Category Archives: Air Canada rouge

Air Canada rouge starts service to Sarasota/Bradenton

Air Canada rouge (Toronto-Pearson) yesterday (November 30) started Saturday and Sunday flights from Toronto (Pearson) to Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida. This will increase to daily flights from December 17 through to April 27, 2014.

Air Canada rouge offers convenient flight times as follows:

Saturday November 30 and December 7:

Depart Toronto 12:55 p.m. (1255) arrive Sarasota/Bradenton 3:50 p.m. (1550)
Depart Sarasota/Bradenton 4:45 p.m. (1645) arrive Toronto 7:40 p.m. (1940)

Sunday December 1 , 8 and 15 and Saturday December 14 :

Depart Toronto 2:10 p.m. (1410) arrive Sarasota/Bradenton 5:15 p.m. (1715)
Depart Sarasota/Bradenton 6:00 p.m. (1800) arrive Toronto 8:56 p.m. (2056)

Daily flights as of December 17 to April 27 :

Depart Toronto 2:10 p.m. (1410) arrive Sarasota/Bradenton 5:15 p.m. (1715)
Depart Sarasota/Bradenton 6:00 p.m. (1800) arrive Toronto 8:56 p.m. (2056)

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-114 C-FYJH (msn 672) is pictured ta the Toronto (Pearson) base.

Air Canada rouge:

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Air Canada rouge starts Orlando service today

Air Canada rouge (Toronto-Pearson) today begins year round flying between Toronto (Pearson) and Orlando, Florida with three daily departures and two more starting on December 14. By March 1, 2014 the airline will fly six times daily to/from Orlando, more than any other Canadian carrier. Customers on this route now have the option of enhanced comfort with Premium rouge service in addition to rouge and rouge Plus service on Air Canada rouge’s Airbus A319 aircraft. Premium rouge service on the A319 aircraft will also be introduced on several Air Canada rouge destinations in the US, Caribbean and Mexico to be launched in the coming months.

Air Canada rouge will also assume the Montreal-Orlando route on February 15, 2014.

Toronto-Orlando schedule:

Toronto departures to Orlando:

9:30 a.m. arrive Orlando 12:20 p.m.
5:10 p.m. arrive Orlando 8:00 p.m.
8:40 p.m. arrive Orlando 11:30 p.m.
6:30 a.m. arrive Orlando 9:23 a.m. (Dec. 14- April 30/14)
11:10 a.m. arrive Orlando 14:03 p.m. (Dec. 14- April 30/14)
6:50 p.m. arrive Orlando 9:43 p.m. (March 1-28/14)

Orlando departures to Toronto:

7:15 a.m. arrive Toronto 10.04 a.m.
1:15 p.m. arrive Toronto 4:04 p.m.
8:55 p.m. arrive Toronto 11:44 p.m.
6:00 a.m. arrive Toronto 8:49 a.m. (March 1-28/14)
10:15 a.m. arrive Toronto 1:04 p.m. (Dec. 14- April 30/14)
2:55 p.m. arrive Toronto 5:44 p.m. (Dec. 14- April 30/14)

*actual flight times may vary slightly with seasonal changes.

Air Canada rouge introduces Airbus A319 Premium rouge service

Air Canada rouge is operating newly retrofitted A319 aircraft on select routes featuring 136 seats, including the introduction of 12 Premium rouge seats in the front 3 rows of the aircraft in a separate curtained cabin. Premium rouge features a 35″ pitch with a 5″ recline, blocked middle seats for more personal space, complimentary entertainment including both free content and iPads and a premium meal and beverage service. Premium rouge customers also enjoy complimentary Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority check in, security and boarding. Premium rouge service will be offered on the following routes:

Toronto-Orlando starting today, November 25
Toronto-Sarasota, Florida, launching November 30
Toronto-Kingston, Jamaica, launching Jan.6
Toronto-San Jose, Costa Rica, launching Jan. 6
Toronto-Cancun, Mexico, launching Jan. 6
Montreal-Las Vegas, USA, launching March 1

In addition to Premium rouge, the cabin also features 6 new slimline rouge Plus seats in a 3+3 configuration directly behind the Premium rouge cabin offering more legroom; and 118 new slimline rouge seats in a 3+3 configuration. A tasty selection of meals, drinks and snacks, as well as comfort items such as pillows, blankets and headphones are available to rouge and rouge Plus customers onboard through Air Canada rouge’s Buy On Board service.

