Canada to U.S. Travelers Face Additional Security

Oct. 5, 2005
Pearson International Airport adds passport security to travels between countries

TORONTO -- Travelers going to the United States from Canada's busiest airport faced added security measures on Tuesday, but authorities denied they caused significant delays.

The new security, mandated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, requires that all passengers who need passports to travel to the United States - Canadians and Americans are excluded - provide the country of origin for their passport, its expiration date, and an address for the first night of stay.

"We've had a busy morning, some sporadically long lineups, but it's not been a constant" at Pearson International Airport, said Air Canada spokeswoman Laura Cooke. "We've not taken any delays specifically. It's not affected our flight schedules."

Both the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Air Canada said there were in no significant delays. Authority spokeswoman Connie Turner said travelers do not have to allow extra time for check-in.

"If passengers believe they have to allow extra time at the airport, that will just cause congestion if people are arriving an hour before they need to," said Turner.

All airlines and airports in Canada were subject to the new security measures.

(c) 2005 Associated Press