And to clarify OSS is not located where the posters right above indicate. It is at the top of the escalators and to the left; entered from the main hall. If you go into the area with the escalators you have gone too far. If you go down the escalators and through the doors and see Nexus machines you have really gone too far.

What doess OSS mean on boarding pass?
 

I have an international flight tomorrow on Air Canada. My flight originates in the U.S. and has a connection in Toronto to a foreign destination.

I have two boarding passes - one is for my U.S. to Toronto portion of the trip and the second boarding pass is from Toronto to the foreign destination.

My boarding pass for the U.S. portion of the trip is marked with TSA Pre check.

My question is related to the second boarding pass. In the place on the boarding pass where the TSA would be shown, instead there are three letters -
OSS.

Does anyone have a clue what the OSS designation represents?

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It stands for One Stop Security and it means you won't have to go through transit security for your connecting flight.

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1036799&tp=1

One Stop Security.

It it should mean you can pass through customs at the top of the escalators in YYZ (small room to the left 20-30m before escalators).

However i I believe that it is currently only implemented for pax traveling to Canadian destinations from the USA. Meaning you are not eligible.

There is a big thread about it here somewhere which my phone is ill equipped to search for and link!

Such excellence - in less than three minutes I received an answer to my question.

More impressive is the fact that the information is correct and that the information was accompanied by an official attachment that explains the meaning of OSS.

Thank you very much.

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FT support have been known to be far more superior and efficient versus AC :D^

You are welcome although I will add the caveat that having "OSS" much like "TSA Pre" printed on the boarding pass does not guarantee that OSS will be active for the particular times and flights you are traveling on.

I have had OSS on many, many of my boarding passes as I live in YOW and almost always have to connect to get there.

I have NEVER (ie not even once!) seen any benefit from OSS. I ALWAYS have to go though security again.

A while ago i asked several employees in YYZ (Air Canada, YYZ Airport and CBA) and nobody even knew what OSS was.

So, I think its premature to say you wont have to go through transit security.

Maybe you wont have to collect your bags (I usually carry my bag so I dont know).

Please report back how it goes.

Oh- this has been discussed in detail:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...-security.html

US to international at YYZ has never required security any time I've done it.

Only domestic or US connections required anything.

Office of Strategic Services

Bill Donovan will be in touch telling you when you are to be parachuted into occupied France to help set up a Resistance cell.....

(Sorry...History buff here):D

Yes, it has, and as I mentioned in that thread OSS is in effect at YYZ, at least for the time being.

The only problem is that if your flight doesn't dump you in to the main arrival hallway where the escalators go down to customs (and where the secure OSS corridor runs) and instead dumps you in to that little side hallway with the single escalator down to customs then you miss the secure corridor and end up going through the main customs hall and then back landside. Which is what happened to me last week when connecting back US - YYZ - YOW.

I had the pleasure of going MCO-YUL-YVR last week and it was a thing of beauty. Hard left as we entered customs, showed our connecting boarding pass as we were back airside in less then 20 meters with no further security check.

We were late arriving and only had 45 minutes to make the connection so I was a bit concerned. We made it to the gate just as they were calling zone 1.

Had the same experience in YUL. I didn't know OSS had been implemented there yet, so was worried my 35 min connection due to delays wouldn't cut it. Was very surprised to be ushered right into the domestic/intl departures hall.

What?!? I just flew MBJ-YYZ-YOW on Saturday, and did not see an OSS corridor. I followed the signs for Connections, which led me to the right hand side of the main Immigration hall. Where is the secure OSS corridor? At the bottom of the dual escalators but before the doors leading to the main immigration hall?

I don't fly Air Canada much...but I came here to make the same joke. Blast!

What signs are there for OSS? The area just before the escalators down to the Immigration main hall has a number of signs for a confluence of passengers - presumably OSS is for those connecting to flights in Canada (D gates)?

Last time I flew through YYZ, the connections lane was on the left-hand slide next to the NEXUS line. They have since moved it to the right?

MBJ is not an OSS eligible origin.

That is correct. Furthest right is passengers needing assistance (mobility impaired), then Connections, then foreign passport holders at centre-right, then the kiosks for Canadian travellers at centre-left, and NEXUS at the far left.

I figured that out after posting. It was a return from FRA the week before that had OSS on my boarding card. Regardless, in both cases I missed seeing the spot to divert to the OSS corridor. That is why I asked about the signage. Anyone have a photo?

Thanks! Sounds like some progress has been made. i will check it out on my next trip!

The secure OSS "corridor" (it also involves taking a bus back airside in to the D gate area) is at the top of the double escalator + stairs (on the left) before you go down to the main immigration hall.

That was my first thought, too. :D

Had you gone to Google, you'd have got it in less than three seconds.

Correct. If you've gone down the escalator, you've gone too far.

There is a sign (going from memory) that says something like "all Canadian connections" (says nothing about "OSS") and there is a small doorway going in to a room where the customs agents are. When I went by they had a guy steering people in there. When you go past the agents you go down an escalator to a small room where you walk outside and board a bus.

The bus drops you airside on the terminal D gates area, you go up an escalator and you are at the area just below where the escalator goes up from the D gates to the E/F gates.

