traacs

Government of Canada announced Feb 29 that there is a new airport security initiative "Under this OSS arrangement, passengers and their belongings that have been screened at their point of departure may not have to go through additional screening at participating Canadian airports where they have connecting flights. Making airport connections simpler and faster allows travellers to reach their family and friends more quickly and allows business travellers to get their business done more swiftly. It also helps the Canadian aviation industry attract more flights to or through Canada."

Boarding pass that I printed tonight had OSS on it where TSA Pre usually is printed. Connecting from PSP to YVR to YYC

Announcement http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1036799

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

If a traveller is able to avoid going landside when arriving in Canada, and can stay on the airside without passing through a security checkpoint, this would be fantastic.

Let us know how your YVR connection works out.
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Plumber

Flying SFO-YVR-YYZ tomorrow and have checked in already.

Have OSS on my YVR-YYZ boarding pass. But for some reason TSA-Pre is not showing up on my SFO-YVR boarding pass (I will stop at the AC counter in the morning to reprint my boarding pass and get the TSA-Pre stamp on it.

In this case tomorrow, I actually want to go landside in YVR...have ~3 hours in YVR and want to go to Fairmont gym.

Will report back.

traacs

Got off PSP Air Canada Rouge flight walked to immigration asked if I had a connecting flight and directed to the right of the area where there were 2 officers checking passports. Then out of immigration to the right of the hall up elevator to the same are where security has always been and had to be again checked. Asked a supervisor about OSS and showed him the Gov. Canada document and he knew nothing about it . So YVR is not a airport that has implemented it yet . In the MLL lounge the agent asked what OSS was on my boarding pass and I gave him a copy of the Gov. Canada Doc.

Any one that has experienced the OSS please post and update the thread
Thanks

airoli

While this initiative sounds great in principle, how would it work in practice given current Canadian airport layouts? I am thinking of the path a traveller takes on a US-YUL-domestic connection. Tricky to remain in "clean" area - especially since you could potentially mingle with pax arriving from an "unclean" overseas destination in intl. arrivals area.

traacs

Any FT'ers experience or see OSS rolled out at any airports. I will be flying return next week from USA , YYZ, to YYC and will see if my boarding pass has OSS and if I have a different experience after immigration.

pedanticus

At YYZ T1, they've put up a new CATSA screening area at the area for connections to "E" gates. That's the little area with a couple of border officers you see when arriving from outside Canada and departing on an international (non-USA) flight at T1. In the past you'd see immigration, then head to your gate. Now it seems you'll also see CATSA before heading to your connecting flight, unless arriving from the USA or the EU.

NAJetSet

IAH YYZ YWG today. OSS printed on BP at check in.

Arrived YYZ F gates, upstairs to catwalk down to customs hall. No opportunity found along the way to avoid leaving customs hall to take advantage of OSS to domestic gates. Still had to go through security (either upstairs or down) to get to D gates.

Hopefully some reroute for will take place soon, perhaps using the F gate cut over by the nexus machines?

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

On Friday I flew SIN-HKG-YVR-YOW. Yes, it was a long day. I have not done an Intl-Dom transfer at YVR in quite some time. There was a domestic connections exit from the baggage hall well to the right of the normal exit. Not sure if this route has been there for a while or if it is new. My Nexus receipt and declaration form were collected as I exited, then up an elevator for security screening--only one PAX ahead of me--then down an escalator to emerge in the domestic airside gate area. Relative painless.
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traacs

That was my experience as well. I was hoping OSS was implemented in YVR and there would not be a secondary security screening . Wait to see what happens in YYZ on Thursday when I return .

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

I would be thrilled if YYZ implemented something similar. The long landside walk to arrive at a backed-up connections security screening is such a downer when I only have one more short flight home to YOW.
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WestonC

On Monday April 4 flew LAS/YVR/YMM and had OSS on our boarding passes. In YVR we were all directed to a new area immediately to the right as you come down the stairs in the customs arrival area. This was because we had a domestic connecting flight. Had to stand in the queue much longer than if I had gone through the NEXUS queue. After clearing, did not have to collect baggage but exited through a special 'domestic connecting passengers' area. Still ended up outside of security, had to walk to the next set of gates and go through security again. So no clue what OSS did other than make us stand in a queue longer than if I had used the NEXUS line.

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

Not good. If a process gets tweaked, shouldn't the goal be to improve on the previous process?
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montrealer

In YVR, the separate right-hand exit from customs, then corridor to dedicated connecting-to-domestic security screening has been there for some time. (I used it 6 times in the past year, well before OSS came into the picture). It is a mixed blessing; if queues are short it does actually save time and hassle. But, as others have written, there is no Nexus line so if queues are long it can take longer than exiting to arrivals and going to C departures.

I think OSS is an idea which still doesn't seem to have implementation to match in Canada.

@seat13f_ac_crj - I feel your pain, often do that (Intl-YYZ-YOW), my record being 17 mins from exit from Intl flight to presenting myself at the YOW departure gate. I'm not sure the pax in the seat beside me YYZ-YOW appreciated my sweatiness, though.

You may already be aware - but if the lineup at the YYZ connections security is long and you have Nexus, just take escalator up just to the left of the connections security entrance and use your Nexus to clear normal 3rd floor security more quickly. An annoying extra detour, but often does the trick.

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

I end up taking the escalator at YYZ at least half the time.

"Rant on:" I love having NEXUS and the benefit that it gives me access to priority screening... in theory. In reality, it only gives me access to a priority queue because once you are through the queue, you end up behind people who went through the normal queue and have either been redirected to the priority lane, or simply shuffled over. This issue recently became a big deal in the US with Pre-Check lanes not being kept dedicated to pre-enrolled travellers. "Rant off"
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