A widespread technical malfunction affecting self-serve check-in and baggage drop kiosks at several major Canadian airports caused significant delays and extensive queues for travelers on Monday, September 29, 2025.
The outage, which reportedly began in the early morning hours, impacted key travel hubs including Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL). Passengers attempting to use the automated systems were met with inoperable screens, forcing them to resort to manual check-in processes and exacerbating wait times.
Airport authorities and airlines swiftly activated contingency plans, deploying additional staff to assist with manual check-ins and directing passengers to alternative counters. Despite these efforts, many travelers reported frustration and lengthy waits.
“It’s a nightmare,” said Sarah Chen, a passenger at Toronto Pearson on her way to London. “I’ve been in line for over an hour just to check my bag. This is completely unexpected and very disruptive.”
The precise cause of the system failure has not yet been publicly disclosed. Airport officials indicated that technical teams were working actively to identify and rectify the issue.
“We are aware of the kiosk system outage affecting multiple Canadian airports and are working closely with our partners and service providers to restore full functionality as quickly as possible,” stated a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). “We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our passengers and appreciate their patience.”
Airlines advised passengers traveling from affected airports to arrive significantly earlier than usual and to check their flight status before heading to the airport. Some carriers also encouraged passengers to utilize online check-in options where possible, if they were not checking bags, to bypass the affected kiosk systems.
While the full extent of flight delays and cancellations was still being assessed throughout the day, the primary impact remained on processing times within the terminals, particularly for passengers with checked luggage. Authorities continued to monitor the situation, with no immediate timeline provided for a complete resolution of the technical issue.
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