Air Canada Expands its Leisure offering for Winter 2011/2012

Posted 20/07/2011

Air Canada is to open at least seven new seasonal routes to Mexico and the Caribbean this winter, according to the latest changes to its planned schedules for the 2011/2012 season.  The information has already been uploaded to the GDS but as is always the case, it remains subject to change until the carrier formally announces its operational plans.  The additional flights, which are outlined below and will commence from the week beginning December 18 unless stated, are all planned to operate on a weekly basis until the middle of April and include links from five different Canadian cities.

There will be two new routes to Mexico, including a link between Edmonton and Cozumel, a destination already served during the summer months from Montreal.  Air Canada will use a Boeing 767-300ER on the service from December 22.  The second new route will be between Montreal and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero on the Costa Grande Pacific Coast.  This flight will be operated by an Airbus A319.

Elsewhere, a new link will be introduced between Halifax and Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a location ranked as offering the best destination beaches in a survey by Trip Advisor earlier this year.  Air Canada carried around 23,000 O&D passengers to Providenciales in the past year, with the largest traffic flows being from Toronto (65 per cent), Montreal (15 per cent) and Ottawa (9 per cent).  This route is due to start on February 16 and will likely only operate for a six to eight week schedule.

From Ottawa a new Embraer 190 rotation will be provided to Holguin to cater for increasing demand for the developing tourist offerings in this region of Cuba.  Around 22,000 O&D passengers flew with Air Canada to the destination in the past year with traffic flying on links from Montreal (54 per cent) and Toronto (29 per cent).

At Toronto three new routes are planned, including the only non-stop commercial flight from Canada to the Caribbean island of St Kitts, making the destination and its sister island Nevis, a more viable winter destination choice for travellers from North America.  There is a good demand for a direct service as already an estimated 8,000 O&D passengers make the journey every year, the majority flying with American Airlines via Miami International.  The other new connections include Curacao and a triangle route to St Thomas and San Juan. 

Schedule:

Edmonton – Cozumel
AC1758 YEG0815 – 1450CZM 763 4
AC1759 CZM1605 – 2115YEG 763 4

Halifax – Providenciales
AC1790 YHZ1345 – 1730PLS 319 4
AC1791 PLS1830 – 2357YHZ 319 4

Montreal – Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo
AC1786 YUL0650 – 1150ZIH 319 5
AC1787 ZIH1250 – 1905YUL 319 5

Ottawa – Holguin
AC1770 YOW1555 – 2000HOG E90 6
AC1771 HOG2100 – 0055+1YOW E90 6

Toronto – St Kitts
AC1778 YYZ0840 – 1440SKB 319 5
AC1779 SKB1540 – 2000YYZ 319 5

Toronto – St. Thomas – San Juan – Toronto
AC1796 YYZ0830 – 1415STT 319 6
AC1797 STT1515 – 1555SJU1635 – 2030YYZ 319 6

Toronto – Curacao
AC1792 YYZ1005 – 1620CUR 319 6
AC1793 CUR1720 – 2140YYZ 319 6

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