Pearson airport meet and greet is an optional add-on to a TorontoAirportTransfer.services pickup. Instead of meeting the car at the curbside commercial pickup area, you are met inside the arrivals hall at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 by your chauffeur holding a name board. The planning figure is $25–35 on top of the fare, and it is added at booking.
Pearson airport meet and greet: what it is
Every airport pickup we run includes flight tracking, free waiting and a chauffeur timed to your real landing. By default, the car meets you curbside at the terminal's pre-arranged commercial pickup area, and the chauffeur guides you there by text or phone after you land. Meet and greet changes the last step. The chauffeur parks, walks into the arrivals hall and waits at the exit you will come through, holding a board with your name. When you appear, they take the trolley, walk you out and load the car. It is a small change on paper and a large one for someone who has just stepped off a 14-hour flight, is new to Canada, or would simply rather not navigate an unfamiliar airport alone.
Toronto airport meet and greet: who it is for
- First-time visitors who do not know Pearson and may not have a working phone plan on landing.
- Elderly parents and grandparents flying in to visit, especially when they travel alone.
- Unaccompanied young adults and students arriving for university, where parents want a named person waiting.
- Travellers with reduced mobility, alongside any airline wheelchair assistance they have booked.
- VIPs, speakers and executive guests whose hosts want the welcome handled properly.
- Families with small children and a trolley of luggage who could use a second pair of hands.
- Anyone whose phone may be dead, which after a long-haul flight is more common than you would think.
Price and what the add-on covers
The planning figure for meet and greet is $25–35 per pickup, added to the transfer fare. It covers the chauffeur's time inside the terminal and short-term parking in the terminal garage while they wait for you. The transfer fare itself is unchanged: for example, $130–160 all-in in a business sedan between Pearson and downtown Toronto, plus HST. Free waiting still runs from the actual landing time: 30 minutes on Canadian domestic and US arrivals and 60 minutes on other international arrivals. See the Pearson airport limo page for the full fare table and the rates page for other cities.
How it works at Terminal 1
Terminal 1 handles Air Canada and most Star Alliance airlines, and it has separate arrival flows for domestic, transborder and international passengers. After passport control and baggage, international arrivals come out through the customs exit into the public arrivals area. Your chauffeur positions at the exit that matches your flight type, and the dispatcher confirms the exact spot to you by text before you land, so you know what to look for. Because Terminal 1 is large, the walk from the arrivals hall to the car can take several minutes; the chauffeur handles the trolley. Terminal layouts are on the Terminal 1 page.
How it works at Terminal 3
Terminal 3 is used by WestJet, Porter and many other airlines. The meeting routine is the same: the chauffeur waits at the arrivals exit for your flight type with a name board, having watched your flight land. Terminal 3's arrivals area is more compact, so the walk out is usually shorter. Airlines occasionally change terminals, so check the terminal on your own booking or use our terminal finder, and tell us the airline and flight number at booking. Details are on the Terminal 3 page.
What the chauffeur does, step by step
- Tracks your flight from departure and arrives at Pearson before the actual landing time.
- Parks in the terminal garage and walks to the arrivals exit for your flight type.
- Waits with a board showing your name, or a discreet alternative if you prefer.
- Greets you, confirms your name and destination, and takes the luggage trolley.
- Walks you to the car, loads the bags and settles you in.
- Lets dispatch know you are on the move, so anyone tracking the booking gets an update.
If you need an airport washroom, a coffee, a SIM card or a currency exchange desk first, just say so; that is part of the service.
When the arrivals queue is long
International arrivals at Pearson can take a while at busy times of day: passport control, baggage and customs all add minutes. The chauffeur does not leave because the plane landed an hour ago. The included 60 minutes of waiting starts at landing; if you are still inside after that, waiting is billed in 15-minute blocks, and the chauffeur stays unless you or the booker say otherwise. If something goes wrong inside the terminal, such as missing baggage, message dispatch and we will adjust. Before you travel, check Canada's entry requirements and the CBSA guidance on what to declare; Advance Declaration through ArriveCAN is optional at Pearson and can save time.
