To get to Terminal 3 from Terminal 1 at Pearson, follow the signs to the free Terminal Link train, which runs 24 hours and stops at Terminal 1, Viscount and Terminal 3. The ride takes a few minutes; allow about 15 minutes door to door with bags. On separate tickets you usually also collect bags, change terminals landside and check in again, so budget two to three hours.
How to get to Terminal 3 from Terminal 1 at Pearson
The mechanics of getting to Terminal 3 from Terminal 1 at Pearson are simple: a free automated train, the Terminal Link, joins the two buildings and a stop at Viscount station in between. Our guide to Pearson Terminal 1 vs Terminal 3 explains the buildings themselves. This post is about the harder part, which is the connection around the train: whether you need to clear customs, whether your bags follow you, whether you must check in again, and how long all of that really takes. We work through six common situations, each with a time budget, because the answer changes completely from one to the next.
First question: one ticket or two?
Everything depends on this. If both flights are on one booking, the airline is responsible for your connection. You normally stay airside, bags are usually checked through to your final destination, and signs marked "Connections" guide you. Minimum connection times are set by the airlines for each type of transfer, and your booking was built to respect them. If the flights are on separate bookings, you are on your own: the first airline delivers you to Toronto and forgets you, and the second expects you at its check-in desk before its deadline. Separate tickets are common with budget carriers and award bookings, and they are where most terminal-change problems happen.
Scenario 1: domestic to domestic on one ticket
A traveller flies Halifax to Toronto and on to Winnipeg on one booking, with the two legs operated by different airlines in different terminals because of a codeshare. On a single booking, follow the airline's connection signs and instructions on your boarding pass; you will usually stay airside and your bag should be checked through. Most of the time goes on walking, the train and security if you are routed through a checkpoint. Budget an hour of ground time at minimum, and more if the first flight is late. Ask the gate agent on the first flight if you are unsure which terminal the second flight uses.
Scenario 2: international arrival into Canada, onward domestic flight
Arriving from London at Terminal 3 and continuing to Calgary from Terminal 1 on one ticket means clearing Canadian customs first. You follow the arrivals flow to the border hall, complete the declaration at a kiosk or eGate, and then follow the connections route; depending on your airline and itinerary, you may need to collect bags and re-drop them. The Canada Border Services Agency sets the process, and an optional Advance Declaration through ArriveCAN can speed things up. With the terminal change added, a two-hour window can feel short when several wide-bodies land together.
Scenario 3: separate tickets, arriving from abroad
This is the riskiest connection at Pearson. Say a visitor lands at Terminal 3 on a leisure carrier from Europe and has a separate ticket on Air Canada from Terminal 1 to Vancouver. They must clear customs, collect every checked bag, exit into the public arrivals hall, ride the Terminal Link landside to Terminal 1, queue to check in and drop bags before the second airline's cut-off, and clear security. Allow at least three hours between scheduled arrival and departure, and more in peak summer. If the first flight is late, the second airline has no obligation to wait. Visitors who need an eTA must have it before boarding the first flight.
Scenario 4: into Toronto, out to the United States
Flights to the US from Pearson clear US preclearance in Toronto before boarding, a separate US border process run by US Customs and Border Protection. That adds a queue that can be long at peak times. If your inbound flight is international and your US flight leaves from the other terminal, you may face Canadian customs, the train, check-in, security and preclearance in sequence. On one ticket, trust the airline's routing and move briskly. On separate tickets, allow three hours or more. NEXUS members have dedicated lanes at several of these steps.
Time budget table for terminal changes
| Situation | Terminal Link ride | Other steps | Realistic ground time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting a friend at the other terminal | A few minutes | Walking to and from stations | 15–20 min |
| Domestic to domestic, one ticket | A few minutes | Walking, possible security | 60–90 min |
| International arrival, onward domestic, one ticket | A few minutes | Customs, possible bag re-drop, security | 90–120 min |
| Separate tickets, domestic arrival | A few minutes | Bags, landside train, check-in, security | 2 hours or more |
| Separate tickets, international arrival | A few minutes | Customs, bags, check-in, security | 3 hours or more |
| Separate tickets, onward to the US | A few minutes | Customs, check-in, security, US preclearance | 3 hours or more |
These are planning suggestions from the ground, not airline minimum connection times; your airline's rules take priority.
