Connecting Through Pearson/US Customs

[Scar1199]

So our family is heading down to Disney in June, this will be the first time we will be connecting through Pearson, usually fly direct or out of the US. My son is flying a week before us to go visit a friend and I'm just wondering how easy it will be for him to navigate through customs and on to his connecting flight when he lands. He'll be 16, but first time flying alone.

 

[HeatherLassell]

So our family is heading down to Disney in June, this will be the first time we will be connecting through Pearson, usually fly direct or out of the US. My son is flying a week before us to go visit a friend and I'm just wondering how easy it will be for him to navigate through customs and on to his connecting flight when he lands. He'll be 16, but first time flying alone.

How long is the time between flights?

 

[HeatherLassell]

He should be just fine. Being from Winnipeg almost every flight connects in Toronto and I'd say we have never had an issue. The signage is rather clear which way to go. Plus just make sure he knows he can ask an agent at the desk for any help he might need.

 

[Scar1199]

He should be just fine. Being from Winnipeg almost every flight connects in Toronto and I'd say we have never had an issue. The signage is rather clear which way to go. Plus just make sure he knows he can ask an agent at the desk for any help he might need.

Thank you. He will have about 90mins. He's pretty outgoing so will have no issues asking for help.

 

[HeatherLassell]

Thank you. He will have about 90mins. He's pretty outgoing so will have no issues asking for help.

Oh yeah that sounds good. Just tell him to head right to customs. (you never know how long the line is going to be) Get that part over with. Then head to gate and bathroom stop on the way.

 

[Donald - my hero]

I hate it when my kids give me this kind of an answer but I'm pretty sure both you and your son will appreciate this! Go to YouTube and look for POV videos of Pearson walkthru !!! There are a ton of them and it should help ease your anxiety

 

[HeatherLassell]

I hate it when my kids give me this kind of an answer but I'm pretty sure both you and your son will appreciate this! Go to YouTube and look for POV videos of Pearson walkthru !!! There are a ton of them and it should help ease your anxiety

That's a really good suggestion though cause literally there is a YouTube video for almost anything you could ever want to know. lol

 

[youngdeb12]

Thank you. He will have about 90mins. He's pretty outgoing so will have no issues asking for help.

Depending on what time of day he's connecting at, 90 minutes could be tight to go through security and customs. When we connected in the evening, it was smooth sailing. When we connected after our red eye from Vancouver, first thing in the morning, it was super busy. We had 3 hours in between our flight landing and the next one leaving and by the time we cleared security and customs, our next flight was pre-boarding. We went straight from one flight to the next. Just make sure he knows to go straight to security/customs before doing anything else. The signage is pretty clear and straightforward but it can get busy.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

Thank you. He will have about 90mins. He's pretty outgoing so will have no issues asking for help.

That's a very tight timeline depending on what time he is arriving.

We were in person last Thursday...and only have 1 hr and 45 minutes to catch our connection...and we were RUNNING after we got through customs. We had even inquired with WJ about the changes they had made to our itinerary and they assured us it was enough time. We were the last ones on our plane. Once we hopped on, they closed the door behind us The hold up wasn't finding our way around, it was at the US customs. We knew there were no more WJ flights going straight to Orlando,so we hustled as fast as we could lol.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

Sorry to say but I think Pearson is the worst airport ever for making international connections. It’s not the signage but the confusing and ever-changing processes surrounding the first stage of customs clearance and the outright rudeness of many employees there. Make sure your son knows that he will have to hustle. 90 minutes is tight.

 

[curias]

My daughter did a connection last Tuesday. We arrived at Pearson at 5pm. It only took her about 10 minutes to do customs.

 

[mernin]

Oh yeah that sounds good. Just tell him to head right to customs. (you never know how long the line is going to be) Get that part over with. Then head to gate and bathroom stop on the way.

Agreed. Pearson can be hit or miss with times so it’s best to get through customs asap and then do what ever You need to after that. Signage is pretty clear where to go.

 

[SirDuff]

Sorry to say but I think Pearson is the worst airport ever for making international connections. It’s not the signage but the confusing and ever-changing processes surrounding the first stage of customs clearance and the outright rudeness of many employees there. Make sure your son knows that he will have to hustle. 90 minutes is tight.

You've not transited at CDG often, have you?

Joking aside, agree with the idea to go straight to immigration and leave any bathroom breaks/eating until you are the connecting flight area.