Travellers leaving from Trudeau Airport should plan for traffic delays

It’s one of the busiest travel times of the year – and the holiday rush is on at Montreal Trudeau International Airport.

Trudeau Airport sees about 66,000 passengers every day during the holiday season.

That could mean longer wait times and delays getting to the airport. Those with evening departures, in particular, should arrive early and be prepared to wait in traffic leading to the terminal, not only due to evening rush hour, but also because of construction at the airport.

The roadwork aims to increase parking capacity and welcome REM service by 2027.

“We’re going to redo all of the access points to the airport. We’re going to add lanes to our main drop-offs. We’re going to triple the capacity. We’re going to rebuild a new multi-level parking lot with one extra story for cars. We’re going to redo the roads, on the airport side,” said Aéroports de Montréal spokesperson Anne-Sophie Hamel.

With the multi-level parking lot closed, the airport is asking travellers to break old habits.

“We did open two alternate drop-off zones. One is right next to the P4, the other one is at P10. And we encourage people to use them,” said Hamel, saying travellers can save 20 to 25 minutes. While the parking is a little further and requires transiting by shuttle, it’s ultimately a timesaver, she said.

It’s also important to plan to arrive plenty of time before a flight. The typical rule, whether flying international or domestic, is three hours in advance – and that’s especially important at this time of year.