Air Canada Adds Eight Routes to 2015 North American Network

Air Canada is expanding its North American route network by adding eight non-stop routes in its summer 2015 schedule, as well as increasing capacity on two other routes.

Four of the routes will be operated by Air Canada Express regional-airline partner Jazz Aviation LP and four by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada’s leisure-travel subsidiary.

Jazz Aviation LP Bombardier CRJ-705 C-GNJZ departs Montréal-Trudeau International Airport operating an Air Canada Express flight

Montréal-based Air Canada is adding to its North American network new services between Calgary and the British Columbia cities of Terrace and Nanaimo; Vancouver and Comox, British Columbia; Toronto and Austin, Texas; and Montréal and Mexico City.

Air Canada is also increasing capacity in domestic markets that have high volumes of leisure traffic by expanding Air Canada rouge to operate the new seasonal Calgary-Halifax route and current Toronto-Kelowna and Toronto-Sydney, Nova Scotia services.

Tickets on all the new services are now available for purchase at www.aircanada.com.

Air Canada’s 200-plus-aircraft mainline fleet includes 45 Embraer 190s. The airline uses the versatile aircraft, which it has configured with 93 passenger seats, to operate domestic routes and transborder services to U.S. destinations

“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 BC, the increasing demand to and from Vancouver Island, and the continued travel demand between Western Canada and Atlantic Canada,” says Benjamin Smith, Air Canada’s president, passenger airlines.

“We look forward to returning to Austin, Texas from Toronto and to Mexico City from Montréal,” adds Smith.

On May 2, Air Canada will extend its winter seasonal service between Toronto and Florida resort city Sarasota to a May 2 year-round flight, operating the service twice a week with 97-seat Embraer 190 jets offering two classes of service.

Regional-airline partners operate a sizable number of Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop regional airliners for the Air Canada Express network

Air Canada is also extending its Ottawa-Fort Lauderdale seasonal service to a year-round flight, operated twice a week by two-class, 97-seat Embraer 190s.

On May 1, regional-airline partner Jazz Aviation LP will launch daily, year-round Air Canada Express service between Calgary and Nanaimo, using 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop regional airliners.

Also on May 1, Jazz Aviation LP will begin twice-daily, year-round Air Canada Express service between Vancouver and Comox, operating the flights with 50-seat Bombardier Q300 (Dash 8-300) turboprop regional airliners.

Air Canada Express Bombardier Dash-8-301 C-GKTA taxis at a Canadian airport

Both Comox and Nanaimo are on Vancouver Island.

On May 18, Jazz Aviation LP will start daily, year-round Air Canada Express service between Toronto and Austin, Texas, operating the round-trips with 75-seat Bombardier CRJ705 regional jets outfitted with both premium and economy cabins.

Then, on June 1, Jazz Aviation LP will begin daily, year-round Air Canada Express service between Calgary and Terrace, operating the route with 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 jets.

An Air Canada rouge Airbus A319 is prepared for its next departure at a Canadian airport on a gray and rainy day, against the backdrop of a dramatic sky

Air Canada rouge will launch six-times-weekly summer-season service on May 1 between Calgary and Halifax, operating 136-seat Airbus A319 jets offering premium and economy cabins. The service will increase to round-trips a week during the peak summer period.

Also on May 1, Air Canada rouge will take over on a summer-season basis Air Canada’s route between Toronto and Sydney, Nova Scotia. Air Canada rouge will operate the service daily, using 136-seat, two-class Airbus A319s, the carrier offering a capacity increase of more than 40 per cent compared with summer 2014.

On May 2, Air Canada rouge will begin summer-season service between Montréal and Mexico City, flying the route up to five times a week. The leisure carrier will operate the route with 136-seat A319s.

Air Canada’s leisure-travel brand Air Canada rouge began commercial services on July 1, 2013 with two Airbus A319s and two Boeing 767-300ERs. The carrier’s fleet of A319s was due to grow by another 10 aircraft by March 2014

Then, on June 1, Air Canada rouge will take over Air Canada’s Kelowna-Toronto route. It will offer a capacity increase of more than 40 per cent on the route compared with summer 2014, operating it with A319s.

In May, Air Canada rouge will also take over Air Canada’s Calgary-Varadero and Montréal-Varadero routes, as well as its Montréal-Martinique route.

It will operate the two Cuba services with single-class, 142-seat Airbus A319s and will operate the Montréal-Martinique service with 136-seat, two-class Airbus A319s.