Clear sailing at customs
Proximity and a stronger dollar mean that we Canadians tend to flit back and forth across the Canada–U.S. border on a fairly regular basis.
These trips usually begin and end with lengthy waits at bridges, airports and other border crossings or customs areas. There's a reason there are apps to keep us posted about border wait times.
So imagine my surprise and delight when I happened upon empty, cavernous custom rooms at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (it's still Dorval to me) in Montréal. Not once, but twice.
No lines winding for miles guided by those metal posts and stretchy, queue markers that herd people like cattle. That's right, I just strolled on up to the guard, handed over the completed forms and my passport, smiled, answered a couple of quick questions, and ta da I was through customs.
This kind of clear sailing may not happen often, but when it does it is
AWESOME!
These trips usually begin and end with lengthy waits at bridges, airports and other border crossings or customs areas. There's a reason there are apps to keep us posted about border wait times.
So imagine my surprise and delight when I happened upon empty, cavernous custom rooms at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (it's still Dorval to me) in Montréal. Not once, but twice.
No lines winding for miles guided by those metal posts and stretchy, queue markers that herd people like cattle. That's right, I just strolled on up to the guard, handed over the completed forms and my passport, smiled, answered a couple of quick questions, and ta da I was through customs.
This kind of clear sailing may not happen often, but when it does it is
AWESOME!
To make this even better, there is a new system as you head into the U.S. via Montréal. You no longer have to reclaim your bags and lug them through customs. A high-tech screening system handles everything for you. It only works on your way out to the U.S., but it makes the Montréal airport experience that much less painful. Yay!
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