Toronto, the bane of all travel

 

I’ve never been a particular fan of Toronto – too sprawling, congested and simply dull, from nondescript neighborhoods, flat topography and few standout attractions (I’ll skip Casa Loma and the CN Tower). Add to that my vote for world’s worst airport, or at least of the airports I’ve been to. Correction: Toronto used to be worse, it’s now London’s Stansted (Nov. 3/23 post). Dating from the early 2000s Toronto’s rebuilt Pearson airport was supposed to revolutionize the old Malton Airport with its (then) innovative round terminal and added rectangular box. Well, design wise, it was (somewhat) innovative and awesome with its shell-like canopies and serpentine halls. But that’s part of the problem. It takes forever to walk from one part of the airport to another. Inevitably I arrive from Windsor in the grounded tarmac short flight domestic northeast D-gates end of Terminal 1. Then up the escalator and where the hike to my international flight begins. Years ago, I would get lost trying to find the right hallway to take, the signage is so bad a couple of times I ended up in the parking garage. But now I’ve (kind of) learned the route, with a slog through seemingly endless hallways (three concourses) all the way to the high number E gates at the end of the south “Hammerhead” pier. Which are inevitably overcrowded with easy to mistake departure lines. One time I got in the wrong line for a flight to Santiago when I was heading to London. I’m thankfully not alone in my view. The Consumer Choice Center ranked Pearson among worst in the world. Criteria included location, number of airlines, connections, restaurants and shops. I could quibble with some of the data. Air Canada dominates with 52% of all flights. But the world’s largest airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, is controlled by Delta Air Lines with 75%. As for not being downtown – big deal! – as numerous airports are much further away from city centres. Try London’s Gatwick or even Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport. And it takes almost an hour to get to Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos airport. It used to be worse: there was no UP Union Pearson Express train to downtown prior to 2015. But it is what it is and this week I’ll be flying out again. The long – and only slightly easier to find expedition – awaits.

Meanwhile driving to Toronto Pearson from Windsor is a nightmare. Sure, Toronto traffic especially on Hwy 401 has always been bad – in Toronto. But now tie-ups begin as far as Cambridge, 75 km away. This past year I drove four round trips to catch flights out of Pearson based on cheaper fares. But I think never again. Even with a surcharge for flying from Windsor it’s worth it. No four-hour drive to begin with, and no aggravation from accidents and construction which can add on another hour. Especially when the flight from Windsor takes a scant hour and you can look down on the 401 and smugly smirk at those having to drive it.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

My travel ban over but there are still hiccups

I thought I’d have no problem crossing the US border after my – disputed - five-year travel visa ban expired August 6. (see Aug 12/25 post). Sure, I can now cross but there are still hiccups. It’s not just like I can be waived through like any typical motorist after showing my passport and answering a few basic questions. My name still pops up on the primary inspection booth officer’s computer, and the same question is always asked: “have you ever had problems entering the US?” To which I refer to the five-year travel ban. The officer nods and sometimes will ask details and I run through a summary, always indicating I “dispute” it. On one occasion the officer wanted to engage me in a long conversation – verging on argument - of why I was banned (“Michigan auto insurance rules (law) don’t apply to federal crossings”). Frankly, this is all beside the point. The ban was over August 6 and I was given the understanding I would be able to cross hassle free back into the US. But because my name for some unknown reason remains in the system, more likely than not the primary officer will slap an orange sticker on my windshield and I’ll have to report to secondary, which means the office. Out of the car I get as two or three officers officiously direct where I must park and tell me to place my phone and car keys on the dashboard, and “take what documents you need” into secondary. There I must wait my turn as there are usually several people ahead that need to be processed for various reasons (most of us have gone to secondary one time or another, and it happens on Canadian side too). So, there I will sit anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour. I’m then called to the counter, hand over my passport and sometimes restate the reasons for the ban, then told to sit down and recalled, given back my passport and am free to go. There have been a few occasions where the primary officer just picks up the phone and calls a supervisor and then releases me on the spot; those are always gratifying. But my name should have been expunged when the ban was over. One officer even cursed when he saw my name was "still” there. I suggested it makes more work for his staff and he agreed. Further, no one can tell me when my name will be dropped – “could be six weeks, could be six months.” Meanwhile one officer gave me a card with a US government website to apply to expunge my name. I did so on Oct. 30. A resolution could take two or three months.

