TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – Air Canada customers travelling between the U.S. and Europe or Asia via the airline’s Toronto Pearson global hub will have an opportunity to pause their journey in the city for up to one week with no stopover fee. This special offer, developed with the support of Tourism Toronto, is designed to encourage U.S. originating international customers to take advantage of their connection to experience Canada’s largest and most vibrant city.
“As Air Canada’s global hub, Toronto Pearson is quickly growing in popularity as the most efficient connecting point for U.S. originating travelers to Europe or Asia. But in addition to being extremely convenient for transiting international travelers, Toronto makes an ideal city getaway and for those who have the time, as there is a tremendous amount to see and do in one of the world’s most multicultural and vibrant cities. This is why we are pleased to offer our U.S. originating customers flying on international connections with an opportunity to stop over in Toronto for up to a week at no extra cost to their Air Canada ticket so that they can explore and enjoy its diverse attractions,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada.
“International travelers are always looking for added value and exciting destinations and this offer provides both. It’s the perfect way to spend some time exploring Toronto – for the first time or the tenth time – without any additional airfare,” said Andrew Weir, Chief Marketing Officer of Tourism Toronto.
Air Canada’s extended stopover offer is available to U.S. originating international customers connecting through Toronto while travelling from more than 50 U.S. cities to Europe or Asia and can be applied to either the outbound or inbound portion of the trip. Customers can stay up to one week in Toronto for the same price as a usual roundtrip ticket – without any additional fees for an interrupted journey. The offer is valid for flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Express or Air Canada rouge.
Canadian Aviation News
Air Canada Rouge launches new routes
Air Canada rouge’s 2016 summer season will introduce seasonal non-stop service from:
Montreal to Casablanca, the first African destination in Air Canada’s network
Toronto to Prague, Budapest, Glasgow and Warsaw, all new destinations
Seats on all these new routes are now available for purchase at a special introductory fare starting as low as CAD$869 roundtrip, all-in for travel before July 2016
MONTREAL, Sept. 9, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ – Air Canada today announced one of its most far-reaching summer schedule expansions ever with its first route to Africa and the addition of four major European cities to its global network. The new Air Canada rouge service to Casablanca, Morocco, means Air Canada will be one of only a dozen airlines in the world that serve six continents.
“Air Canada is solidifying its position among leading global carriers by becoming one of only a dozen airlines flying to six continents with today’s announcement of non-stop service to Casablanca, our first destination in Africa. Our Montreal-Casablanca flight will also be the only service to North Africa by a North American carrier and our aim is to transform this new route into a year-round operation. Our new, non-stop Air Canada rouge routes to Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, and Glasgow from Toronto Pearson are equally important as we continue to build out our network from our global gateway hub with more international destinations. The European services will be complemented by our Star Alliance partners, giving customers an even wider choice of travel options,” said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.
All the new services will be operated by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada’s leisure carrier. All flights will be flown using a 280-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Customers will have the ability to collect and redeem Aeroplan miles. Seats are now available for purchase. To promote these new non-stop routes, Air Canada is offering a special introductory fare starting as low as CAD$869 roundtrip, all-in for travel before July 2016.
Route Details:
Toronto-Prague: service begins May 29, 2016 with flight AC1922 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 16:55 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Prague at 7:20 the next day. Return flight AC1923 departs Prague at 9:30 and arrives in Toronto 12:40 on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Service ends for the season on Sept. 29, 2016.
Montreal-Casablanca: service begins June 3, 2016 with flight AC1936 and operates four times weekly, subject to obtaining the necessary government approvals. Departs Montreal at 21:40 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Casablanca at 10:00 the next day. Return flight AC1937 departs Casablanca at 11:55 and arrives in Montreal at 14:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Service ends for the season on Oct. 17, 2016.
Toronto-Budapest: service begins June 10, 2016 with flight AC1910 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 22:35 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, arriving in Budapest 13:35 the next day. Return flight AC1911 departs Budapest at 15:05 and arrives in Toronto at 18:45 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Service ends for the season on Oct. 15, 2016.
Toronto-Glasgow: service begins June 13, 2016 with flight AC1938 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 18:55 on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, arriving in Glasgow at 6:40 the next day. Return flight AC1939 departs Glasgow at 8:25 and arrives in Toronto 10:50 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Service ends for the season on Sept. 25, 2016.
Toronto-Warsaw: service begins June 16, 2016 with flight AC1926 and operates three times weekly. Departs Toronto at 18:30 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, arriving in Warsaw at 9:30 the next day. Return flight AC1927 departs Warsaw at 11:00 and arrives Toronto 14:50 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Service ends for the season on Sept. 30, 2016.
Since 2009, Air Canada has increased its system-wide international capacity, measured by seats, by approximately 50 per cent. This year, Air Canada launched new international services from Montreal to Venice and Mexico, Vancouver to Osaka, and Toronto to Amsterdam. In November, the airline will launch non-stop service to Dubai and Delhi from Toronto and it has also announced new service beginning in 2016 to Brisbane from Vancouver, to Lyon from Montreal, and to London-Gatwick from Toronto.
Air Canada
Air Transat launches YYZ-ZAG flight
Canadian leisure airline Air Transat will launch one weekly seasonal flights between Toronto and Zagreb next summer season, commencing on June 14, 2016. The news comes just several days after SkyGreece Airlines suspended the same route following financial problems. The Canadian airline will operate flights to the Croatian capital with a 345-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Debbie Cabana, Air Transat’s Marketing Director, told EX-YU Aviation News that the airline will officially announce its new service to Zagreb in the coming days when it will put tickets on sale through its website. However, tickets can already be purchased through other booking engines. Air Transat’s Toronto – Zagreb service will have a similar schedule to that of SkyGreece and will operate on the same days, departing Canada’s largest city each Tuesday and performing its return service on Wednesday.
Air Transat is Canada’s leading leisure airline. It carries some three million passengers annually to nearly sixty destinations in thirty countries aboard its fleet of Boeing narrow-body and Airbus wide-body jets. The company employs some 2.000 people. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T., an integrated international tour operator with more than sixty destinations in over fifty countries. Air Transat was named the Best North American Leisure Airline at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, held in June 2015, for a fourth year in a row. A holiday travel specialist, Transat operates mainly in Canada and Europe, as well as in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Mediterranean Basin.
Air Transat’s A330-200 jet, which will be used on services to Zagreb, features a two cabin layout, with twelve seats in business class (Club Class) and a further 333 in economy. The airline rolled out a new interior in 2012, offering a 2-2-2 layout in Club Class and 3-3-3 seating in economy. Furthermore, all seats feature personal entertainment systems with a selection of movies, TV programs and music, as well as in-built USB ports for recharging tablets, cell phones and other devices and additional ports in Club Class for recharging laptops. In January, Zagreb Airport said it was in discussion with two airlines to launch flights from Toronto. In 2014 some 80.000 Canadians holidayed in Croatia, an increase of 19% compared to the year before. It is expected Air Transat’s new service will be used by both holidaymakers and those visiting family and friends in Croatia and vice versa.
EX-YU Aviation News
Photo © Jan Jasinski