Originally Posted by
Shareholder
With your need to preclear US immigration/customs should you leave airside, you will lose another hour, so leaving the airport is not really a practical option. In fact, your bags will be tagged through to the US, so you will actually be directed to a different routing whereby your bags will not even be inspected by Canadian customs but go right to US preclearance. Your passport will only be looked at in a cursory process by Canadian immigration too as a transit passenger from international to transborder. You'll be channeled right to an airside US preclearance area for connecting passengers.
While you can opt to go airside and through the normal Canadian inspection, if your bags are tagged to PHL, you will not be able to collect them at this inspection point as they will go automatically to this fast-track US transit routing.
So best to stay airside and consider other diversions.
if the bags are checked through the US, will they be in a secure transit area in the US preclearance area. If the answer is yes, he can theoretically go through the regular Canada customs (I do not think that one is obligated to go through the cursory Canadian customs, and then on to US customs directly) - I believe that one still has the option of going through the regular Canadian customs, and then deciding what to do landside. They would be able to go through the connection area of US preclearance, with onward boarding passes to US destinations - will the luggage be in this area that I would go to, if connecting from YOW to a US city via YYZ (or waiting somewhere else)?
In terms of the time factor, it may be quite feasible, in terms of Woodbine mall - even if you substract 1 hr for Canadian customs and 2 hr for US preclearance (esp during nonbusy times of the day) and boarding formalities, one still has 2.5 hrs. It only takes 15 min each way by taxi (if that) to Woodbine mall.
In terms of going to Toronto - it might still be possible, esp during non-rush hour times - in that case, it make take about 1/2 hr each way to go from the airport to (let us say) City Hall or Eaton Centre - he would still have 1.5 hrs still (a rush, but doable?). If he wanted to go to a city, perhaps Mississauga (and Square One) would be more practical than Toronto.