Air Canada is expanding their North American network for summer 2022 with the restoration of 41 routes and the return to 11 North American cities. The carrier is also relaunching 34 routes to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
On Tuesday (February 22, 2022), Air Canada announced a major expansion of their North American network for summer 2022 with the launch of seven new routes from three Canadian hubs, and the restoration of 41 North American routes to 11 cities. For summer 2022 the carrier will offer 90 percent of their pre-pandemic North American capacity with more seats and frequencies than any other Canadian airline. In total, Air Canada will offer service to 51 Canadian and 46 U.S. airports this summer. New U.S. service includes flights from Montreal to Atlanta and Detroit, Toronto to Salt Lake City and Vancouver to Austin. Three new Canadian routes include service between Montreal and Gander, Calgary and Fort St. John, and Vancouver and Halifax. North American services on 41 routes will be restored with 13 routes from Toronto, nine from Montreal, five from Ottawa, five from Vancouver, four from Calgary, three from Halifax and two from Edmonton.
In Tuesday’s announcment, Air Canada’s Senior Vice President – Network Planning and Revenue Management, Mark Galardo, said,
“Canadians are ready to travel, and we're excited to be offering a very significant growth in our schedule this summer. With our recovery accelerating and North American flying reaching 90% of pre-pandemic levels this summer, we are offering more options across the continent, including seven new city pairs from our Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver hubs, and the resumption of 41 suspended or previously announced new routes. These changes will also grow and cement our position as the leading carrier of choice in the transborder market, with the most non-stop flying between Canada and the U.S. and as the foreign carrier with the most service to the U.S. Moreover, our revitalized North American network, designed to connect easily with our global network, gives customers by far the widest choice of routings and destinations of any Canadian carrier this summer.”
“To match our unrivalled network, we are also enhancing our award-winning airport and onboard services. All 23 of our Maple Leaf Lounges are now open, with new features such as ordering from your seat for safety and greater convenience, and we have introduced a range of touchless airport services that make the check-in and boarding process more convenient. Customers can also benefit from our transformed Aeroplan program, which offers members greater value and flexibility when redeeming reward travel. And, of course, all customers will enjoy Air Canada's industry leading customer service, recognized at the most recent Skytrax World Airline Awards, where our people won for Best Airline Employees in Canada and in North America.”
In a separate press release on Tuesday (February 22, 2022), Air Canada announced an expansion of their international schedule for summer 2022 with the relaunch of 34 routes to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Starting next month, the carrier will resume service from Toronto to Tel Aviv, Paris, Tokyo and Amsterdam, from Montreal to Casablanca, Nice, Algiers, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and from Vancouver to Frankfurt, Dublin and Zurich. Air Canada is also relaunching flights to popular European tourist destinations including Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen, Madrid, Milan and Venice.
In today’s international route announcment, Air Canada’s Senior Vice President – Network Planning and Revenue Management, Mark Galardo, said,
“This is very exciting news for our customers especially now that Omicron is behind us, countries are reopening and border measures are being eased around the world for fully vaccinated travellers. Air Canada's recovery is well underway and gaining strength, and we are pleased to expand our international network across four continents as we respond to pent-up demand. Our vast and growing network has been built to conveniently increase connectivity to and from global destinations through our Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver hubs Combined with the networks of our Joint Venture and Star Alliance partners, we can offer customers easy access to virtually any destination in the world. As the leading carrier in Canada, we are committed to rebuild the travel and tourism industry. We are continually exploring new opportunities to make your travel experience memorable. You can start planning your next trip and book with confidence as we look forward to welcoming you onboard.”
Air Canada’s international flights will be operated with a fleet of Boeing 777, 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330-300 aircraft featuring Signature, Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins, as well as 737 MAX aircraft with Premium Economy and Economy cabins. International onboard service showcases the best of Canadian culinary talent with Air Canada’s panel of celebrity chefs including Vancouver-based chefs David Hawksworth and Vikram Vij, and renowned Montreal chefs Antonio Park and Jérôme Ferrer. Additionally, a selection of top wines will be chosen by leading Canadian sommelier, Véronique Rivest.
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline. The Canadian flag carrier is a founding member of the Star Alliance and the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. For the last two years Air Canada was also named Global Traveler’s ‘Best Airline in North America.’ Additionally, Air Canada has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050.
Source: Air Canada/CNW Telbec