Air Canada adds 5 new routes, 2 destinations in big transborder expansion


The network planners at Air Canada have been quite busy the last few weeks.

The Montreal-based carrier announced on Thursday a big expansion in transborder service that includes five new routes, two new destinations and additional frequencies on existing routes.

All of this increased service comes as the airline is gearing up for a blockbuster summer season.

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Read on for all the details.

All of Air Canada’s network changes. Blue are new routes, red are upgrades to existing routes. CIRIUM

2 new destinations

Air Canada is adding two new destinations to its network: Tulum, Mexico, and Charleston.

The former will be served once weekly on Saturdays from Montreal starting on May 4, 2024, and twice weekly on Fridays and Sundays from Toronto, beginning on May 3, 2024.

These two new routes to Tulum will be operated on a year-round basis.

Air Canada’s new flights to Charleston will kick off on March 28. The airline will offer once-daily service in the market operated by its regional affiliate, Air Canada Express.

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Adding flights to Tulum comes on the heels of the opening of the brand-new Tulum International Airport (TQO), which is poised to revolutionize how travelers arrive at this Mexican hotspot.

In the past, getting to Tulum hasn’t necessarily been easy.

One of the most common ways to get there has been to fly to Cancun and then drive to your hotel or vacation rental in Tulum. Cancun is already well served by Air Canada — the airline flies there from eight destinations across Canada — but the drive after landing hasn’t necessarily been too appealing.

Private transfers cost around $100, adding about 90 minutes or more to the overall travel journey.

Air Canada isn’t the only carrier getting excited about Tulum’s new airport. Many major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta and United, have already announced new service there, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more announcements coming down the pike.

Meanwhile, adding flights to Charleston will benefit Canadians looking for a popular East Coast destination and Charlestonians who can visit Toronto and now have access to hundreds of one-stop itineraries via Air Canada’s hub at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).

Other new routes

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Air Canada is also adding new routes to two existing U.S. gateways: Austin and St. Louis.

The carrier already flies from Austin to Toronto and Vancouver, and now it’ll add year-round, four-times-weekly service to Montreal. This service commences on May 2, 2024.

It’ll also add new summer-seasonal service from St. Louis to Montreal on May 1, 2024. This complements the airline’s existing flights from St. Louis to Toronto.

Boosting service to Austin comes as the city has seen impressive growth in air connectivity in recent years. Much of that comes from American Airlines, which recently scrapped a good chunk of its Austin routes, but even so, Austin seems to be top of mind for network planners across the continent.

That’s not too surprising given the influx of companies expanding or moving their headquarters to the city.

As for St. Louis, the additional international service will no doubt feel like a win to locals.

It comes after the city’s St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) added new transatlantic service to Frankfurt on Lufthansa last year, marking the first time the city has been connected with nonstops to Europe in nearly 20 years.

Additional flight frequencies

In addition to the new routes and destinations, the carrier is boosting its North American network with the addition of new frequencies and by resuming seasonal flights earlier.

A whopping total of 50 existing routes are getting upgraded, and you can find the full list in the table below.

“We are also very pleased to grow our North American network from coast to coast with additional frequencies in key markets including Ottawa, Calgary, Saskatoon and Regina, in regional markets, and by resuming major seasonal routes earlier. By adding scale to our Canadian hubs, we are offering more travel choices and unparalleled access to and from our worldwide network,” said Mark Galardo, executive vice president for revenue and network planning at Air Canada, in a statement.

Origin Destination Service changes
Calgary Edmonton Increases to 4 daily flights from 3 daily
Calgary Winnipeg Operating 2 daily flights with larger aircraft
Edmonton Montreal Increases to 3 daily flights from 2
Halifax St. Johns Increases to 5 daily flights from 4 daily
Halifax Vancouver Resumes May 1, up to 2 daily flights
Montreal Boston Increases to 4 daily flights from 3
Montreal Edmonton Increases to 3 daily flights from 2
Montreal Gander Resumes June 14, daily flights
Montreal Iles de La Madeleine Resumes May 17, daily flights
Montreal Las Vegas Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Montreal Minneapolis/St. Paul Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Montreal Phoenix Increases to 5 weekly flights from 3
Montreal Pittsburgh Resumes May 1, daily flights
Montreal Raleigh/Durham Resumes May 1, daily flights
Montreal San Diego Resumes May 1, daily flights
Montreal Victoria Increases to 5 weekly flights from 3
Ottawa Calgary Resumes May 1, daily flights
Ottawa Vancouver Operating 3 daily flights – including 1 flight with 787 Dreamliner
Ottawa Washington Resumes May 1, daily flights
Ottawa Winnipeg Resumes May 1, daily flights
Regina Montreal Resumes June 1, daily nonstop standalone flights from one-stop
Regina Toronto Increases to 4 daily nonstop flights from 3 daily
Saskatoon Montreal Resumes June 2, daily nonstop standalone flights from one-stop
Saskatoon Toronto Increases to 4 daily nonstop flights from 3 daily
Saskatoon Vancouver Increases to 4 daily flights from 3 daily
Toronto Gander Resumes June 1, daily flights
Toronto Kansas City Resumes June 1, daily flights
Toronto Nashville Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Toronto Nassau Increases to 6 weekly flights from 4
Toronto Phoenix Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Toronto Portland Resumes May 1, daily flights
Toronto Sacramento Resumes May 1, 5 weekly flights
Toronto Salt Lake City Resumes May 1, 4 weekly flights
Toronto Vancouver Increases to 14 daily flights from 13
Toronto Victoria Increases to 3 daily flights from 2
Vancouver Anchorage Resumes May 14, daily flights
Vancouver Austin Resumes May 1, increases 4 weekly flights from 2 weekly
Vancouver Cranbrook Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Vancouver Fort St. John Increases to 4 daily flights from 3
Vancouver Halifax Resumes May 1, 2 daily flights
Vancouver Portland Increases to 4 daily flights from 3
Vancouver Prince George Increases to 4 daily flights from 3
Vancouver Sacramento Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Vancouver San Diego Increases to 3 daily flights from 2
Vancouver Smithers Increases to 2 daily flights from 1
Vancouver Terrace Increases to 5 daily flights from 4
Vancouver Toronto Increases to 14 daily flights from 13
Vancouver Washington Dulles Increases to daily from 5 weekly
Victoria Montreal Increase to 5 weekly flights from 3
Victoria Toronto Increases to 3 daily flights from 2

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