LGA to YYZ Arrival Review | Entering Canada Customs at Toronto Pearson Airport

Flying from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) into Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) used to be one of my least favorite airport experiences when entering Canada. Customs at YYZ often felt chaotic and overwhelming, but over the past few years, both my mom and I have noticed major improvements.

That said, I still have mixed feelings about a few parts of the process.

Arrival and Walking Distance at YYZ

After landing at Toronto Pearson, you enter a long glass hallway leading toward Canadian connections and customs. YYZ is one of the largest airports I have travelled through, and we timed roughly a 20-minute walk to reach customs.

We did get turned around a couple of times while searching for the “Canada Connections” signage. If anyone in your travel party has mobility challenges, requesting wheelchair assistance is strongly recommended due to the distance involved.

Signage can feel sparse in certain sections, and there may be long stretches without direction markers. One helpful tip we learned:

Canada Incoming / Connections signage is PURPLE.
Follow the purple signs and archways and you will stay on the correct path.

YYZ also fully recognizes the Sunflower Lanyard Program, meaning accessibility support is available throughout the airport experience.

Canadian Customs Experience

Customs itself was surprisingly smooth.

Instead of paper declaration forms, travelers now complete the process at electronic kiosks:

• Scan your passport


• Complete your declaration digitally


• Receive clearance instructions

Interestingly, I found the kiosk process asked fewer questions than the paper declaration we completed recently at Kelowna. Overall, the experience felt faster and far more organized than in previous years.

Connecting Flights at YYZ

If you are connecting to another flight within Canada, YYZ has excellent public information kiosks located throughout the Canadian terminal hub.

You can:

• Scan your boarding pass for gate directions


• Look up restaurants and shops


• Navigate terminals more easily

One important thing to know is that the terminals are not all connected airside. Some restaurants or amenities may require leaving the secure area and passing through security screening again afterward, so plan your time carefully during layovers.

Overall Thoughts

Toronto Pearson has improved significantly compared to past experiences:

• Faster customs processing


• Digital declaration kiosks


• Accessibility support recognized


• Helpful navigation kiosks

However, the long walking distances and occasional lack of signage remain factors travelers should prepare for.