Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 16 seconds.
The board of directors of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has released “Toronto Pearson, January 2014 Operations Disruptions: Review and Recommendations,” a report on the unusual weather conditions experienced at the airport between Jan. 5 and 9, 2014 that outlines a series of actions to improve Toronto Pearson’s operations, communication and customer service.
Immediately following the events in early January, the board of directors of the GTAA established an ad hoc committee to study the disruption to operations and to identify steps to improve the passenger experience through changes to airport operations, communications and customer service. After completing a substantive and wide-ranging review, the GTAA has announced twelve actions that will improve Toronto Pearson’s overall effectiveness.
While maintaining safety will always be the GTAA’s top priority, if and when Toronto Pearson faces unusual weather conditions, these action items will improve passenger well-being and the airport authority’s ability to better communicate with passengers. Further, these action items will help Toronto Pearson communicate with passengers in real time.
As Canada’s leading transportation hub and vital economic engine, it is important that the airport be prepared in advance for irregular operations, have tools to communicate effectively with passengers, and consistently deliver excellent customer service.
Listed in detail in the report, these action items include:
- Improved protocols for communicating with passengers and the public to ensure frequent and timely, accurate, and consistent communication;
- A new Toronto Pearson mobile application that will make travelling through the airport easier for passengers;
- Updated and published guidelines for addressing the needs of passengers during times of severe delays and irregular operations so passengers know the GTAA’s commitment to them;
- An ‘Airport Updates’ web page has already been launched and would become the GTAA website’s dominant landing web page during irregular operations.
- Improvements to Toronto Pearson’s WiFi and cellular capacity to meet increasing demands will also be delivered;
- Establishing clear early warning criteria and defining joint escalation levels and procedures with key airport service providers to ensure timely, responsive and coordinated decision-making where large-scale service level disruptions occur or are imminent;
- Securing additional equipment for unusual winter weather operations to improve the resilience of the airport to weather; and
- Expanding and better equipping the Emergency Operations Centre to allow for improved coordination of airport service providers to better manage disruptions.
The fact-based review included information collected from a number of sources, including: public focus groups and outreach; airport service provider interviews; GTAA management’s analysis and review of the incident; an independent communications review; an Airports Council International (ACI) expert panel review; and a detailed document review and analysis. The GTAA consulted with industry experts and sought input from three key stakeholder groups: the travelling public, airport employees and Toronto Pearson airport service providers (e.g., airlines, government agencies, and commercial service providers).
“Toronto Pearson’s goal is to provide all visitors with the world-class travel experience they expect and deserve. This review and its actions will help enhance passenger well-being and will improve communications with our passengers,” said Vijay Kanwar, chair of the board of directors, GTAA.
To ensure that the GTAA meets its commitment to improve passengers’ experiences at Toronto Pearson, the GTAA will provide an update to the public on the progress made in November 2014.
The full report, including a full list of actions, can be read by visiting http://www.torontopearson.com/yourairportyoursay/
