Tag Archives: Air Canada rouge

Air Canada rouge to operate seasonal Vancouver – Dublin flights next summer

Air Canada (Montreal) has announced a further, strategic expansion of its Vancouver hub with the addition of the only nonstop flights to Dublin, Ireland next summer. This new seasonal route follows the recent announcement of several enhancements at the airline’s Vancouver hub for 2016, including new transborder services to Chicago, San Jose and San Diego, double daily flights to London Heathrow, and the only flights linking Canada to Brisbane, Australia. The Vancouver-Dublin flights will be operated three times weekly by Air Canada’s leisure airline, Air Canada rouge, with Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft beginning June 10, 2016.

This year to date, Air Canada has launched new international services from Montreal-Venice, Montreal-Mexico City, Toronto-Amsterdam, Toronto-Dubai, Toronto-Delhi and Vancouver-Osaka.

Next summer, Air Canada will be launching new international services from Montreal-Casablanca, Montreal-Lyon, Toronto-Prague, Toronto-Budapest, Toronto-Glasgow, Toronto-London Gatwick, Toronto-Warsaw, Toronto-Seoul, Vancouver-Brisbane and Vancouver-Dublin.

Copyright Photo: Chris Sands/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-333 ER C-FMWV (msn 25586) lands at Vancouver International Airport.

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Air Canada announces a major expansion to 12 U.S. destinations

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Canada/Airlines-Canada/i-C4gNdk6

Air Canada (Montreal) announced today new nonstop services between 12 U.S. cities and its four key Canadian hubs beginning next summer. The new transborder routes will introduce new destinations, such as Washington-Dulles-Toronto, Salt Lake City-Toronto and San Jose-Vancouver, while also creating new city-pair routings, such as Chicago-Vancouver, Houston-Montreal, Denver-Montreal and San Francisco-Calgary.

The new routes announced today will be operated by Air Canada mainline, Air Canada rouge and Air Canada Express aircraft. All routes will operate year-round except where indicated by (*).

Air Canada 11.2015 New Routes

1 Flight operated by Air Canada Express; 2 Flight operated by Air Canada rouge.

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Air Canada announces new rouge European destinations + Casablanca

Air Canada (Montreal) has 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, nonstop 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 (Toronto), Air Canada’s leisure carrier. All flights will be flown using a 280-seat Boeing 767-300 ER 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 nonstop 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 September 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 October 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 October 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 September 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 September 30, 2016 .

Since 2009, Air Canada has increased its system-wide international capacity, measured by seats, by approximately 50 percent. 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 nonstop 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 aircraft slide show:

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Air Canada rouge to introduce the Airbus A321 on December 16

Air Canada rouge (subsidiary of Air Canada) (Toronto) will soon be receiving five Airbus A321s from parent Air Canada (Montreal).

The leisure brand is planning to introduce the new type on December 16 on the Montreal (Trudeau) – Las Vegas route followed by Montreal (Trudeau) – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood service two days later per Airline Route.

Rouge will also introduce the A321 from Toronto (Pearson) on January 14, 2016 with flights to Punta Cana and Tampa, followed by Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Sarasota/Bradenton, Varadero and Phoenix.

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Air Canada sets new records for daily passengers

Air Canada (Montreal) said it achieved a single-day record for passengers carried on July 30 and it expected to surpass its record again yesterday as Canadians take to the skies for the August holiday long weekend. On July 30 Air Canada welcomed an estimated 141,000 customers on board its aircraft, and the July 31 forecasted bookings indicated that number was expected to grow to approximately 150,000.

Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Canada’s leisure unit, Air Canada rouge Boeing 767-333 ER C-FMWQ (msn 25584) arrives in Las Vegas.

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Air Canada to transfer more winter routes to rouge

Air Canada (Montreal) is planning to transfer additional routes to its leisure subsidiary Air Canada rouge (Toronto-Pearson) (YYZ) for the upcoming winter season. According to Airline Route, the carrier will transfer or start the following routes:

Toronto – Sarasota/Bradenton (A319) (October 24)

Toronto – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood (A319 and 767-300) (October 25)

Toronto – Panama City (767-300) (October 25)

Montreal – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood (A319 and 767-300) (December 16)

Vancouver – Kona, Hawaii (767-300) (December 19)

Montreal – Tampa (A319) (January 15, 2016)

Montreal – West Palm Beach (A319) (January 15)

Montreal – Nassau (A319) (January 17)

Toronto – Barbados (767-300) (January 7)

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Not operating under the rouge brand, Air Canada’s Boeing 767-3Q8 ER C-FJZK (msn 29386) waits for the next assignment at the YYZ base.

