Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Patrick Huot knows a thing or two about navigating traffic congestion in and around Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport.
He works just off Chemin de la Côte-de-Liesse, a main access road to the airport and described the traffic in the area as “godawful.”
“I’m tired of the traffic,” he said, as he was waiting for a flight.
Alain Goffi said his trip to the airport on Saturday was “smooth” but experienced other times when it was nothing but.
“When we came in September, it was horrible,” he said, adding he had to wait at least 20 minutes in his car before reaching the terminal but not everyone could wait that long.
“We saw people with the luggage running outside,” he said.
Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) spokesperson Anne-Sophie Hamel-Longtin admitted getting to the airport can be challenging especially during peak hours and holidays.
But what could be making drop offs and pick ups even trickier and adding to the congestion issues, is the closure of the airport’s multi-level parking.
“We are doing a lot of work on the airport site to add to the capacity of our curbside,” she said.
Work being done includes a complete reconfiguration of the road network leading to the airport to reduce traffic, and the demolition of the multi-level parking garage for a new, larger parking facility.
ADM says renovations will increase capacity to handle the expected rise in passenger volume to 28 million by 2028 and up to 35 million by 2035. In 2024, passenger volume was a little over 22 million.
Arrive 3 hours prior to flight, says ADM
In the meantime, however, Hamel-Longtin recommends travellers plan their trip ahead and get to the airport three hours prior to departure time, regardless of destination.
“We want to make sure that even if there’s 30 or 40 minute wait to get to the main drop off, if you give yourself enough time you’ll be OK to catch your flight,” she said.
Another way to beat the traffic, according to Hamel-Longtin, is to use the express drop-off points located at P-10 and P-4, with a shuttle bus running every five minutes.
The shuttle bus brings passengers to the main terminal building and allows for an “option outside the main drop-off zone” which can get quite congested during the late afternoons and early evenings, Hamel-Longtin said.
Serge Lemire, has his own trick for avoiding the hassle.
“I rent a hotel and take the bus,” he said, adding it’s easier to do that than wasting time in traffic and having to call someone to bring you to the airport.
WATCH | Travel tips to negotiate traffic around Montreal’s Trudeau airport:
Navigating the congestion mess at Montreal’s Trudeau airport
As travellers head to the airport over the holidays, Aéroports de Montréal is urging people to plan ahead, largely due to the fact that the multi-level parking garage is being demolished and rebuilt.
Hamel-Longtin said that people hoping to use the parking lot should reserve a space ahead of time due to the limited spots currently available.
The closed multi-level parking lot is being demolished and will be replaced with a new parking structure.
The project involves adding 1,000 more car spaces and moving the new space farther back from the airport terminal.
After all is said and done, the work should triple the capacity for cars.
The airport authority also plans to build a new building that will connect the terminal to the future light-rail station, expected to be operational by 2027.
The goal is to be able to accommodate more cars, fix the congestion problems and make the airport smoother to navigate.
