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Air Canada is betting big on Summer season: Will serve 50 Canadian Airports

Air Canada is betting big on the peak Summer season beginning at the end of June as it looks to support Canada’s tourism and hospitality businesses during the important summer period and advance the country’s economic recovery. Three new domestic Canada routes, service to 50 Canadian airports, the re-establishment of select regional routes, and wide-body aircraft featuring Air Canada Signature Class and Premium Economy Class on select transcontinental routes are included.

Three new routes

The Canadian flag carrier has announced 3 new routes from Montréal, Québec with all of them starting over the course of Summer.

Starting 26th June 2021, Air Canada will fly between Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Kelowna International Airport using a Airbus A220-300 featuring 12 business class seats and 125 standard economy class seats. The schedule for this flight is:

  • Kelowna-Montréal
  • Departure time: 10:00
  • Arrival time: 17:22
  • Flight time: 4 hours and 22 minutes
  • Flight number: AC364
  • Frequency: Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays. This will increase to 4-weekly in August.
  • Montréal-Kelowna
  • Departure time: 19:05
  • Arrival time: 21:28
  • Flight time: 5 hours and 23 minutes
  • Flight number: AC365
  • Frequency: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This will increase to 4-weekly in August.

As of 1st July 2021, the airline will fly daily between Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Deer Lake Regional Airport using a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. The schedule for this flight is:

  • Montréal-Deer Lake
  • Departure time: 13:15
  • Arrival time: 16:45
  • Flight time: 2 hours
  • Flight number: AC8886
  • Frequency: Daily
  • Deer Lake-Montréal
  • Departure time: 17:30
  • Arrival time: 18:15
  • Flight time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
  • Flight number: AC8887
  • Frequency: Daily

From 1st August 2021, Air Canada will fly daily between Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport using a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. The flight schedule is:

  • Montréal-Saskatoon
  • Departure time: 08:00
  • Arrival time: 09:50
  • Flight time: 3 hours and 50 minutes
  • Flight number: AC8721
  • Frequency: Daily
  • Saskatoon-Montréal
  • Departure time: 12:05
  • Arrival time: 17:25
  • Flight time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
  • Flight number: AC8722
  • Frequency: Daily

Resumption of flights

Along with new routes, Air Canada is also resuming various domestic flights. These, along with their resumption dates and frequency, are:

From Gander:

  • Halifax – 29th June – 3-weekly
  • Toronto – 2nd July – 5-weekly

From St. John’s:

  • Toronto – 19th June – Daily

From Goose Bay:

  • St. John’s – 29th June – 3-weekly

From Deer Lake:

  • Halifax – 1st August – 5-weekly

From Halifax:

  • Calgary – 1st August – 5-weekly

From Sydney (Nova Scotia):

  • Toronto – 26th June – 3-weekly
  • Montréal – 1st August – Daily

From Charlottetown:

  • Toronto – 18th June – 4-weekly

From Saint John:

  • Montréal – 30th June – 3-weekly
  • Toronto – 2nd July – 4-weekly

From Fredericton:

  • Montréal – 29th June – Daily
  • Toronto – 1st July – 5-weekly

From Bathurst:

  • Montréal – 27th June – 3-weekly

From Quebec City:

  • Toronto – 19th June – Daily

From Ottawa:

  • Calgary – 2nd July – Daily
  • Edmonton – 1st August – 2-weekly

From North Bay:

  • Toronto – 28th June – 3-weekly

From Fort McMurray:

  • Toronto – 1st July – 2-weekly

From Winnipeg:

  • Calgary – 20th June – 6-weekly
  • Montréal – 1st August – Daily

From Regina:

  • Calgary – 1st July – 5-weekly

From Saskatoon:

  • Calgary – 2nd July – 5-weekly

From Kamloops:

  • Vancouver – 29th June – 4-weekly
  • Calgary – 28th June – 4-weekly

From Comox:

  • Vancouver : 30th June – 3-weekly

From Nanaimo:

  • Toronto – 4th July – once-weekly
  • Calgary – 2nd July – 5-weekly

From Prince Rupert:

  • Vancouver – 25th June – 3-weekly

From Penticton:

  • Vancouver – 29th June – 4-weekly

From Sandspit:

  • Vancouver – 23rd June – 3-weekly

From Victoria:

  • Montréal – 19th June – 3-weekly
  • Toronto – 19th June – 4-weekly
  • Calgary – 21st June – 4-weekly

From Castlegar:

  • Vancouver – 28th June – 3-weekly

From Kelowna:

  • Toronto – 18th June – 4-weekly

From Yellowknife:

  • Calgary – 30th June – 3-weekly

Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada, said:

With Canada’s ongoing vaccine roll-out acceleration together with various provincial governments’ reopening plans that include travel, this summer is looking brighter. As customers are ready to travel, Air Canada is taking a leadership position to support our partners in Canada’s tourism and hospitality sector with service to 50 destinations from coast to coast, the re-start of regional services and new, non-stop flights. With Canada’s ongoing vaccine roll-out acceleration together with various provincial governments’ reopening plans that include travel, this summer is looking brighter. As customers are ready to travel, Air Canada is taking a leadership position to support our partners in Canada’s tourism and hospitality sector with service to 50 destinations from coast to coast, the re-start of regional services and new, non-stop flights

Air Canada is also providing connectivity to five additional regional communities through interline agreements with third party regional carriers: Wabush, Baie Comeau, Gaspe, Mont Joli, and Val d’Or.

Air Canada’s new refund policy provides customers an option for a refund to the original form of payment in instances where Air Canada cancels their flight or reschedules the departure time by more than three hours, irrespective of the reason. Air Canada passengers will also have the option of accepting an Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus. Normal fare rules will apply when customers make voluntary changes to non-affected flights.

The airline notes that this schedule may be adjusted as required based on the COVID-19 trajectory and government restrictions.

Meanwhile, Air Canada recently announced ‘COVID-tested’ flights to Italy and resumed flights to Dubai. The airline is also increasing flights to Hawaii this winter.

It’s competitor WestJet recently announced increase in frequency of flights to Hawaii and a brand-new route to Amsterdam.

Featured image by JetPhotos

What do you think of Air Canada’s summer schedule? Let me know in the comments section below.

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