# What is going on at Pearson Airport? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676 "2022-07-09T19:07:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/1 "2022-07-09T19:07:56Z")
I’ve been seeing the stories about the long passenger delays and wait times for a few months now. What is triggering it? Is it still covid measures, or something else? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/2 "2022-07-09T19:43:10Z")
It is a number of factors: 1. Canadian air travel is up 285% from February. This compares to 25% in the US which didn’t have as big a drop. 2. following from this is that they are short staffed. They are generally low paying jobs at the airport, and after extended layoffs people have found other jobs. Recruiting and training takes up to 4 months. 3. Covid is forcing an already stretched workforce across all roles to be further understaffed. 4. Air Canada, ‘nuff said 5. travellers have forgotten EVERYTHING. Liquids, shoes, laptops, no one remembers what stays in and what comes out 6. US INS is backed up and Nexus and Global Entry has expired for many I flew out of Pearson to Europe last week and security was a mess. The lineup at the AC lounges ran down the hall. Our flight was 2.5 hours late due to reasons. That being said, our connecting flight in Paris was delayed by 3 hours due to labour action by airport workers. Contrary to the claims of some that “this is all Trudeau’s fault”, there are huge issues at CDG, LHR, AMS, FRA, and other major airports. I am coming home next week, and the Fire Marshall has directed airlines not to release passengers into the terminal until directed as crowding is causing fire code violations. Who know how long it will take to get back into the country and we have Nexus. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/3 "2022-07-09T20:33:20Z")
Where is this airport located? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/4 "2022-07-09T20:34:46Z")
Toronto, Ontario; it’s Canada’s biggest/busiest airport. > **[Toronto Pearson International Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Pearson_International_Airport)** > > Cargo > Lester B. Pearson International Airport (IATA: YYZ, ICAO: CYYZ), commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. The airport is named in honour of Lester B. Pearson, who served as the 14th Prime minister of Canada and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. > Toronto Pearson is located 22.5 ki... ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/5 "2022-07-09T20:41:47Z")
On the “travelers have forgotten” – Granted I don’t fly commercial very often, but the rules change from airport to airport and day to day (flight MSP → DEN – shoes stay on, everything in luggage) (flight DEN to MSP, shoes go off, do not go in bin, laptops and tablets go in bin) This was within a week. Sometimes my calves get padded down as they show up on the densitometer . Brian ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/6 "2022-07-09T20:46:55Z")
So true I encountered those protocol changes as well in aAtlanta vs Jacksonville. Once in a while they trot out the dogs and have you walk by in twos. I suspected the mags were down. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/7 "2022-07-09T20:47:43Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > On the “travelers have forgotten” – Granted I don’t fly commercial very often, but the rules change from airport to airport and day to day (flight MSP → DEN – shoes stay on, everything in luggage) (flight DEN to MSP, shoes go off, do not go in bin, laptops and tablets go in bin) We were stuck behind a woman in Paris when we changed planes and had to reclear security. She must have had - without exaggeration - 5 L of liquids in her bag. There was a guy at Pearson who was trying to hold up his pants while putting his belt back on, unsuccessfully. It’s a mess, and when you add delays due to reduced staff who are also minimally trained, tempers flare and people get stubborn. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/8 "2022-07-09T20:55:56Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > US INS is backed up and Nexus and Global Entry has expired for many Possibly related: i let my global entry expire because… The first time i tried to renew i ran into some stupid problem, and pandemic, it just didn’t feel urgent. I finally got around to applying to renew it (successfully) late Thursday afternoon. To my astonishment, my application was approved this morning! Not, “you need to sign up for an interview, preliminary approval” but "you can use your known traveler number starting right now. I’m delighted! Flying is always a pain these days, but flying without TSA pre (which you get for free if you get global entry) is kinda a nightmare. I wish they’d roll back the stupid security theater for everyone. But at least i can bypass a lot of it again. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/9 "2022-07-09T22:24:25Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Paris That fucking airport! Every time my wife and I go through CDG there’s a surprise gate change, mini-strike (eg the gate agents are _en greve pour les prochaines 47 minutes or_ some such crap) or the baggage carousel for the Airbus 380 is slightly larger than our kitchen table. So we always ensure that we have three hours if we go through CDG. Hijack/rant over. > [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > There was a guy at Pearson who was trying to hold up his pants while putting his belt back on, unsuccessfully This sort of thing just boggles my mind. For whatever reason, long ago, I started “sanitizing myself” by putting all metal stuff into a ziplock bag before even entering the security line. And then about five years ago I discovered purpose-made belts for airports. Covid or no COVID, some people just can’t seem to get their acts together. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/10 "2022-07-09T22:46:07Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > For whatever reason, long ago, I started “sanitizing myself” by putting all metal stuff into a ziplock bag before even entering the security line Same here (using a shoulder bag with a lot of zipper pockets). It seems so obvious you’d think even the Teeming Millions would have figured it out by now, but evidently not. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/11 "2022-07-09T22:46:53Z")