Air Canada rouge crew offer the airline’s unique warm welcome onboard. Trained in Orlando in Customer Service Excellence, they take every measure to ensure flights that are relaxed, enjoyable and are a memorable start and end to a Florida vacation. Air Canada rouge aircraft are all equipped with player, a next generation in-flight entertainment system that streams unlimited live entertainment — including movies, TV shows, kids programming, music and an About Us section — to customers’ personal electronic devices. Air Canada rouge is one of the first airlines in North America to offer streaming onboard content. player is offered at a nominal fee of $5 for rouge and rouge Plus customers for unlimited movie and TV show access; music and destination content are always complimentary. Customers are invited to bring their own fully-charged laptop or iPad, iPod or iPhone, or they can rent an iPad on board for $10.

Air Canada rouge:

Air Canada rouge to start Toronto-Las Vegas flights on October 27

Air Canada rouge (Toronto-Pearson) on October 27 launches service between Toronto (Pearson) and Las Vegas and will launch service between Montreal and Las Vegas on March 13, 2014.

Starting this Sunday, Air Canada rouge will offer ten flights a week from Toronto to Las Vegas for the winter 2013-2014 season featuring 264-seat wide-body Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft, representing a capacity increase of 13% on the route over last winter when it was operated by Air Canada. Air Canada rouge will assume the Montreal-Las Vegas route from Air Canada effective March 13, 2014 with ten flights a week. Air Canada will continue to operate service between Vancouver and Calgary to/from Las Vegas for the winter season.

Toronto-Las Vegas winter flight schedule (effective October 27, 2013):

Air Canada rouge’s service between Toronto and Las Vegas features convenient flight times that maximize travellers’ time in Las Vegas. The daily flight departs Toronto at 9:05 a.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 10:59 a.m. and departs Las Vegas at 12:15 p.m. arriving in Toronto at 7:22 p.m. The second flight, which operates on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays departs Toronto at 8:45 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 10:39 p.m. and departs Las Vegas at 11:55 p.m., arriving the next day in Toronto at 7:00 a.m.

Montreal Las Vegas winter flight schedule (effective March 13, 2014):

Air Canada rouge’s winter service between Montreal and Las Vegas also features convenient, customer-friendly flight times. The daily flight will depart Montreal at 7:40 a.m. arriving in Las Vegas at 10:28 a.m. and will depart Las Vegas at 11:15 a.m. arriving in Montreal at 7:08 p.m. The second flight, which will operate on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays departs Montreal at 7:50 p.m., arriving Las Vegas at 10:38 p.m. and departs Las Vegas at 10:20 p.m., arriving the next day in Montreal at 7:13 a.m.

Air Canada rouge will operate the Toronto-Las Vegas route with a 264-seat wide-body Boeing 767 aircraft featuring three classes of seating: Premium rouge, rouge Plus and rouge. Premium rouge has 18 seats in a 2 + 2 + 2 configuration with a 41- 42″ pitch, a 7″ inch recline. rouge Plus has 4 rows in a 2 + 3 + 2 configuration behind Premium rouge, with a 35″ pitch, up to 5″, and rouge seating has 246 seats in a 2 + 3 + 2 configuration with a 30-32″ pitch and a 6″ recline. Premium rouge customers on Air Canada rouge North American flights now earn enhanced Aeroplan Miles, have access to priority security lines and complimentary Maple Leaf Lounge access.

Air Canada rouge crew offer the airline’s unique warm welcome onboard. Trained in customer service excellence, the rouge crew take every measure to ensure that flights are relaxed, enjoyable and are part of a memorable start and end to a Las Vegas vacation.

