London to Pearson & the airports · 2026-09-21 · 8-minute read
A meet and greet at Toronto Pearson happens in one of four arrivals halls: Terminal 1's international hall and its domestic level, or Terminal 3's international hall and its domestic level. Terminal 1 is Air Canada, the Star Alliance carriers - Lufthansa, United, Swiss, Austrian, Turkish, Air India and the rest - and most of the long-haul international arrivals; Terminal 3 is WestJet, Porter, Sunwing, Air Transat, Flair, the SkyTeam and oneworld carriers - Delta, KLM, Air France, British Airways, American, Cathay Pacific - and most of the US carriers. LondonLimo.net's desk reads the terminal from the flight number, the chauffeur stands at the rail nearest the customs exit for an international arrival or by the carousels for a domestic one with a name board, and the car is in the terminal's commercial pickup area a short walk away; the Pearson airport page has the maps, and this article is the terminals in detail for the passenger heading home to London.
Which airlines use which terminal
| Terminal 1 | Terminal 3 |
|---|---|
| Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge | WestJet, WestJet Encore |
| Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels | Porter |
| United, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana | Delta, KLM, Air France, Aeromexico |
| Turkish, Egyptair, Ethiopian, Air India, SAS, TAP, LOT | British Airways, American, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Japan Airlines |
| Emirates, Etihad | Sunwing, Air Transat, Flair |
| Most US carriers: American, Delta, United's partners vary |
Airlines move between terminals from time to time; the airport's site is the authority on the day, and the desk checks it for every booking.
Terminal 1: the international hall
Terminal 1's international arrivals exit through a set of doors on the ground level into a wide hall with a rail along which the greeters stand; the chauffeur is at the rail nearest the doors, board at chest height, and a passenger walking out sees the board within ten metres. The commercial pickup area is reached through the hall and across the roadway, a four-minute walk with a trolley; a passenger who prefers to wait at the curb says so and the chauffeur brings the car round. The customs process itself is the CBSA's, with the primary inspection kiosks first and the counters after.
Terminal 1: the domestic level
Domestic arrivals collect bags at the domestic carousels on the arrivals level and exit into the hall's other end; the chauffeur moves to the carousel exit for a domestic flight and the board is the same. A passenger arriving from Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax or Ottawa on Air Canada is a Terminal 1 domestic meet; the Pearson page has the level's layout.
Terminal 3: the international hall
Terminal 3's international arrivals are on the lower level, exiting through the customs doors into a hall with the greeters' rail directly ahead; the chauffeur is at the rail, and the commercial pickup area is across the roadway and up one level, a four-minute walk the chauffeur makes with the trolley. WestJet's sun flights, Air Transat's Europe flights, British Airways, Delta and KLM land here.
Terminal 3: the domestic level
WestJet's and Porter's domestic arrivals collect bags at Terminal 3's domestic carousels, a short walk from the international exit, and the chauffeur stands by the carousel exit for a domestic flight; a WestJet arrival from Calgary or a Porter arrival from Halifax is a Terminal 3 domestic meet.
The LINK train, and a passenger at the wrong terminal
The LINK train runs between Terminal 1, Terminal 3 and the Viscount parking station every few minutes, free, on an elevated track; a passenger who walks out at one terminal while the chauffeur waits at the other - it happens when an airline has moved - takes the LINK four minutes to the right one, or the chauffeur drives round, and the desk resolves it in one text. The desk's check of the terminal against the airport's current assignment for every booking is what makes it rare.
The customs halls by hour, honestly
Terminal 1's international hall is slowest between 3 and 7 p.m. when the European and Asian long-hauls bank in together, and on summer Sundays; Terminal 3's is slowest on winter Sunday evenings when the sun flights return; a domestic arrival at either is ten to twenty minutes from gate to hall at any hour. The chauffeur's ninety-minute included international wait covers the slow hours, the desk extends it when the airport's data shows a queue, and the Pearson to London article has the return run that follows.
Connections, and the passenger who does not come out
A passenger connecting at Pearson to a YXU flight does not exit to the arrivals hall at all - the connections process keeps them airside - and does not need a meet; a passenger who abandons the connection collects the bags at the airline's baggage office and walks out to the chauffeur. The connection article has the cases.
The private terminals
A passenger arriving by private aircraft at one of Pearson's private terminals or FBOs is met at the FBO's lounge door with the chauffeur cleared to the FBO's procedures, not in either public hall; the private jet and FBO page has the meet.
