Planes, Trains & Automobiles: The Mass Exodus From The G.T.A.
Posted December 22, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
- They say you can’t take it with you.
But for the rest of the weekend, hundreds of thousands of people will try to anyway.The mass exodus out of town began in earnest on Friday, as more than 95,000 people passed through Pearson International Airport in 24 hours.
All of them were off to a host of exotic climes and most quickly discovered what they always forget – getting there isn’t half the fun.
Little parking, long walks through terminals lugging heavy baggage, massive crowds, expensive tickets and those endless line-ups and security checks made the start of their journey a place they’d really like to fly away from.
Passenger traffic at the airport is up by 20 percent and while it may ease somewhat on Saturday and Sunday, it’s going to be hectic no matter when your plane leaves.
“We got here about three hours before and the line was crazy,” gripes Ervin Abdulov.
But it wasn’t just the air. Some took to the roads, as gas prices inched up over the last week, now sitting in the low to mid 80s per litre in many places.
Other decided to let someone else do the driving, heading to a very crowded Union Station. But if you haven’t booked your seat yet, you may not be on the last train out of town. Via Rail say it’s operating at near capacity and there may not be many choice seats left.
“I haven’t seen them for awhile,” explains university student Alicia Martin of her family as she heads for the tracks. “My brother is coming home for the holidays from Australia.”
It was the same story at the bus terminal, where those looking for a cheaper ride had one thing in common with the guys taking the best seats on a luxury jet: the wait.
They never run out of room, but going by bus has one big disadvantage – it takes a lot longer.
“I’m meeting my sister in Montreal and we’re going to Nova Scotia and Halifax to see my grandmother,” relates Donnella Downey. The total time for her trip: more than 24 hours.
As if that’s not enough, they’ll all be facing the same dilemma next week at this time, as what goes out finally comes back.
To check your flight, visit the GTAA’s website.
Other travel links:
How to cut down your wait times and what you can’t take with you
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