Meanwhile, the US government now requires travelers planning to spend more than 30 days stateside to fill out special documents – which might include fingerprinting at a Customs facility. I filled out the G-325R form Nov. 5 - which asks basic questions about residency and criminal record – and bizarrely requests a US address. (The Canadian Snowbird Association had answers at their fingertips and said just give an address of a friend, relative or business associate.) I still haven t heard back as I’m planning to spend Dec. 31 – Feb. 15 in the Sunshine State. What a contrast to applying to the UK’s new ETA two-year e-visa which I was issued almost immediately after applying online and is simply integrated into your passport. In the US everything is so officious and bureaucratic.

Whoever thought crossing the US border would ever be so hard. The G-325R (or alternative I-94) application apparently has always been on the books, but the Trump Administration is now enforcing it after a major border crackdown.

And as for all those stories about Canucks boycotting travel to the US it doesn’t appear so at the Windsor-Detroit border. I realize this border is not “discretionary” as many people commute to jobs. But even in non-commuting hours backups can easily last half an hour, not much different than "pre boycott” times. Last night, coming home from Detroit, I could see vehicles backed up almost on to the bridge deck itself. And the lines can be slower than molasses, making a trip to secondary inspection seem almost a breeze by comparison. (Photo shows back-up at Canadian border so you get an idea how many are still crossing the border, Canadians and Americans.)

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

I wanted to take a w--- on Wizz

This Hungarian discount airline’s name is somehow appropriate. Especially given our experience. And further reinforced the idea of never fly discount airlines. We flew Wizz from Prague to London Luton airport last month and the experience was underwhelming to say the least. The issue was my partner’s disability. Airlines send check-ins online 24 hours before departure. When travelling with her I never check in online as we’ve already booked seats by phone weeks ahead through accessibility assistance and I don’t want to screw it up since online bookings also ask for seats. Arriving at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport we were told that we’d be charged an extra $167.91 because of that. What?! The check in clerk was sympathetic but even a call to head office resulted in a no-go – discount airlines want/need to make money, so they have absolutely zero latitude. Then the fact her suitcase was about 20 lbs. overweight resulted in another $127.30 charge. We never chose Wizz as a discounter but only because it fit our schedule when booking through a third-party site……Another things about Wizz is that, as previously stated, this airline squeezes every last cent to make its bottom line. I’d never experienced entering an aircraft (by the rear right door from our accessible elevated bus) while passengers from the previous flight were still getting off the plane! That means extreme turnaround, folks. Get that aircraft in the air as much as possible to keep the revenue churning! Moreover, no need to spend money on terminal cleaning staff but use your own flight attendants – in hi-vis vests – to clean out the seat pockets and pickup floor trash before the flight. At least they still cross the seat belts.

It’s true you can fight the airlines! Most people find it difficult to get refunds from even the most mainstream airlines. I’ve had a couple of good experiences through. One when an Air Canada flight was cancelled back in 2022 as people began mass travelling again post-Covid and threw airline schedules into disarray; it paid for our Cape Breton hotel room for another night. And Colombioan airline Avianca recently credited me $638.94 for a missed flight to Bogota this summer. It initially was my fault (July 27 post), my mind playing tricks thinking an early morning flight was related to the previous night. But the airline had promised to reschedule my flight – despite my error – and sent me back to Toronto (a long return road trip from Windsor two days in a row) the next night to buy the ticket before departure. The clerk at check-in shook his head and said no go. He asked the name of the online agent who’d told me that and I gave it to him; guess she got a talk-to. Nevertheless, I appealed to the airline, and months later (through Booking.com) I receive the refund…..This on top of the refund I got from Big Bus Athens (Sept. 23 post) - $102.06 – for not having suitable/broken wheelchair facilities on board their double-deckers despite advertising they do.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller