Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1 is the Air Canada and Star Alliance terminal at YYZ, handling domestic, US and international flights. For a chauffeured transfer from T1, your pre-booked car meets you at the terminal's pre-arranged commercial pickup area after you collect bags, or inside the arrivals hall if you add meet and greet. A downtown sedan is $130–160 all-in, plus HST.
Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1 at a glance
Terminal 1 is the larger of Pearson's two passenger buildings and the one most people picture when they think of the airport: a long curved glass hall with the parking garage opposite and the UP Express station connected to it. Air Canada runs its hub operation here, and most of its Star Alliance partners use the same terminal, which means T1 handles an enormous mix of domestic, US transborder and long-haul international traffic. For anyone arranging a Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1 pickup, that mix matters, because the three flight types reach the public arrivals area in different ways and at different speeds. This page covers what we see from the driver's seat every day: which level to use, where to wait, how long each arrival type takes and how to hand off to your chauffeur without phone tag. For the whole airport, including Terminal 3, start with our Toronto Pearson airport transfer hub.
Which airlines use Terminal 1
Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express flights operate from Terminal 1, and so do most of Air Canada's Star Alliance partners flying into Toronto. A number of other international carriers are housed in T1 as well. Because assignments change with new routes and seasons, we do not publish a full airline list here; the authoritative source is the airline directory on Toronto Pearson's website and the terminal printed on your boarding pass. Watch out for codeshares: a flight sold by one airline and operated by another uses the operating carrier's terminal. Our terminal finder handles the common cases, and when you book with a flight number, dispatch checks the live flight record so your chauffeur goes to the right building regardless.
Fixed fares from Terminal 1
Fares from T1 are identical to fares from T3; the terminal never changes the price. These are planning figures for a business sedan, one way, all-in, plus HST.
| From Terminal 1 to | Business sedan | Executive SUV (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Toronto | $130–160 | $165–205 |
| North York | $105–135 | $135–175 |
| Mississauga | $90–120 | $115–160 |
| Vaughan | $115–145 | $145–190 |
| Markham | $145–180 | $180–235 |
| Oakville | $120–150 | $150–195 |
| Hamilton | $195–240 | $250–310 |
| Niagara Falls | $345–420 | $435–550 |
The reservation engine quotes the exact address, date and vehicle. A first-class sedan is roughly 50 % above the business sedan figure. See the airport rates page for every destination.
Domestic arrivals at Terminal 1
Domestic flights are the fastest to clear. You leave the aircraft, walk to the domestic baggage hall, collect your bags and walk straight out into the public arrivals level. On a normal day that is 15–30 minutes from gate arrival to the door, and that is why our included waiting for Canadian and US flights is 30 minutes from actual landing. The main risk on domestic arrivals is a remote stand: if the aircraft parks away from the building, a bus brings you in and adds ten minutes. Once you have your bags, send the chauffeur a message. The pickup text names the door, and the car is called up from the staging area. Please do not walk out to the rideshare zones on the Ground Level looking for us; booked cars are not allowed to load there.
US transborder arrivals
Flights arriving from the United States are international arrivals for Canadian customs purposes. You follow the same Canada Border Services Agency process as long-haul passengers: a kiosk or eGate declaration, an officer if directed, then baggage and the exit control. Transborder banks at T1 are often concentrated in the early evening, when several US hubs send flights at once, and the hall can back up. Pickups from US flights include 30 minutes of waiting from landing; if the hall is backed up, extra waiting is billed in 15-minute blocks, or you can add waiting when you book an evening arrival. If you have NEXUS, your processing is typically quicker, and it is worth telling us at booking so dispatch can expect an earlier call. Remember that US departures from Pearson clear US preclearance before boarding; that applies on the way out, not on the way in.
International arrivals and customs at Terminal 1
Long-haul arrivals from Europe, Asia, South America and elsewhere can land in waves, particularly early afternoon and late evening, and the customs hall at T1 is then busy. Most travellers complete a declaration at an automated kiosk or eGate, and the optional Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN can make that step faster. Visitors who are not US citizens and are visa-exempt usually need an eTA to fly to Canada. After inspection you collect bags in the international baggage hall; porters are available near the escalators, and there is currency exchange before you exit. Then you walk out into public arrivals. Our chauffeurs watch the flight, not the clock, so a long queue does not create a problem inside the included hour. Our guide arriving in Canada at Pearson goes step by step.
Where your chauffeur meets you at Terminal 1
The fare includes curbside pickup at Terminal 1's pre-arranged commercial pickup area. This is the area Pearson designates for booked taxis and limousines: vehicles wait in a staging lot and are called to the curb when the passenger is ready, which keeps the arrivals road moving. Pearson's own guidance for pre-arranged rides is to go to the designated area and let the dispatcher there know you are waiting, and the pre-arranged desk inside Terminal 1 is located by Door A. Our chauffeur texts you the exact door on landing, and when you reply that you have your bags, the car is at the curb within a few minutes. Pickup arrangements at Pearson are adjusted from time to time, so trust the text over any old forum post; the Toronto Pearson transportation pages show the current layout and our Pearson pickup rules guide explains the categories.
