they will likely move you to a line for people with short connections.

Worst case if you miss your connection they should put you on the next flight and there's flights from Toronto to Vancouver about once an hour.

 

[ccudmore]

You may also want to check the section of the Pearson web site that's specifically for connecting passengers at http://www.gtaa.com/en/travellers/connecting/ There you can see walk-through videos of exactly what you'll see and where you'll have to go so you can familiarize yourself with the terminal beforehand. For reference you'll be going through Terminal 1.

 

[BLTOH]

You may also want to check the section of the Pearson web site that's specifically for connecting passengers at http://www.gtaa.com/en/travellers/connecting/ There you can see walk-through videos of exactly what you'll see and where you'll have to go so you can familiarize yourself with the terminal beforehand. For reference you'll be going through Terminal 1.

yep i did that and printed it off to go in our travel folder. i didn't see anything about changing terminals so i am assuming we will be connecting in the same terminal.. ok another question i have not printed off our tickets yet but if i print them off this early what possibilty is it that the gates would change any? it looked like on aircanada's website that the flights and times were fairly consistent from day to day and if they set their flights up with a min of 1hr 15 min flight connection time i would think they would mean that is a doable time frame. there will be 5 of us so i just want to be prepared as i got norefunadable tickets and will be very mad at the airline if we miss our connecting flight do to their scheduling issues.

 

[ccudmore]

Just like any airline, the gate change could change at the last minute, but that's rare. As soon as you get off your plane check the closest departures board to double-check your departure gate. If you print off your boarding passes right at the 24-hours before the flight mark there's a chance they won't have the gate for the Toronto -> Vancouver flight on them yet which means for sure that you'll have to check the departures board. From my experience, as long as you booked your flights that conformed to their requirements for connections, even if you miss your connection they'll just bump you onto the next flight automatically.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Hi there! I connect through Toronto alot and have to clear customs! Its actually a really quick process as they have a special customs and security area for connecting flight travellers not the general one everyone uses. On average I can be through it all (after taking my luggage clearing customs sending my luggage back to the conveyer belt security etc) in under 30 minutes though I work for Amex so I have a Pearson Priority pass so its usually like 10 minutesish as I get fast tracked through the line.
The domestic terminal is fairly small and only has timmies to choose from for food. The terminal is not very large and after you come down an escalator you can see the majority of the connecting flight gates from there or its down another hallway which isnt overly long either.

The path to do all this is clearly marked and there are people all along the route offering help and assistance to make things run smoothly.

Enjoy Vancouver!!!

 

[BLTOH]

Hi there! I connect through Toronto alot and have to clear customs! Its actually a really quick process as they have a special customs and security area for connecting flight travellers not the general one everyone uses. On average I can be through it all (after taking my luggage clearing customs sending my luggage back to the conveyer belt security etc) in under 30 minutes though I work for Amex so I have a Pearson Priority pass so its usually like 10 minutesish as I get fast tracked through the line.
The domestic terminal is fairly small and only has timmies to choose from for food. The terminal is not very large and after you come down an escalator you can see the majority of the connecting flight gates from there or its down another hallway which isnt overly long either.

The path to do all this is clearly marked and there are people all along the route offering help and assistance to make things run smoothly.

Enjoy Vancouver!!!

thank you for this info.. i think i can calm down a bit.. do you know if you can take like small bags of chips or snacks in your carry on before going thru security?

I was planning on getting some at toronto but not sure what would be available so thinking i might just bring some from home with me. the flight from toronto to vancouver is the longer segment.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Once you land in Toronto and then after you clear Canadian Customs you will then need to pick up your checked bags, because Air Canada will not transfer them onto your next flight to Vancouver. So when you check-in for your flight to Vancouver the Air Canada employee will re-tag your checked bags and then you will put them on the luggae carousel and they will be taken to your next flight.

 

[ccudmore]

thank you for this info.. i think i can calm down a bit.. do you know if you can take like small bags of chips or snacks in your carry on before going thru security?

I was planning on getting some at toronto but not sure what would be available so thinking i might just bring some from home with me. the flight from toronto to vancouver is the longer segment.

Yes you can can take things like chips through security. You can take any type of food you want through as long as its not liquid. As for buying it at the airport, there's tons of places that sell snacks. They're just very expensive (as it usually is at any airport).

 

[BLTOH]

Yes you can can take things like chips through security. You can take any type of food you want through as long as its not liquid. As for buying it at the airport, there's tons of places that sell snacks. They're just very expensive (as it usually is at any airport).

ok thats good..i will just plan on putting some snacks for us in our carry ons and hopefully we will have time to grab some bottles of pepsi and juice once thru security for the second leg of the trip.

are these places that sell stuff before security or after? i prefer to get thru security and be heading to our next gate before stopping for that kind of stuff.

 

[ccudmore]

Both before and after security, but since you can't take your Pepsi through security it's best to buy it after.