Jul 28, 2016
Pattie Lovett-Reid: How to avoid travel frenzy, fraud and frustration
With the summer travel season in full swing, airports such as Toronto Pearson International Airport are gearing up for its busiest season yet.
On average, Pearson airport will welcome 120,000 travellers per day in July and August, representing an additional 10,000 passengers per day over the same period as last year. Fridays are typically the busiest day of the week during the summer months, with nearly 150,000 passengers travelling through.
Lines will be long and security will be tight, so here are a few things can you do to help make your travel plans go smoothly:
- Remember to check in online from home or on your mobile device to save time
- Arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight, and three hours before an international flight
- Reserve parking ahead of time
- Confirm you have your travel documents well in advance and have them in hand
- Pack smart and dress for success to get through security
- Travelling with children? Don’t forget to pack snacks
But that’s not all – be very aware about financial aspects as well. Monitor your accounts for any unusual activity: new charges, forgotten charges or fraudulent charges.
While travelling, be careful. According to a new survey from payments company ACI Worldwide and market-research firm Aite Group, credit and debit card fraud is actually growing worldwide.
The group surveyed about 6,000 consumers in 20 countries and found that 17 per cent of consumers said they have experienced fraud multiple times in the past five years, compared with 13 per cent who said they had in 2014.
The countries where consumers are most likely to experience card fraud were Mexico, where 56 per cent said they had experienced fraud in the last five years, Brazil at 49 per cent and 47 per cent in the U.S.