Meet and greet inside Terminal 1
With the meet and greet add-on (planning figure $25–35), the chauffeur parks, comes inside and waits in the public arrivals area at the exit from the customs and baggage halls, holding a board with your name or company. Terminal 1 has several exits from the secure area, so we station the chauffeur at the one your flight type uses: domestic travellers come out one way, international and US travellers another. The chauffeur then helps with trolleys and walks you to the car. It is the best choice for first-time visitors, parents juggling children and bags, and guests travelling on a roaming-free phone plan who may not get texts. Without the add-on, pickup is curbside; details are on the meet and greet page.
Where not to wait: rideshare zones and taxi stands at T1
Terminal 1 puts app-based rideshare on the Ground Level, in numbered zones around Doors P to S, with Uber and Lyft assigned to separate zones. Pearson's own licensed taxis and airport limousines load at their stands with a zone flat rate. Neither is where a pre-booked private car meets you, and standing at the wrong one is the single most common cause of a slow pickup. If you are unsure, stay inside near the door named in your text and call the chauffeur. If you are comparing options, our flat-rate taxi alternative page and the guide to limo vs Uber vs taxi vs UP Express set out what each costs and when each makes sense.
Departures drop-off at Terminal 1
On departure, your chauffeur drops you on the Departures level of Terminal 1, which is an elevated roadway along the front of the building. Air Canada check-in stretches along much of the hall, and self-service bag drop is split by flight type, so tell the chauffeur whether you are flying domestic, US or international and we will stop nearest the right zone. Stopping at the departures curb is for loading and unloading only; the chauffeur helps with bags to the kerb and then has to move on. US-bound travellers check in, then go through US preclearance at Pearson, which means allowing more time than for a domestic flight. We recommend reaching T1 two hours before domestic departures and three hours before US and international ones. Our guide how early to arrive at Pearson has seasonal adjustments.
Waiting for someone: the free waiting area and garage
If a friend is collecting you instead, Pearson offers a free waiting area a short drive from both terminals, where drivers can wait with the vehicle for up to 45 minutes, and a short free stay in the terminal garages for passenger pickup. Drivers are not allowed to wait at the curb or on the approach roads. For a booked chauffeur none of this is your problem: staging and parking are part of the service and included in the fare. It is, however, useful context for why the pre-arranged pickup process exists. Curbside at T1 is permanently busy, so every vehicle, private or otherwise, loads and leaves promptly.
Terminal 1 lounges and time before your flight
Terminal 1 has a range of airline and pay-per-use lounges airside, including Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounges for eligible passengers in the domestic, transborder and international areas. Access rules depend on your ticket, status and card programme, so check with the airline. The reason this matters for a transfer is timing: if you plan to use a lounge, you may want to arrive earlier than the minimum, and the engine lets you pick any pickup time. Executive travellers often ask us to schedule departures so they have 45 minutes in the lounge for calls. We do not provide access to lounges and are not connected to any of them; we simply get you there on time.
UP Express from Terminal 1
The UP Express station is attached to Terminal 1, and trains reach Union Station in about 25 minutes, roughly every 15 minutes. Passengers arriving at Terminal 3 ride the free Terminal Link train to T1 to catch it. For a solo traveller with a carry-on staying near Union, it is fast and inexpensive; the UP Express site has current schedules and fares. For two or more people, heavier luggage, destinations away from the rail line or late-night arrivals, a private car is usually more practical, because it takes you from the T1 curb to the door with no transfer at Union. See Pearson to Union Station for the direct comparison.
Connecting between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3
Travellers switching terminals on separate tickets, or meeting a companion arriving at the other building, use the free Terminal Link train, which runs 24 hours with frequent service. If you are part of a group split across two flights, one into T1 and one into T3, book a single transfer with both flight numbers in the notes and dispatch will plan the pickup at whichever terminal makes sense, usually the later arrival. We will not charge to move the car between terminals within a booking. Our Terminal 1 vs Terminal 3 guide explains walking and train times.
Timing a Terminal 1 pickup by time of day
Leaving T1 at 7:30 a.m. for downtown can take close to an hour on a weekday because inbound traffic is heavy on both the 427 and the 401. A mid-morning or early-afternoon landing gets you downtown in 30–40 minutes. The late afternoon is worst for trips heading east or north on the 401 toward Scarborough, Markham and Durham, where a 35-minute trip can stretch past an hour. Arrivals after 10 p.m. are usually quick. For departures, the engine builds in a buffer for the pickup hour, and dispatch reviews tight bookings. Long weekends, the week before Christmas and March Break bring heavier terminal crowds as well as heavier roads.
Vehicles for Terminal 1 pickups
Business travellers from T1 usually book a business or first-class sedan, which carries three passengers and three standard bags. Families with ski bags or strollers are better in an executive SUV or luxury van, each for six passengers and six bags. Sports teams and corporate groups arriving on the same flight suit a 14-seat Sprinter van. Stretch limousines, Rolls-Royce and party buses come from vetted partner operators. Whatever the exemptions for taxis and buses, we fit the right child seat for every child who needs one.
Terminal 1 pickup checklist
- Book with your flight number so tracking attaches.
- Turn your phone on after landing and read the chauffeur's text.
- Collect bags before calling the car; the curb is for loading only.
- Stay near the door named in the text, not the Ground Level rideshare zones.
- Tell dispatch if you have NEXUS or a tight customs connection.
