pearson airport delays

Camera operator burns Toronto Pearson Airport in the funniest way

A Tuesday press conference at Toronto Pearson International Airport has turned into a high-profile public relations gaffe, all thanks to some creative work by a news camera operator.

Deborah Flint, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, was in the middle of telling assembled media that Pearson has "seen almost a doubling in terms of improvement on on-time performance since last year," when camera operator Matthew Reid decided to take some creative license, tilting his camera up to show an arrival board covered in delayed and cancelled flights.

A clip of the CTV News broadcast has gone viral, with two tweets showing the same video collectively sharing over 2.7 million views as of Wednesday morning. Viewers are reacting with shock and delight to the colossal burn, with one calling it a "murder on live television."

One can only wonder why the decision was made to hold this presser directly in front of a board that could be used as evidence to refute the airport's very claims.

Pearson Airport's social media team made an attempt at damage control, blaming the delays on other airports. However, several commenters, including an airline pilot, shifted responsibility right back onto Pearson by claiming that these delayed flights are returns that originated in Toronto.

Many took the opportunity to fire shots at the airport, which has been in the hot seat since a disastrous spring and summer 2022 travel season that saw the airport clogged with lines and plagued with delays and cancellations.

During the presser, Flint told media that she is "proud of the exceptional teamwork demonstrated by the Toronto Pearson team leading up to the summer season," however, she might not be as pleased with her team the day after, as negative responses continue to pour in.

As for the camera operator, he has countless new fans after Tuesday's hilarious stunt.

Pearson is boasting an improvement by 17 positions in on-time performance global ranking published by Flight Aware, where it ranked the worst airport in the world in 2022, along with the honour of "most stressful airport."

Lead photo by

Jack Landau


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