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Toronto Pearson International Airport

This seems badly thought out. First, the cheapest way to decrease wait times is almost definitely hiring more staff. Even if you doubled staffing the costs would be negligible next to the billions of dollars this project entails. Second, the walk from the new processing facility to the gates is insane. There's no point building a super-efficient facility 20 minutes away from the gates. Maybe the existing terminals could be retrofitted w/a people mover, but that's again adding capital costs.

Ultimately, the "hub" is really a lightly used LRT line intersecting with a lightly used airport connector and some bus routes. I'm all for connectivity and transit, but completely sabotaging airport circulation for some marginal services seems ill-thought.

I imagine the most efficient solution is just to keep expanding Terminal 1. In the long run, once piers G and H are complete, start building back over T3 and build one integrated backwards "J" shaped facility. That would allow a common screening area and would allow the approach roads to be simplified into one loop.
 
This seems counterproductive. If the motivation for this complete rethinking of the original master plan is to improve check in and security processing times, then funnelling everyone through a single bridge across much greater distances is going to worsen the experience.

The solution is looking them in the face. Build a central check-in pavilion where the garage is now. A central building with gates around it is the most efficient way at getting people to their gates within the shortest distance possible.

Build underground parking and future transit connections under the check-in pavilion and redevelop the other lands independently of the airport.
 
diminutive said:
I imagine the most efficient solution is just to keep expanding Terminal 1. In the long run, once piers G and H are complete, start building back over T3 and build one integrated backwards "J" shaped facility. That would allow a common screening area and would allow the approach roads to be simplified into one loop.
Click to expand...

I do like the idea of expanding Terminal 1 until there's a architectural uniformity throughout Pearson (though Terminal 3 still has a long life ahead of it).

And if they need even more room, they could build start building island terminals where the infield terminal is at the moment, retaining room for a future shuttle from an expanded Terminal 1.
 
It should include an LRT route along the 427 corridor to intersect with the airport as well. And if not LRT then maybe something Canada Line esque
 
https://www.torontopearson.com/pearson_leftNavOneColumnWF.aspx?pageid=78&id=21474839252#

Passenger stats for 2016 are finally out. I dont recall it ever taking this long in the past. The number is 44.3 mill for 2016 which is up a whopping 8%.

Other numbers for cnd airports in 2016
Vancouver 22.3 mill
Montreal 16.6 mill
Calgary 15.7 mill
Edmonton 7.5 mill

Billy Bishop checked in at 9th spot in canada with 2.7 Mill. Also up by huge amount, 9%.
 
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Some great pax numbers. No guarantee they will hold with Trump in office. Air Canada has made massive gains in building a transfer hub between the US and Europe and Asia (for the US East Coast). No guarantees this lasts with the current US administration. Traffic patterns may change
 
kEiThZ said:
Some great pax numbers. No guarantee they will hold with Trump in office. Air Canada has made massive gains in building a transfer hub between the US and Europe and Asia (for the US East Coast). No guarantees this lasts with the current US administration. Traffic patterns may change
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I wonder if Trump's presidency might actually increase pax numbers at pearson. Those airlines that would not want (or be able to) fly into the USA can fly to Toronto and pax can connect to them via the multitude of flights from the US to Toronto.
 
Woodbridge_Heights said:
I wonder if Trump's presidency might actually increase pax numbers at pearson. Those airlines that would not want (or be able to) fly into the USA can fly to Toronto and pax can connect to them via the multitude of flights from the US to Toronto.
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There have been rumours of Air Canada or an Iranian airline starting IKA-Canada routes. One widebody flight per day would be ~200k pax per year, and assuming half of them are in transit, would be responsible for ~300k, which is impressive.

More substantially, the US/China bilateral is now close to maxed out, and with US/China relations going colder, it's unlikely to be revised under the Trump administration. It would create an opportunity for Air Canada and YYZ/YVR to funnel more passengers not just from China to the US, but also to Latin America.

Also, the millions of middle class Mexicans and Central Americans who may possess US visas but are unwilling to transit through the US on their next business trip to Shanghai or pilgrimage to Rome will now have a more welcoming option with the end of the visa requirement.

Then of course Canada itself is now a hottest tourism destination. We could even become the next Iceland, which naturally boosts YYZ.
 
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2016 Annual Report is out:

https://torontopearson.com/ar2016/downloads/GTAA-2016-Annual-Report.pdf

Was hoping they'd include something tangible around gate expansion projects but:

The strong passenger growth experienced over the past few years, if sustained, will likely result in the need to accelerate the next large investment in physical infrastructure. The GTAA is reviewing terminal expansion plans and designs, and construction will commence when demand dictates and after a thorough consultation with the air carriers.

Either the GTAA reopens the infield terminal and unceremoniously punts Air Transat and Sunwing to it, or the whole thing risks collapsing onto itself. Planes routinely wait for 30 mins on the tarmac due to no gates at peak times. Many busy airports with similar challenges have 'bus gates' where passengers are bused to a waiting plane and boarded via air stairs. Pearson doesn't do this.

If gate expansion isn't a priority at this time, then they should definitely be looking at how to fix this problem before it gets out of hand. Growth of 10% per annum is nothing to scoff at.
 
Filip said:
2016 Annual Report is out:

https://torontopearson.com/ar2016/downloads/GTAA-2016-Annual-Report.pdf

Was hoping they'd include something tangible around gate expansion projects but:

The strong passenger growth experienced over the past few years, if sustained, will likely result in the need to accelerate the next large investment in physical infrastructure. The GTAA is reviewing terminal expansion plans and designs, and construction will commence when demand dictates and after a thorough consultation with the air carriers.

Either the GTAA reopens the infield terminal and unceremoniously punts Air Transat and Sunwing to it, or the whole thing risks collapsing onto itself. Planes routinely wait for 30 mins on the tarmac due to no gates at peak times. Many busy airports with similar challenges have 'bus gates' where passengers are bused to a waiting plane and boarded via air stairs. Pearson doesn't do this.

If gate expansion isn't a priority at this time, then they should definitely be looking at how to fix this problem before it gets out of hand. Growth of 10% per annum is nothing to scoff at.
Click to expand...

So much PR fluff, so little details about future plans.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
So much PR fluff, so little details about future plans.

AoD
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I am too lazy to go look, but they literally said the exact same thing in the 2014 and 2015 report:

The GTAA is reviewing terminal expansion plans and designs, and construction will commence when demand dictates and after a thorough consultation with the air carriers.

Demand dictated construction of Pier G in 2014 when passenger volumes reached 38 million. We are now at 44 million. What is this additional demand they seek?
 
Filip said:
I am too lazy to go look, but they literally said the exact same thing in the 2014 and 2015 report:

The GTAA is reviewing terminal expansion plans and designs, and construction will commence when demand dictates and after a thorough consultation with the air carriers.

Demand dictated construction of Pier G in 2014 when passenger volumes reached 38 million. We are now at 44 million. What is this additional demand they seek?
Click to expand...

It's mainly a mix of lofty proclaimations, glorious statistics, human interest stories and hint of future directions with no details. Guess we will have to wait for the Master Plan update. The AR is disappointingly useless for informing that.

AoD
 
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