A tasty selection of meals, drinks and snacks, as well as comfort items such as pillows, blankets and headphones, are available onboard through Air Canada rouge’s Buy On Board service.

Air Canada rouge aircraft are all equipped with player, a next generation in-flight entertainment system that streams unlimited live entertainment — including movies, TV shows, kids programming, music and an About Us section — to customers’ personal electronic devices. Air Canada rouge is one of the first airlines in North America to offer streaming onboard content. player is offered at a nominal fee of $5 for rouge and rouge Plus customers for unlimited movie and TV show access; music and destination content are always complimentary. Customers simply need to bring their own fully-charged laptop or iPad, iPod or iPhone, or they can rent an iPad on board for $10.

Air Canada rouge:

Air Canada announces a major international expansion to Europe

Air Canada (Montreal) is undertaking a major expansion of international services to Europe from Toronto (Pearson), Montreal (Trudeau), Vancouver and Calgary . The airline today announced highlights of its Summer 2014 Europe schedule, which includes the introduction of year-round nonstop service from Toronto (Pearson) to Milan (Malpensa), Italy with up to five weekly flights, offering the only nonstop service between Canada and Milan .

In addition, Air Canada will increase its year-round Toronto (Pearson) – Istanbul nonstop service to daily flights from three times weekly. The airline will expand the availability of its new international Premium Economy cabin with its introduction on Vancouver-London Heathrow flights year-round, as well as Montreal-London Heathrow flights during the peak summer travel season. Air Canada will also deploy larger aircraft from its international wide body fleet on flights from Calgary to London Heathrow and Frankfurt , as well as from Montreal to Brussels and Geneva in order to meet travel and cargo demand during the peak summer season.

As part of the Summer 2014 schedule, Air Canada’s leisure carrier subsidiary, Air Canada rouge (Toronto-Pearson), will launch seasonal nonstop flights between Toronto (Pearson) – Lisbon , Toronto (Pearson) – Manchester , Montreal (Trudeau) – Barcelona and Montreal (Trudeau) -Nice. The new routes supplement the leisure carrier’s other popular vacation destinations, including previously announced Toronto (Pearson) – Dublin year-round service.

As new Boeing 777-300 ER and 787 aircraft enter the Air Canada mainline fleet, Air Canada will continue growing Air Canada rouge to reach a total of up to 50 aircraft, as demand warrants. The growth of its leisure carrier, in tandem with the mainline fleet renewal and international network expansion, is a key element of Air Canada’s overall strategy for sustainable, profitable growth, both at the mainline and leisure carrier.

Air Canada will have taken delivery of five new Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft for the mainline fleet between June 2013 and February 2014 , and the first three of 37 Boeing 787 aircraft by the summer of 2014. Air Canada is scheduled to take delivery of six 787-8 aircraft in 2014 and the remaining 31 787-8 and -9 aircraft between 2015 and 2019.

Highlights of the Air Canada mainline Summer 2014 flight schedule:

Toronto – Milan

New year-round nonstop service starting on June 18, 2014 with up to five flights per week. Boeing 767-300 ER service featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins.

Flight #	Depart Toronto (YYZ)	Arrive Milan (MXP)	Flight #	Depart Milan (MXP)	Arrive Toronto (YYZ)
AC842	20:20	10:40 +1	AC843	12:10	15:30

Toronto – Istanbul

Year-round nonstop service increases from three times weekly to daily flights beginning June 2014 , subject to government approval. Boeing 767-300 ER service featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins.

Toronto – Rome

Aircraft upgauged from Boeing 767-300 ER to Airbus A330-300 service featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins, from May 1 – October 25, 2014 .

Montréal-London Heathrow

Aircraft upgauged from Airbus A330-300 to Boeing 777-300 ER service featuring new international Premium Economy cabin, in addition to Executive First and expanded Economy cabins, from June 15 – September 30, 2014 .

Montréal- Brussels

Aircraft upgauged from Boeing 767-300 ER to Airbus A330-300 service featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins, from March 29 – October 25, 2014 .

