Some passengers who flew out of Toronto Pearson during the frenzied holiday season say they waited days for their bags to show up at their destinations, with little communication about the status of their luggage.
Images from Pearson Airport show hundreds of lone suitcases piled up at the airport after major winter storms caused days of delayed flight cancellations, stranding many vacation travelers.
The Greater Toronto Airport Authority said Pearson is experiencing a backlog of luggage caused by weather-related flight disruptions as well as frozen cargo equipment.
GTAA spokeswoman Rachel Bertone said airport employees are helping airline staff remove stranded baggage.
"This morning, a significant portion of the backlog has been reunited with passengers; we expect many more bags to be dispersed by the end of the day."
The authority also said extreme weather events in western Canada and parts of the U.S. have had a "cascading effect" on its operations.
"While conditions have improved in Toronto, weather systems in connected cities affect airline delays and departures at Pearson," Bertone said.
"These effects cascade across multiple airlines and airports, so it can take days to recover from weather disruptions of any kind, especially at peak travel times."