With Christmas just around the corner, Toronto Pearson is preparing for one of the busiest travel days of the year. It is expected that more than 100,000 people will travel through the airport on Friday and around 95,000 on both Saturday and Sunday. An average day sees about 85,000 people through the airport.

With so many people travelling, the key to a smooth travel experience is education. This is especially important in the area of smart packing and being educated on what can and cannot pass through the airport security checkpoints.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) unveiled a new information campaign on Thursday aimed at better informing passengers about being prepared to go through the security lines. CATSA introduced ‘Greeters’ who will give personal reminders to passengers, advising them to double check their carry-on luggage before making their way to the security line. This will give travellers the opportunity to remove anything from their carry-on that is restricted from passing through security and to place it in their checked baggage. Delivering this information before passengers reach security should help alleviate some line ups that can occur at the security check points during these busy travel days.

“The GTAA applauds the efforts of CATSA to improve the communication with passengers regarding the screening process at Canada’s airports. We want passengers to have the best experience possible when travelling through Toronto Pearson and we hope that this new campaign will help achieve that,” said Lloyd McCoomb, President and CEO of the GTAA.

The restrictions on liquids, gels and aerosols at passenger screening have been in place since August 2006. These items must be packed in 100 ml containers and fit into one clear and resealable plastic bag. A single 1 litre bag is permitted per passenger. Passengers travelling with gifts in their carry on luggage are also reminded to leave gifts unwrapped as packages may be subject to inspection at security check points.