New YYZ transborder custom system?
 

My brother just called me saying that there is a new US custom procedure in YYZ. He was going YYZ-ORD-HKG by UA this morning. Flight was leaving at 9:40 am and they were not allowed to go into custom until called at 9:00 am. This is completely new to me. That means you only have just barely enough time to clear custom, drop luggage and run to the gate and no time to have a drink in the lounge. Anyone has insight into this? Is this permanent or just for the summer peak period? I went to LAX by AC last Sunday and it wasn't like this.

I don't know about YYZ but in YYC they will not let you clear customs more than 2 hours before your scheduled flight. So maybe this is something they are starting to do there also.

Sounds like there's a part of the story missing here. Only allowing pax into the customs hall 40 minutes prior to departure sounds way too little time for some. And as a "new system," sounds like there is something definitely off here.

There have certainly been times when the customs hall is full, and so they do call in by flight or montior the flow of people. As a Nexus holder however, don't know too much about this, as I can get through even in these situations. I do know that if the hall is full, it can certainly take over 30 or 40 minutes in the line, not to mention, getting through security, etc. after. I think the times I have seen the customs line out the hall in the last few months, they haven't really been calling by flight, but just holding the next people in line outside when the hall is at capacity. I think they did call by flight number early in the year, after the December incident on DL.

Perhaps something was happening in YYZ in the morning morning, maybe peak travel times and lack of a full US CBP staff or something that was causing them to need flow control. Highly doubt this is a new system.

There's defintely something new going on...I crossed at YYZ today to PHX and the lineup was about 300 ft long and cordoned off at the head. I walked passed it assuming that Nexus users could just enter, but when I got to the head of the line, I got a sense that they were only allowing a couple of flights through. (mine was one of them, so no delay experienced).

I would be some kind of upset, though, if I were denied. There's no reason a Nexus user shouldn't be able to pass through at T-2 hours and sit in the lounge...

Additional information...customs hall queue was in fact full on both sides, without about 2/3 of the lanes open. The security queue was also full. Observed at about 07:30, for a 09:15 flight.

Perhaps there was another underwear bomber and the media hasn't picked up the news yet? I heard YYZ US immigration+customs was really ...'ed up for quite a few months after the christmas underwear bomber incident

A colleague of mine flew through YYZ yesterday and did not report anything out of the ordinary. He arrived at YYZ at 1505 and was in the lounge by 1600 or so - certainly a reasonable amount of time for a non-NEXUS traveler.

Monday morning is peak time in general, may have caused them to do something different. Let's hope this is not the new norm.

Will be headed through YYZ transborder on Thursday and will update here if any delays beyond what is "normal"

Flew through on Friday and the only thing different was that they had both sides open and taking passengers, but no holds on flight times. Will be able to report on it Thursday/Friday, as I will be flying through there again.

No perceivable differences at 11:30 AM today in YYZ T1. No controls on who can enter the immigration hall, no extra checks or inspections. A grand total of four minutes to get from outside the immigration hall to the MLL ...

Coming through last night at about 5:15pm, and nothing unusual. No line to get into the customs hall. Went straight to Nexus, and didn't notice the line inside the hall, which I normally do when it is busy and out to near the back of the hall.

Just the usual Monday morning rush on US bound flights. Same deal Thursday/Friday afternoon/evenings