Montréal- Geneva

Aircraft upgauged from Boeing 767-300 ER to Airbus A330-300 service year-round featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins.

Montréal- Frankfurt

Addition of a second nonstop flight five times weekly from May 16 – October 12, 2014. The Air Canada codeshare flight will be operated by Star Alliance partner, Lufthansa, and will complement Air Canada’s daily Airbus A330-300 year-round nonstop service,

Calgary-London Heathrow

Aircraft upgauged from Airbus A330-300 to Boeing 777-300 ER service featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins, from June 1 – September 30, 2014 .

Calgary – Frankfurt

Aircraft upgauged from Airbus A330-300 to Boeing 777-300 ER service featuring choice of Air Canada Executive First and Economy cabins, from March 29 – October 25, 2014 .

Vancouver-London Heathrow

Effective March 1, 2014 , upgauged to Boeing 777-300 ER service year-round featuring new international Premium Economy cabin, in addition to Executive First and expanded Economy cabins.

Highlights of the Air Canada rouge Summer 2014 flight schedule:

Toronto – Lisbon

New three times weekly service from June 21 to September 21, 2014 , subject to government approval. Departing Toronto on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and from Lisbon on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Toronto – Manchester

New five times weekly service from June 26 to September 13 . 2014. Departing Toronto on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and from Manchester on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Montréal-Nice

New three times weekly service from June 5 to October13, 2014, subject to government approval. Departing Montréal on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from Nice on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Montréal- Barcelona

New twice weekly service from June 4 to October 11, 2014 , subject to government approval. Departing Montréal on Wednesday and Friday, and from Barcelona on Thursday and Saturday.

Toronto – Athens

Seasonal nonstop service increases from four to five weekly flights beginning June 2014 .

Toronto – Edinburgh

Seasonal nonstop service increases from three to five weekly flights beginning July 2014 .

In addition, three popular holiday travel markets currently served by Air Canada’s mainline carrier on a seasonal basis will be converted to Air Canada rouge service beginning summer 2014:

Toronto – Barcelona

Up to five times weekly service from May 8 to October 19, 2014 , subject to government approval. Departing Toronto on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and from Barcelona on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Toronto – Dublin

Year-round service beginning on May 1, 2014 .

Montréal- Rome

Up to daily service from May 23 to October 19, 2014 .

For the summer 2014 season, Air Canada rouge will continue to operate Toronto – Venice , Toronto – Edinburgh and Toronto / Montreal – Athens after their successful inaugural season in 2013.

All Air Canada rouge flights to Europe are operated with Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft featuring a two-cabin configuration with three customer comfort options including rouge, rouge Plus with preferred seating with additional legroom, and, beginning in winter 2013, Premium rouge offering both additional room and enhanced service. By the Summer 2014 season, the Air Canada rouge wide body fleet will consist of eight Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft.

Air Canada:

Air Canada rouge:

Air Canada rouge takes off on Canada Day

Air Canada rouge (Montreal), the new holiday division of Air Canada, commenced operations today. This is AC’s latest attempt to compete in the leisure market.

Copyright Photos: Air Canada. Airbus A319-112 C-GJVY (msn 1742) departed from Toronto (Pearson) this morning bound for Jamaica.

Air Canada rouge:

Video:

Air Canada to expand Air Canada rouge to 23 holiday destinations, will expand to 50 aircraft

Air Canada (Montreal) announced the growth of its leisure carrier subsidiary, Air Canada rouge, is on track to expand to a total of 23 holiday destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida and Las Vegas for its 2013-2014 winter season.

“We are delighted with the response to Air Canada rouge’s inaugural summer season as it prepares for take-off July 1st,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer, inToronto for a pre-inaugural event with employees and media. “Our plans for growing the Air Canada rouge fleet are on track to serve more holiday destination markets where we can now compete on a more cost effective basis operating our new leisure carrier, while leveraging the strength of Air Canada Vacations. Once Air Canada rouge completes its inaugural summer season to Edinburgh, Venice, Athens and a number of Caribbean destinations, its flying will expand southward for the winter to an additional 13 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and select U.S. holiday markets. I would like to commend Michael Friisdahl and his team at Air Canada rouge for overcoming the complexity and challenges of launching a new carrier in record time with professionalism and an impressive sense of purpose. I also congratulate the first Air Canada rouge inflight graduating class who we expect will set an excellent customer service standard for vacation travel.”