Booking meet and greet for a parent or guest
Many meet and greet bookings are made by someone who is not travelling: an adult child in Toronto booking for parents flying in from abroad, a company booking for a visiting executive, a university family booking for a student. Enter the passenger's name exactly as it should appear on the board, their mobile number if they have one, and your own number as the booker. We will message both of you on landing and when the passenger is in the car. If the traveller speaks limited English, tell us which language they speak; we will try to assign a chauffeur who shares it, although we cannot guarantee it.
Meet and greet with wheelchair assistance
Airlines provide wheelchair assistance inside the airport when you request it through them; that is separate from us. When both are booked, the airline's assistant brings the passenger through the airport, and our chauffeur meets them at the arrivals exit and takes over for the walk to the car. We will need to know whether the passenger can transfer to a car seat or needs to stay in a wheelchair; for the latter, see wheelchair-accessible transfers. Families with young children should add car seats at booking; the chauffeur installs them before arriving.
Meet and greet at other airports and stations
The same add-on is available at Billy Bishop, where the chauffeur meets you in the mainland terminal on Eireann Quay after you cross from the island, and at Union Station for VIA Rail arrivals. It can also be arranged at Hamilton and the smaller regional airports. For private jets, a chauffeur meeting you at the aircraft or in the private terminal is standard and handled differently; see the private jet and FBO service. For the island airport, see Billy Bishop transfers.
Meet and greet versus curbside pickup
Curbside pickup is quick, efficient and included in every fare; most seasoned travellers use it, particularly on domestic flights with carry-on bags only. Meet and greet costs a little more and takes a few minutes longer because the chauffeur has to walk back to the parked car with you. It pays off when you do not know the airport, have a lot of luggage, are travelling with vulnerable passengers or simply want to be welcomed. Pearson's own pages on ground transportation and pickups explain the curbside rules, and our guide to Pearson pickup rules and waiting areas explains where pre-booked cars stop.
VIP arrivals and discretion
For executives, performers and diplomatic guests, the name board can be replaced with a company name, a code word or no board at all; the chauffeur can be briefed with a photograph instead. Chauffeurs are trained to be discreet and to avoid drawing attention in the arrivals hall. For security-sensitive movements, see VIP and executive protection. First-class sedans and executive SUVs are the usual vehicles for these pickups.
Cancelling or changing the add-on
Meet and greet can be added or removed any time before the chauffeur is dispatched. The transfer itself follows the sitewide cancellation terms: no charge more than 72 hours before pickup, 10 % within 72 hours, 50 % within 48 hours and 100 % within 24 hours or for a no-show. Flight delays and cancellations are never treated as no-shows; send the new flight number and we move the pickup.
Students arriving for university
Every late August and early September, thousands of international students land at Pearson for the start of term at universities and colleges across Ontario. For many it is their first time in Canada, often after a long journey, with every possession in two suitcases. A meet and greet pickup is a simple way for parents abroad to know that someone is waiting. Give us the student's name as it appears on their passport, their flight number and the residence or rental address, and we handle the rest. For universities outside Toronto, such as in Waterloo, Guelph, London or Kingston, fixed fares for the longer drive are quoted by the reservation engine.
Families reuniting at Pearson
Pearson's arrivals halls are full of families waiting for relatives, and plenty of our meet and greet bookings come from them. Sometimes the family cannot get to the airport, because of work, distance or a new baby. Sometimes the relative arriving is elderly and the family wants a chauffeur to handle the bags while they wait at home with dinner ready. Either way, the booker receives a message when the flight lands and another when the passenger is in the car. See family visits and reunions for other ways we help.
What to tell the traveller before they fly
- The name that will be on the board, especially if it differs from their passport name.
- That they should wait inside the arrivals area if they cannot see the chauffeur at once, rather than leave the terminal.
- The chauffeur's mobile number, sent to the booker the evening before.
- That there is nothing to pay on arrival; the fare, gratuity and add-on are prepaid.
- To keep their phone on after landing if it works in Canada, so dispatch can send updates.
A printed card with these points is worth more than any app for many older travellers.
Meet and greet for departing travellers
Meet and greet is usually thought of as an arrivals service, but a version works for departures too. For travellers who need help, the chauffeur can park and walk them into the departures hall, help with the trolley and see them to the check-in counter or the airline's assistance desk. It uses the same add-on figure and is especially useful for older passengers travelling alone. Tell us at booking so the chauffeur allows the extra time. See how early to arrive at Pearson for timing.
