Air Canada makes strategic enhancements to its North American network

Air Canada has announced additional details of its previously stated plans for profitable growth. Strategic enhancements include expanding its North American route network with the addition of new non-stop services from Calgary-Terrace; Calgary-Nanaimo; Vancouver-Comox; Toronto-Austin and Montreal-Mexico City. Air Canada is also increasing capacity on key domestic markets that have high volumes of leisure traffic with the expansion of Air Canada rouge to operate the airline’s new seasonal Calgary-Halifax route and current Toronto-Kelowna and Toronto-Sydney, NS services. New services are now available for purchase at www.aircanada.com.

“Air Canada continues to strategically add new routes in response to the strong demand in Western Canada, notably the growing business market between Calgary and Terrace/Kitimat in Northern B.C., the increasing demand to and from Vancouver Island, and the continued travel demand between Western Canada and Atlantic Canada,” said Benjamin Smith, president, Passenger Airlines.  “The expansion of Air Canada rouge in North America including on key domestic markets with high leisure demand and to Mexican and Caribbean destinations remains a fundamental element of our strategy for sustainable, profitable growth.

“We look forward to returning to Austin, Texas from Toronto and to Mexico City from Montreal. All of Air Canada’s new services are designed to connect conveniently at our Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal hubs, offering customers more choices and easy connections to and from our extensive North American, European, Asian, and South American network,” concluded Mr. Smith.

All Air Canada flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits.

Highlights of Air Canada’s 2015 North American summer schedule enhancements include:

• New daily, year-round Air Canada Express service starts June 1 operated by Jazz Aviation LP with 50-seat Bombardier CRJ jets.

• New daily, year-round Air Canada Express service starts May 1 operated by Jazz Aviation LP with 74-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

• New summer seasonal six times weekly service starts May 1 operated by Air Canada rouge with 136-seat Airbus A319 aircraft offering both premium and economy cabins of service, increasing up to ten weekly flights during peak summer period.

• New twice daily, year-round Air Canada Express service starts May 1 operated by Jazz Aviation LP with 50-seat Bombardier Dash 8-300 aircraft.

• More than 40 per cent increased capacity year-over-year starting June 1, with up to daily service during peak summer, deployment of 136-seat Air Canada rouge Airbus A319 aircraft offering both premium and economy cabins of service, following the transfer of this route from Air Canada.

• New daily, year-round Air Canada Express service starts May 18 operated by Jazz Aviation LP with 75-seat CRJ-705 aircraft offering both premium and economy cabins of service.

• Winter seasonal service extended effective May 2 offering the only non-stop, year-round flights between Toronto and Sarasota, operated twice weekly by Air Canada with 97-seat EMBRAER 190 jets offering both premium and economy cabins of service.

• More than 40 per cent increased capacity year-over-year starting May 1 with daily deployment of 136-seat Air Canada rouge Airbus A319 aircraft offering both premium and economy cabins of service, following the seasonal transfer of this route from Air Canada.

• New, up to five times weekly, summer seasonal service starts May 2 operated by Air Canada rouge, with 136-seat Airbus A319 aircraft offering both premium and economy cabins of service.

• Seasonal service now extended to year-round, operated twice weekly by Air Canada with 97-seat EMBRAER 190 jets offering both premium and economy cabins of service.

In addition, starting May 2015, Air Canada will transfer to Air Canada rouge its Calgary-Varadero and Montreal-Varadero routes which will be operated with 142-seat Airbus A319 aircraft, as well as its Montreal-Martinique route operated with 136-seat Airbus A319 offering both premium and economy cabins of service.