And for your listening pleasure: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ftVTWDrtrlc/maxresdefault.jpg "Rush - YYZ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftVTWDrtrlc) Fear not, it’s an instrumental. Anyway, my sister recently flew through Denver, and she was afraid of cancellations etc. but she chose red-eyes on purpose, and also because they are less expensive. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/12 "2022-07-09T22:48:31Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > It seems so obvious you’d think even the Teeming Millions would have figured it out by now, but evidently not The world will only be acceptable when there are _Teeming Billions_ ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/13 "2022-07-09T22:50:36Z")
Sorry, I travel in elastic waisted lower garments, some sort of no metal sports bra [disreguard if male] a loose fit tshirt, my ostomate get out of jail card [lets me carry supplies and get out of line to empty my bag in a bathroom if I need to] and crocs [no need to dick around, just shove my feet in and roll.] I am stuck with a wheelchair, so I have a pusher in addition to I already have the whole TSA ID thingy going for me. I am also not dumb enough to try and bring any liquid other than a vial of insulin with me. Needles and pills, yes. I have an empty water bottle that I fill at a drinking fountain. I refuse to get dressed up and have to strip down and redress to go through inspection. I get wanded anyways, I can’t stand and walk to go through the machine. I also get swiped for explosives about half the time. Well a couple times they have run dogs past me. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/14 "2022-07-09T23:50:38Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > And for your listening pleasure: For those who aren’t Rush fans and don’t get the connection, Pearson Airport’s code is YYZ. Pearson Airport is also “home” for the band Rush, so at the end of their tours they would fly in to Pearson. This gave the band a fondness for the airport, since going to Pearson meant that the stress of touring was over and they could all go home and relax. When flying into Pearson Airport, the VOR system would put out the airport’s IATA identification code of YYZ in Morse Code. So they built an instrumental song around the rhythm of YYZ in Morse Code, and named the song YYZ. The rhythm at the beginning of the song is literally the letters YYZ in Morse Code. **-.-- -.-- --..** ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/15 "2022-07-10T00:20:38Z")
I think you would have to be an “engineer-comp-geek” to figure all that out! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/16 "2022-07-10T00:37:43Z")
You just have to be a Rush fan. They have explained the origins of the song in several interviews. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/17 "2022-07-10T06:36:53Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > On the “travelers have forgotten” – Granted I don’t fly commercial very often, but the rules change from airport to airport and day to day (flight MSP → DEN – shoes stay on, everything in luggage) (flight DEN to MSP, shoes go off, do not go in bin, laptops and tablets go in bin) This was within a week. We flew internationally (EU-US) and domestic (US) over Christmas. We did every variation and we only had 4 flights in two weeks. The one US airport was treating everyone like Global Entry, and the other airport was treating everyone as if Global Entry (which we have) exists. The best was going through customs. No airport wanted people hanging around, so it was the fastest I went through customs, ever. I presume that has changed, and now they are doing the normal level of security checks. I’m still amazed how many people don’t understand the limit for liquids. Years ago I saw a woman who had maybe a dozen bottles, each one was around 200 ml. Every single bottle had to be tossed. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/18 "2022-07-10T07:13:38Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > When flying into Pearson Airport, the VOR system would put out the airport’s IATA identification code of YYZ in Morse Code. So they built an instrumental song around the rhythm of YYZ in Morse Code, and named the song YYZ. The rhythm at the beginning of the song is literally the letters YYZ in Morse Code. > > **-.-- -.-- --…** A few other bits of info, for the insatiably curious. How did Pearson International come to get the handle YYZ? The first “Y” comes from Canada’s decision to have most IATA airport codes (and all major ones) begin with “Y” ( a few small airports start with “Z”, like ZWL for Wollaston Lake Airport, SK). The rest of it, like many non-obvious IATA codes, come from various sources like old railway station codes or weather or other radio transmitters. In this case, “YZ” was the old code for the railway station at Malton, where the airport was eventually built. IATA codes frequently have some mnemonic significance, though – like YVR for Vancouver. Sometimes the connection isn’t obvious, like ORD for Chicago’s main international airport – but that comes from “O’Hare Field”. Others, like EWR for Newark, ended up that way because the US Navy tried to monopolize codes beginning with “N”. I don’t think, however, that a VOR or other beacon would actually transmit “YYZ”. IATA codes are used for things like ticketing and baggage tags. Air navigation always uses ICAO codes. In Canadian airspace, this is (to my knowledge) always just the IATA code preceded by “C”. Thus a pilot’s nav charts would identify Pearson International as CYYZ. In the US, the ICAO airport code is the IATA code preceded by “K” (one of the prefixes allocated to the US by the ITU, also the same reason that radio and TV station transmitter IDs start with W or K). However, ICAO and IATA codes are completely different in much of the rest of the world. For instance, London Heathrow (IATA: LHR) has the ICAO code EGLL. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/19 "2022-07-10T11:33:41Z")
VORs (at least the ones I am familiar with) do not transmit the “K”, and it looks like the YYZ VOR does transmit YYZ [https://www.airnav.com/cgi-bin/navaid-info?id=YYZ&type=VOR.DME&name=TORONTO](https://www.airnav.com/cgi-bin/navaid-info?id=YYZ&type=VOR.DME&name=TORONTO) Brian ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676/20 "2022-07-10T13:29:37Z")
Thanks for the correction. Although as I said, the 4-letter ICAO codes are always used on air navigation charts, actually it appears that navigation beacons use their own ID system that doesn’t necessarily conform to either the IATA or ICAO standard. For example the VOR closest to London Heathrow transmits neither LHR nor EGLL, but LON for “London metropolitan area”, and the 7 nearby waypoints just transmit three-letter codes associated with their geographic location (“OCK” for Ockham, etc.). The Chicago DME is identified as “GCO”, which is not a valid airport code in either standard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-at-pearson-airport/967676.md?page=2)