[Deadpool X]

I took this photo on Saturday June 14th a couple hours before my flight to Manchester.

View attachment 660403

This was my third time going through Terminal 1 this year. First two trips to London and this one to Manchester. It's been like this every time I go. The first trip I didn't care so much, but by the third trip, the deficiencies of terminal 1 were becoming more obvious to me.

It's also the landing at Pearson that is a disaster. Today, As I was standing in the queue to speak to a CBSA agent, I joked to the people behind me that it's easier for me to enter the U.K. than it is for me to enter my own country of Canada. I stood in line for roughly 10-15 minutes only to be told by a staff member that I didn't need to be line because I was a Canadian citizen. Where as the last time they told me I still had to wait in line and I ended up speaking with a CBSA agent. Even after getting my passport and face scanned and printing off that silly paper slip to hand to the guard after you grab your luggage.

With the U.K.'s new ETA for designated countries(which includes Canada), I just scan my passport, have my face scanned and the gates open up for me and I enter the U.K.. All three trips I never once spoke to a border guard. No paper slips to hand to a guard. It was strange how easy it was for me to walk into another country. It was also rather quick because countries that fall under the U.K.'s ETA program get their own designated line at customs at U.K. airports.

Your experience seems a little different from mine. I always go to the scanners, scan my passport, get a photo clicked, and get a slip and that's it. It's always been a couple of minutes for me for the entire customs and immigration process.

 

[BermudaTO37]

Some pics from yesterday. Nothing inside. No issues going and coming Very fast and loved it. Terminal 3 as u can see.

 

[BermudaTO37]

Looks like another Saudi carrier is planning Toronto. Riyadair is planning per the note below on IG. Second paragraph at the end.

 

[Amare]

A service that was overdue, very surprising there hasnt been an airline offering this direct serivce to Berlin for years.

Air Transat launching seasonal service to Berlin (seasonal ending October):

Air Transat inaugurates non-stop flights from Toronto to Berlin

Air Transat launched new twice-weekly service between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).

www.thegate.ca

 

[allabootmatt]

A service that was overdue, very surprising there hasnt been an airline offering this direct serivce to Berlin for years.

Air Transat launching seasonal service to Berlin (seasonal ending October):

Air Transat inaugurates non-stop flights from Toronto to Berlin

Air Transat launched new twice-weekly service between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).

www.thegate.ca

Berlin is a tough market for long haul. No connections, almost zero business travel, and in a part of Germany without much else in it. If there were significant demand, AC would have opened it up years ago.

 

[SubHuman]

Some lower-demand routes can now use the newer, longer-range single-aisle planes to fly across the Atlantic from Halifax or even Toronto, when previously only larger (mostly wide body) planes could do this.

A service that was overdue, very surprising there hasnt been an airline offering this direct serivce to Berlin for years.

Air Transat launching seasonal service to Berlin (seasonal ending October):

Air Transat inaugurates non-stop flights from Toronto to Berlin

Air Transat launched new twice-weekly service between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).

www.thegate.ca

"Airbus A321LR" -- a long transatlantic flight on a single-aisle plane

 

[ShonTron]

Recently booked travel to Naples in September on AC. It was interesting being routed through Munich on the way there (transferring via Lufthansa) and through Montreal on the way back.

I guess it’s been a long time, but I thought AC liked to funnel everyone through Frankfurt for onward Lufthansa connections; it is also interesting that AC has a direct year-round YUL-NAP flight but not YYZ-NAP – just seasonal service.

And though Berlin doesn’t have a direct flight from Toronto, Vienna does, and it’s a somewhat smaller city without a lot of connections. Perhaps it’s because of easy ground connections to places like Budapest and Bratislava?

 

[Mihairokov]

And though Berlin doesn’t have a direct flight from Toronto, Vienna does, and it’s a somewhat smaller city without a lot of connections. Perhaps it’s because of easy ground connections to places like Budapest and Bratislava?

Yes. As @allabootmatt alluded to, Berlin is its own little island. There's not much around it for ground connections or anything interesting nearby. Vienna gets you a lot of places very nearby. Last time I went to Berlin I went via Brussels (YUL), but the other easy option is via Frankfurt.

In saying that, we'll see how the new Helsinki direct goes. It's similar to Berlin in this regard but much smaller, especially considering Russia is off-limits.

 

[Richard White]

And though Berlin doesn’t have a direct flight from Toronto, Vienna does, and it’s a somewhat smaller city without a lot of connections. Perhaps it’s because of easy ground connections to places like Budapest and Bratislava?

I can confirm this.

On my way home earlier through both the Keleti and Kelenfold stations there were many trains heading to Austria from Budapest.

Having said that, Amsterdam is the preferred connection when heading to this part of Europe. Lufthansa is not great with connections.

 

[ShonTron]

KLM is an excellent airline and AMS is an excellent airport to change at in my experience, especially in comparison to CDG or LHR. No surprise it’s the choice connecting point for Central Europe.

 

[Richard White]

KLM is an excellent airline and AMS is an excellent airport to change at in my experience, especially in comparison to CDG or LHR. No surprise it’s the choice connecting point for Central Europe.

Lufthansa was quoting minimum connection times through Munich and Frankfurt when I booked.

I think it was a 1 hour and 15 minute connection via Munich to Budapest.

KLM was 2 hours 40 mins on the way here and 4 hours when I fly back Sunday.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Recently booked travel to Naples in September on AC. It was interesting being routed through Munich on the way there (transferring via Lufthansa) and through Montreal on the way back.

I guess it’s been a long time, but I thought AC liked to funnel everyone through Frankfurt for onward Lufthansa connections; it is also interesting that AC has a direct year-round YUL-NAP flight but not YYZ-NAP – just seasonal service.

And though Berlin doesn’t have a direct flight from Toronto, Vienna does, and it’s a somewhat smaller city without a lot of connections. Perhaps it’s because of easy ground connections to places like Budapest and Bratislava?

YUL-NAP is an interesting choice vs YYZ-NAP. Both Toronto and Montreal have large southern Italian populations and both would work equally. I suspect the reason AC chose YUL is due to either a) there is a gap in the 787 schedule out of YUL that NAP fits into nicely, and a similar gap doesn't exit at YYZ, and/or b) there is gate space at YUL for the flight that doesn't exist at YYZ.

Interestingly. Despite YYZ being AC's main international hub. They only run flights to Rome and Venice out of Toronto where Montreal gets flights to Rome, Milan (understandable due both being fashion cities), Venice, and Naples.

Milan seems to be conspicuously missing from the YYZ schedule. Sure it's not a fashion capital that Montreal is, but it's also a business and financial hub like Toronto is..

 

[innsertnamehere]

Berlin was capacity constrained for a very very long time in it's airports too which has lead to years of underservice. Now that Brandenburg is finally open they have the capacity, but I guess AC hasn't optioned it yet. I would assume a direct flight a few times a week would do well enough.

 

[WillTo]

Berlin is a tough market for long haul. No connections, almost zero business travel, and in a part of Germany without much else in it. If there were significant demand, AC would have opened it up years ago.

I personally love Berlin as a travel destination. I keep going there.

However it would be hard to make use of this service as I never arrive and return and Air Transat's other destination are quite far from Berlin.

Still really happy to see this service though.

 

[goodcitywhenfinished]

Contract awarded for T1/T3 renewal

Toronto Pearson selects team to lead Accelerator program – ReNew Canada

www.renewcanada.net

Design team includes Weston Williamson + Partners and Woods Bagot