“As new Boeing 777-300 ER and 787 aircraft enter the Air Canada mainline fleet, we intend to continue spooling up Air Canada rouge to reach a total of up to 50 aircraft. The growth of our leisure carrier, in tandem with the mainline fleet renewal and international network expansion, is a key element of Air Canada’s overall strategy for sustainable, profitable growth, both at the mainline and leisure carrier. With a renewed, more efficient fleet combined with our award-winning product, Air Canada will be well positioned to expand its mainline global network to new, higher business-demand destinations while Air Canada rouge profitably expands Air Canada’s presence on a lower cost basis in current and future leisure markets that present new opportunities,” concluded Mr. Rovinescu.

Air Canada will take delivery of five new Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft for its mainline fleet between June 2013 and February 2014, and the first three of 37 Boeing 787 aircraft by the summer of 2014. Air Canada is scheduled to take delivery of seven 787 aircraft in 2014 and the remaining 30 between 2015 and 2019.

Air Canada rouge’s July 1 start-up fleet consisting of two Airbus A319 aircraft and two Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft will grow to ten aircraft by the end of 2013 with the addition of six Airbus A319 aircraft by December 2013, and an additional four Airbus A319 aircraft by March 2014, for a total of 14 aircraft by the end of the 2013-2014 winter season.

A number of popular holiday destinations currently served by Air Canada’s mainline carrier will be converted to Air Canada rouge service on a phased-in basis beginning October 2013 through March 2014 as additional aircraft are released by the mainline airline for operation by its leisure carrier.

Air Canada rouge will operate flights to the following popular holiday destinations for its 2013-2014 Winter Schedule. Flights are now available for purchase at aircanada.com and through travel agents:

Mexico: flights from Toronto to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta*, Cabo San Lucas* and Huatulco*, subject to government approval.

United States: flights from Toronto and Montreal to Orlando and Las Vegas, and from Toronto to Sarasota*, Florida.

Caribbean: flights from Toronto to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grenada*; St. Kitts*; Grand Exuma, Bahamas; Curacao*, Netherlands Antilles; and La Romana*, Dominican Republic. This is in addition to Air Canada rouge service commencing with its summer 2013 schedule on July 1 from Toronto year-round to 10 Caribbean and Central America destinations: Kingston, Jamaica; the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Samana), Cuba (Varadero, Cayo Coco, Holguin and Santa Clara) and Costa Rica (San Jose and Liberia).

* Seasonal services where indicated. All other routes are year-round services.

All flights will be operated using Airbus A319 aircraft, with the exception of Toronto-Las Vegas and Toronto-Montego Bay flights that will be operated with Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft.

Air Canada rouge’s Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft feature a two-cabin configuration with three customer comfort options including rouge, rouge Plus with preferred seating with additional legroom, and, beginning in winter 2013, Premium rouge offering both additional room and enhanced service. The airline’s Airbus A319 aircraft are configured with rouge and rouge Plus preferred seating. All flights will offer customers streamed wireless inflight entertainment, stylish and modern cabin interiors with innovative new seats, and the ability to earn and redeem Aeroplan miles.

Copyright Photo: Greenwing/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Canada rouge’s pilots have been performing proving flights to Dublin before the official July 1 launch. Boeing 767-33A ER C-GHPE (msn 33423) taxies at DUB.

Air Canada:

Air Canada rouge:

Expanding Route Map:

Air Canada rouge’s first newly painted Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft arrives at Mirabel airport

Air Canada rouge’s (Air Canada) first newly painted Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft touched down on Saturday morning (June 1) at Mirabel airport from Tel Aviv where it underwent an exterior transformation during a scheduled maintenance check. The plane was flown from Tel Aviv by Air Canada pilots Captain David Lywood, First Officer Kurtis Paproski and Captain John Liska (above).