There is no OSS signage or identification at all. In fact the only sign I recall faces the wrong way for 80% of the connecting traffic. Unless you know where to look, it would be very difficult to find unassisted. Additionally, there are 4-5 GTAA employees asking to see your boarding pass (unnecessarily) every 30m or so. I still think the process needs a couple improvements like Nexus machines, reduced boarding pass checks, and a hallway for walking to D gates rather than being forced to take the bus. But just adding clearer signage with an "OSS" logo or lettering would help. For non FF who have no idea what OSS is (and even many FF) there is no way to know that the OSS clearance area is an OSS clearance area. It is one of many things TSA pre-check does right--the logo and the identifiers are everywhere and are used as visual cues without the need for reading the sign in almost every airport.

Right now that is not possible because the first idea is to take the path for connections from Domestic to International. That will not work due to TWOV and CBSA...

Hi, you suggested that I report back about my experience.

Before I recount my experience, I want to say that I can readily understand why some passengers could get caught up in having to go through security for a connecting flight in Toronto. Quite frankly, the signs for transit passengers there is for the birds.

After a walk of about a third of a mile from the aircraft gate, I saw a sign with several large letters. One of the letters was a large red E with a note that said 'International" and there was an arrow pointing to a little unmarked room.

Although the large crowd from my plane was heading to Customs (along with passengers from other aircraft filled the corridors), I decided to stop at the little room that was just past the sign that said "E" even though the room had no sign indicating it was for transfer passengers. I knew the gate for my connecting flight started with "E" so I decided to inquire.

There were five counters in the room all filled by Canadian Customs employees. There was no passenger in line. In other words, it was not busy or even being used by one passenger.

As I walked into the room, I was motioned to the counter by an officer who asked for my boarding pass (that had the OSS written on it) and for my passport. He also asked for the Canadian Customs card. After that, he did some computer noises then he kept the Canadian Custom card but returned my passport and boarding pass. He then said that I could go to the gate.

It was as simple as one-two-three. No security again.

If I had not gone to that room, I would have continued with the hoard of other passengers and would likely have had to go through security.

Now I know. I learned a lot from this little exercise.

Hopefully my question, my experience and narrative will help someone with a connecting flight in Toronto.

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I don't think that's OSS. That process has existed a lot longer than OSS.

The OSS discussion is generally referring to international to domestic connections.

Even several years ago, you didn't have to clear security on US-INTL connections in YYZ.

I'm not sure where dgcpaphd was connecting to (domestic or international flight) but that's exactly what I did with my OSS-marked, YUL-bound BP a couple of weeks ago. I remember hesitating before entering that room because I thought the transfer desk was for international-bound connecting pax only, but the yellow-vested YYZ employee said "domestic connections here" so I gave it a try. Ended up on a bus that brought me to the D gates without ever having to re-clear security.

How regular is the bus? On a tight connection would it be better to exit and re-enter through security with a Nexus?

I had to connect from DTW-YYZ-YVR in December. Delays in DTW had us at the gate 35 minutes prior to departure. Running the whole way from F99 I still managed to make it by going out and back in (even with a bit a delay explaining to CATSA why I was sweating so much). The bus route would have been easier on the nerves and body if it was faster.

[MENTION=169744]dgcpaphd[/MENTION] said the departing flight was at an E gate, which means international.

And for this to make any sense, the arriving flight must have been from the US or international.

In both of these situations, you've been able to avoid security on the connection as long as I've been flying (which, for the record, isn't THAT long, but it far predates OSS at YYZ).

Don't know how regular the bus is -- I've never missed one to take the following ;)

I missed the E gate bit, but based on the description, OSS is a very similar process except you get on a bus rather than walk to E gates.

I totally get that, but the international/US to international without security is not part of the new OSS initiative. That's all I'm saying :p

I hate to sound naive, but does this work if you have checked bags by the way?
I have an upcoming FCO-YYZ-YVR flight and would be happy not have to hassle with YYZ security again.

I believe so as long as FCO is considered a 'safe airport', but you won't be able to access your checked bags. Otherwise you would have to go through security...

Thanks. I'm not sure I even consider FCO safe (probably for different reasons relating to sheer chaos). But my checked bags can stay checked, so maybe it will work. I will see.

FCO is an OSS eligible airport.

They need Nexus or automated kiosks at YUL OSS
 

Even though all 6 (?) CBSA agents were processing incoming, progress was slow. I suspect I would have been quicker to use Nexus, and go through security again.

What they need are automated kiosks (old or new versions, +/- Nexus) then it could be really speedy.

Additionally I had my boarding pass scanned 5 times within about 10 metres! Firstly it was looked at by someone directing me to the right lane (not scanned), then scanned by the CBSA when I had my brief interview, then by a customs guy who took my declaration form, then by another guy literally 3 metres later, then by an AC connections agent (who told me the gate, which was OK even though I'd already been told twice on the flight, as well as by the AC app) and then finally by another guy who said "for the last time" just before I exited opposite the YUL international MLL, for the long walk to the domestic lounge.

Maybe someone can explain what they hope to discover by doing the multiple scans within a secure area.