Getting the terminal right, and the desk's method
The flight number on the booking; the airline's terminal on the airport's site, checked at booking and again the evening before; the chauffeur's text with the terminal and the hall named; and a text to the passenger when the phone comes on - "Terminal 1 international hall, at the rail by the doors, black board with your name." The airport pickup guide has the passenger's side and the chauffeurs page the meet training.
Three meets, as they went
Lufthansa from Frankfurt, Terminal 1 international, 3:40 p.m., July. The slowest hour; 100 minutes through immigration; the chauffeur at the rail with the wait extended by the desk; in the car at 5:25.
WestJet from Cancun, Terminal 3 international, 6:10 p.m., March Sunday. 45 minutes through the counters; the family's SUV across the roadway; London at 9:05.
Porter from Halifax, Terminal 3 domestic, 9:50 p.m. Fifteen minutes from gate to hall; in the car at 10:10; Old North at 12:05.
Booking it
Book with the flight number on the reservation engine and the desk reads the terminal; the Pearson page has the maps and the FAQ the questions about the meet.
Three questions the desk is asked about the meet
Can I be met at the gate? No - airside meets are not permitted at Pearson for the public; the arrivals hall is the meet, and the airport's site explains the rules. What if I have a lot of luggage? The chauffeur brings a trolley to the rail and the SUV or the van is at the curb; the fleet page says what fits. Is the name board discreet? It reads whatever you choose - a surname, a company, a phrase - and a passenger who wants no board is met by the chauffeur's spoken name at the rail.
The commercial pickup areas, in detail
Terminal 1's commercial vehicle pickup is on the arrivals level's outer roadway, reached through the hall's doors and across the inner roadway at the crosswalk; Terminal 3's is across the roadway and up one level by the elevators, with the limousine bays marked. Both are a four-minute walk with a trolley, and a chauffeur who brings the car to the inner curb for a passenger who prefers to wait does so within the airport's commercial rules.
The wait, by terminal and hour
Ninety minutes after an international landing and sixty after a domestic one are included at both terminals; Terminal 1's international hall between 3 and 7 p.m. and Terminal 3's on winter Sunday evenings are the hours the desk extends the wait on the airport's queue data without being asked; beyond the window, waiting is billed in half-hour increments and the rates page sets it out.
The greeters' rail, and finding the board
Both halls have a rail with a dozen to fifty greeters holding boards at a busy hour, and a passenger who walks out looking at the phone walks past the board; the chauffeur's text when the phone comes on names the hall and the rail's end, and the chauffeur is watching the doors for the passenger's description. A passenger who cannot find the board in a minute texts, and the chauffeur is beside them in two.
The private terminals, and the FBO meet
Pearson's FBOs - on the airport's north and west sides, away from the public terminals - handle the corporate jets and charters, and a passenger arriving by private aircraft is met at the FBO's lounge door by a chauffeur cleared to the FBO's procedures; the private jet page has the meet and the corporate page the account it is booked on.
Booking checklist for a Pearson meet
The flight number and the scheduled arrival; the name for the board and the language; the passengers and the bags; the London address or the hotel; a stop on the way; the account or the card; and the phone numbers for the texts. The reservation engine takes it in a minute and the desk reads the terminal.
The CBSA's side of the hall
Primary inspection at the kiosks, the declaration, the counters for those referred, the bags, and the exit through the doors the greeters face; the process is the CBSA's and its timing is the airport's, and the chauffeur's job is to be at the rail when the doors open for the flight's first passengers and to still be there when the last one comes through. The Pearson to London article has what happens next.
A worked example: the airline that moved
A passenger booked a meet for a Terminal 3 arrival on a carrier that had moved to Terminal 1 the month before; the desk's evening-before check of the airport's assignment caught it, the chauffeur's text named Terminal 1's international hall, and the passenger walked out to the board without knowing the move had happened. The check takes the desk thirty seconds per booking and prevents the wrong-terminal walk a dozen times a year.
The terminals, for the departure
The same assignment applies on the way out: the chauffeur drops at the airline's door on Terminal 1's or Terminal 3's departures curb, and the early flight article and the hour-by-hour article have the drop.
The desk's rule of thumb for the meet
Book with the flight number; trust the terminal the desk names in the evening-before text; walk out of customs and look for the rail nearest the doors; text if the board is not visible in a minute; and let the chauffeur take the trolley. The airport pickup guide is the passenger's version and the Pearson page has the maps of both halls.