After being stripped to its aluminum base, painters applied primer, two coats of white and finally used massive stencils to spray on the airline’s distinct red and burgundy branding — about 70 gallons of paint were used over nearly eight days to complete the painting. In order to maximize fuel efficiency by adding minimal weight, the least amount of paint possible is applied while achieving optimal coverage. Following a short period flying Toronto-Dublin for Air Canada in June, starting July 1 the Boeing 767-300 ER plane will fly Air Canada rouge’s three European routes between Toronto (Pearson) and Venice/Athens/Edinburgh and Montreal (Trudeau)/Athens.

The aircraft will now undergo minor interior modifications; Air Canada rouge’s aircraft will be among the first in North America equipped to offer streaming inflight entertainment to customers’ own devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc).

It joins two Air Canada rouge Airbus A319 aircraft already at Mirabel airport, which will initially fly Caribbean routes and are also undergoing interior modifications to reflect the airline’s relaxed, stylish approach to leisure travel. With this delivery Air Canada rouge now has 3 of its 4 startup aircraft, with the last painted Boeing 767-300 ER arriving at Mirabel airport early next week. Air Canada rouge introduced its new inflight crew look earlier this week and also announced that its flight crews would be taking customer service excellence training at the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida.

Copyright Photo: Air Canada. The crew of the ferry flight pose in front of Boeing 767-33A ER C-GHPE (msn 33423) at Montreal (Mirabel). C-GHPE is the first AC 767 to wear the rouge colors.

Air Canada:

Air Canada rouge unveils its uniforms

Air Canada (Montreal) has unveiled the uniforms for its new leisure airline Air Canada rouge. The airline issued this statement:

With its inaugural flight just over a month away, Air Canada rouge is taking a differentiated approach to leisure travel by focusing on customer service excellence through customized training and stylishly relaxed onboard apparel, both of which will contribute to a fresh, comfortable and vacation like environment for travellers.

Air Canada rouge flight attendants will receive customized service excellence training at the Disney Institute in Florida in addition to industry-leading safety and regulatory training from Air Canada at its Toronto and Montreal training centers. Their uniforms and overall look, unveiled today by six flight attendants-in-training, are comprised of stylishly relaxed, comfortable clothing, accessories and grooming that convey an approachable and friendly atmosphere onboard.

“Our inflight crews will embody the distinctive leisure personality that we want our customers to enjoy on Air Canada rouge,” said Michael Friisdahl, Air Canada rouge President and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re investing in the Disney Institute’s service excellence training to ensure our customers’ vacations truly start when they board our aircraft. By offering exceptional customer service, uncompromising safety, a relaxed inflight environment and a host of Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations benefits, we’re confident Air Canada rouge will soon be the leading choice for leisure travel.”

Flight attendant training and recruitment
Air Canada rouge’s first 150 flight attendants will complete this week Air Canada’s intensive safety training program and in mid-June will attend customer service excellence training at the Disney Institute at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida and at Air Canada rouge’s base in Toronto.

Air Canada rouge is accepting resumes for its next round of hiring which will begin later this summer with the next inflight class starting training in mid-August. The airline plans to train and hire, on average, 25-40 onboard flight attendants for every aircraft it takes delivery of in the next three years. Under current plans, subject to commercial demands, Air Canada rouge will have 20 B 767-300ER aircraft and 30 Airbus 319 aircraft in its fleet during the next 3 to 5 years. Air Canada rouge flight attendants are based in Toronto for operational start up and bases at other Canadian cities will be added as its network expands. Recruitment information is available at http://aircanadarouge.com/en/job_desc.html

Uniform and look: comfortably stylish to convey a warm welcome
“Our goal was to create a unique, welcoming and fashion forward look with lasting appeal that would also be practical and comfortable,” said Renee Smith-Valade, Vice President, Customer Experience. “We developed our uniform and overall look with our partners in record time – about four months — with close attention to cost and making every effort to engage with Canadian designers for an end result that reflects our relaxed, fun, holiday atmosphere onboard.”

