New problems plague Pearson Airport in Mississauga as Rogers outage adds to passenger woes

If Mississauga’s Pearson Airport didn’t already face a number of challenges in the past several months, a new problem arrived today: Rogers…or a lack of it.

With the mass outages across several platforms that Rogers and customers faced today, the airport wasn’t immune as reports indicate airlines and the entire Pearson operation encountered problems.

An official statement released by the airport indicated that Pearson was seeing “minor” impacts.

Meanwhile, in a bulletin on its’ site, Air Canada acknowledged phone issues.

“Some of our Contact Centres are currently experiencing technical issues with the Rogers telephony network and unfortunately we may not be able to take your call,” the bulletin reads. “If you have an Aeroplan reward booking, the Aeroplan Contact Centre is still available to assist. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and apologize for any inconvenience this temporary interruption in service may cause.”

However, reports over social media indicate people who have had the typical long waits at the airport are not able to buy food and drinks because ATMs and payment machines were not operational.

Stick at Pearson Airport for 6hrs with $2 in cash, no cell service from Rogers, debit machines not working and ATMs also not working . If I’m lucky I’ll find a place that will sell me a coffee on Visa.

— Bill Gomez (@BillGomez2) July 8, 2022

As well, the ArriveCan App that is supposed to allow travelers easier access when arriving into the country is not working properly, which means more reliance on the already under-staffed human resources during processing and further passenger delays.

https://twitter.com/CanBorder/status/1545455275964043265?s=20&t=AF-k5hfIIfHfT_O-ppglNA

For months the airport has been faced with long line-ups due to the processing of passengers who may have COVID as well as staff shortages which has contributed to mishandling of baggage and long waits through customs.

While the airport and government officials say they are doing all they can to fix these problems, today’s issue with Rogers go highlight how vulnerable Pearson is when things don’t go the way they are planned.

First Toronto Pearson Airport Luggage Problems. And Now Rogers.
What's Next Canada?
Fix Up.#rogersoutage

— T.Shakes ✊🏾 (@shakes3000_) July 8, 2022