Scenario 5: you are leaving the airport, but your car is at the other terminal
This one happens every week. A couple books a pickup for a flight they think lands at Terminal 1, but a codeshare or a schedule change puts them into Terminal 3. When you book a transfer with flight tracking, dispatch confirms the terminal against the live flight record and the chauffeur goes to the right building. If you still come out of the wrong doors, or you have to collect a travelling companion from the other terminal, message the chauffeur. We reposition the car for the same booking rather than asking you to drag bags onto the train. Our Pearson airport limo service includes this at no extra charge.
Scenario 6: two travellers, two terminals, one car
Families often reunite at Pearson: one parent arrives from Delhi at Terminal 3, the other from Montreal at Terminal 1, and both head home to Brampton together. Book one pickup with both flight numbers. Dispatch tracks both flights and plans the order, usually meeting the earlier arrival first. The first traveller can ride the Terminal Link to the second terminal and wait inside, or stay put while the chauffeur collects the other. Included waiting counts from each actual landing: 60 minutes after an international arrival and 30 after a Canadian or US one. It is simpler than it sounds once dispatch has both flight numbers.
Bags, carts and the train
The Terminal Link is step-free and takes luggage, and it is designed for passengers with bags. Luggage carts are available in the arrivals and baggage areas, but check the signs before assuming a cart can go onto the train or through every door; in practice, many travellers wheel their suitcases by hand between the station and the check-in desks. If you have more than two large cases per person, or awkward items such as golf clubs, allow extra time at each end. Strollers fold easily for the ride; car seats are bulky, so a strap to carry them on a suitcase helps.
Accessibility between terminals
The Terminal Link is accessible and the stations have elevators. For travellers who need help between flights, the airline is the place to request wheelchair assistance, ideally when booking; on a single ticket, the airline arranges the transfer. On separate tickets, arrange assistance with each airline separately. Toronto Pearson publishes information on its accessibility services. When one of our wheelchair accessible transfers collects a passenger after a connection, we coordinate the pickup point with the assistance team where possible and allow extra waiting.
Night-time connections and the long wait
The Terminal Link runs around the clock, so a midnight terminal change is no harder than a midday one; the buildings are simply quieter. If you have a long gap between flights on separate tickets, you may be too early to check in for the second flight, as airlines usually open bag drop a few hours before departure. Rather than sit landside for six hours, some travellers leave the airport for a meal or a few hours of sleep. Our guide to things to do near Toronto airport on a layover covers what is realistic.
Common mistakes on a Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 change
- Assuming a one-hour gap is enough on separate tickets.
- Forgetting that bags on separate tickets must be collected and checked in again.
- Walking out to the roadway to look for a shuttle bus instead of taking the train.
- Trusting an old itinerary rather than the terminal shown in the airline app on the day.
- Not telling your chauffeur that your plans changed after landing.
- Missing the check-in cut-off at the second airline because the customs hall was busy.
Terminal 3 arrivals heading downtown on the UP Express
A connection of a different kind: landing at Terminal 3 and heading downtown by train. The UP Express station is attached to Terminal 1 only, so Terminal 3 passengers ride the Terminal Link to Terminal 1 first and then follow the UP Express signs. Budget 15 to 20 minutes for that link before the train itself, which runs every 15 minutes and takes under half an hour to Union. For a solo traveller with a carry-on, this is a very good way into the city. For a family with four large cases, the two changes add up, and a car from the Terminal 3 pickup area goes straight to the door. Our post on the UP Express from Union to Pearson versus a car weighs the two for different travellers.
Using a car instead of the train
For a terminal change on its own, the train is faster and free; a car would have to loop the airport's roads. A car only makes sense when you are leaving the airport between flights, going to an airport hotel, or connecting to another airport such as Billy Bishop. For that last case, our Pearson to Billy Bishop route takes about 30 to 40 minutes off-peak with a planning figure of $145 to $175 in a sedan, plus HST. For everything else, ride the Terminal Link, and check your terminal with our terminal finder.