Many partners were involved in the design, delivery and ongoing production of the new uniforms. The uniform concept was developed by Montreal’s VF Imagewear incorporating Air Canada rouge’s signature colours of burgundy and slate with bright accent colors to create a fresh, simple and relaxed style in keeping with the vacation atmosphere onboard. Signature custom elements such as Fluevog shoes, designer neckwear, luggage and L’Oreal/Redken beauty and grooming make for a distinctly on-trend and fresh Air Canada rouge look.

What’s next in Air Canada rouge’s Countdown to Takeoff?
Air Canada rouge’s next Countdown to Takeoff milestone in mid-June will be a hands-on look at the onboard experience that the airline’s customers will enjoy including cabin interiors and seating, wireless streaming inflight entertainment and menu offerings.

About Air Canada rouge
Air Canada rouge is Air Canada’s new leisure airline, part of the new Air Canada Leisure Group, along with Air Canada Vacations. Air Canada rouge will operate a fleet of Boeing 767-300ER and Airbus 319 aircraft sporting an attractive new livery and interior, designed to reflect the airline’s relaxed friendly ambience. Initially flights will operate from Toronto and Montreal to vacation spots in Europe and the Caribbean. Air Canada rouge is the only leisure airline that offers a full network of connecting flights, Aeroplan Miles with every flight as well as redemption, and Air Canada Vacations package holidays or flight-only options.

All Images: Air Canada.

Air Canada:

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Air Canada paints the first Airbus A319 for Air Canada rouge

Air Canada (Montreal) has painted and handed over its first Airbus A319 for its new low-fare division called Air Canada rouge. The company issued these photos and short statement:

Countdown to takeoff! Air Canada rouge has just taken delivery of its first Airbus 319 aircraft in its new livery at Mirabel Airport today (May 22) where it will now undergo a new interior design. Air Canada rouge will soon be leading the way in affordable, leisure travel when service starts July 1. Further details will be released on flight team training and the unveiling of new uniforms starts on May 27.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Canada. Airbus A319-112 C-GSJB (msn 1673) is the first aircraft to be painted.

Air Canada:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Air Canada. Air Canada rouge VP Operations Al Read was on hand to take delivery of the leisure airline’s first Airbus 319 in its new livery today at Mirabel Airport, where the aircraft will be fitted with its new interior.

Air Canada rouge to serve Ireland year-round starting on May 1, 2014

Air Canada (Montreal) has announced that its current seasonal service between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland will be converted to year-round service operated by its new leisure carrier, Air Canada rouge, beginning in 2014. Air Canada will operate the route this year from May 17 through to September 30, 2013 and Air Canada rouge will commence year-round service starting May 1, 2014.

“Air Canada has been serving Ireland since its predecessor, Trans-Canada Air Lines, first flew to Shannon in 1947. Today, there is a very strong market for both leisure customers and visiting friends and relatives, so this is an ideal market for our new leisure carrier, Air Canada rouge, to operate more cost effectively on a year-round basis,” said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada. “This is the fourth European destination announced for Air Canada rouge, which will begin flying this July to Edinburgh, Venice and Athens in addition to a number of Caribbean destinations. We intend to grow Air Canada rouge quickly from four aircraft to 32 aircraft by the end of 2014 and 42 aircraft by the end of 2015.”

Air Canada rouge‘s July 1 launch network also includes eleven destinations in the Caribbean. Its startup fleet consists of two Airbus A319 aircraft and two Boeing 767-300ER aircraft that will grow to ten aircraft by the end of 2013, 32 aircraft by the end of 2014 and 42 aircraft by the end of 2015.

Air Canada rouge‘s Boeing 767-300ER aircraft feature a two-cabin configuration with three customer comfort options including rouge, rouge Plus with preferred seating with additional legroom, and, beginning in winter 2013, Premium rouge offering both additional room and enhanced service. The airline’s Airbus A319 aircraft are configured with rouge and rouge Plus preferred seating.

Image: Air Canada.