Air Canada slide show:

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Air Canada rouge to start Vancouver – Cancun flights

Air Canada rouge (Toronto-Pearson) will start weekly Boeing 767-300 ER service between Vancouver and Cancun on February 15, 2016 for the winter season per Airline Route.

In other news, Air Canada will make the Calgary – Portland, OR a year-round service.

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Canada celebrates Canada Day and Air Canada rouge celebrates its second anniversary

Air Canada (Montreal) today on Canada Day (July 1) issued this update statement on its Air Canada rouge (Toronto) brand and division:

Today Air Canada rouge welcomes customers celebrating Canada Day onboard its flights as the airline celebrates its second year in the skies creating a memorable travel experience for customers.

“As an integral component of Air Canada’s strategy for sustained profitability, Air Canada rouge continues to grow and successfully expand our market reach,” said Benjamin Smith , President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. “Air Canada rouge is deployed on routes with high leisure travel demand at a competitive cost structure.”

By the numbers

Air Canada rouge began operations on July 1, 2013 with a start-up fleet of two Airbus A319 aircraft and two Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft on 14 routes from Toronto (Pearson) and Montreal (Trudeau) to the Caribbean and Europe . The airline operated 5 flights with 775 customers on the first day of operations.

This year’s Canada Day will see Air Canada rouge operate 101 flights and carry more than 15,000 customers. In the last two years, Air Canada rouge has flown over 4.5 million customers to destinations around the world. Air Canada rouge now operates a total of 33 aircraft including 20 Airbus A319 and 13 Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft on 67 routes from Toronto , Montreal , Calgary and Vancouver to 49 destinations in Europe , Mexico , the U.S., the Caribbean , Asia , South America and Canada .

Investing in the customer experience

Air Canada rouge has also completed the conversion of its Premium rouge cabin on the Airbus A319, from 3×3 seating configuration with a blocked middle seat to two side-by-side larger seats in a 2×2 configuration. An additional 30 per cent of carry-on space on the A319 fleet will be available starting this summer thanks to the installation of new overhead bin doors which allow carry-on items to be stowed more efficiently. Upgrades to the hardware and content offering on the in-flight entertainment system have been made across the Air Canada rouge fleet.

“Air Canada rouge continues to evolve its product, our brand and our customer experience to ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our customers,” said Michael Friisdahl , President and CEO, Air Canada Leisure Group. “It is our responsiveness to customer feedback and to the dynamics and trends of our industry that have helped us create a truly market-leading leisure travel experience.”

Route Map. Rouge has continued to announce new routes since this now outdated 2014 route map:

Air Canada rouge fun facts at two years:

Over 60,000 signature buttons such as “Happy Birthday!” and “First Flight!” distributed to customers celebrating special occasions onboard

Over 2,500 children’s faces painted with onboard face painting kits

About 3,400 puppets created from air sickness bags (that we know of)

Nearly 1,500 pairs of custom Fluevog shoes distributed to rouge crew (flight attendants)

All images by Air Canada.

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Happy National Birthday to all of our Canadian readers.

Air Canada rouge launches Toronto – Abbotsford flights

Air Canada rouge (Toronto) flight AC1979 touched down at the Abbotsford International Airport yesterday morning (June 27), marking the start of new nonstop seasonal service from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Returning home as the captain for this inaugural flight was Captain James Jeffrey Martin , who grew up in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and completed his aviation education and training in Abbotsford . Celebrations were held at both airports and in the community to inaugurate the daily service.

Service between Toronto and Abbotsford will be operated daily by Air Canada rouge to October 12, 2015 with 136-seat Airbus A319 aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins.

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:

Air Canada rouge is coming to London Gatwick, Air Canada will also add Lyon, France

Air Canada (Montreal) today further expanded its global network with the announcement of new nonstop services to Lyon, France and London’s Gatwick Airport beginning in the summer of 2016.

Air Canada rouge (Toronto) will operate the seasonal service between Toronto (Pearson) and London’s Gatwick Airport which will complement AC’s extensive operation at London Heathrow Airport.

Air Canada service between Montreal (Trudeau) and Lyon will begin on June 16, 2016 and operate up to five-times weekly with an Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 37 International Business Class lie-flat suites and 228 Economy class seats.

Air Canada rouge’s summer seasonal service betweenToronto and London-Gatwick will begin on May 19, 2016 and operate up to seven-times weekly with a Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft with 24 Premium rouge seats and 256 rouge seats.

In other news, Air Canada received confirmation by Unifor, representing the airline’s approximately 4,000 Customer Service and Sales Agents, that its members have ratified an agreement on a new collective agreement for five years.

The agreement has also been approved by the Air Canada Board of Directors.

Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Canada will bring its leisure rouge brand to Gatwick Airport. Air Canada rouge Boeing 767-33A ER C-GHPN (msn 33424) departs from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL).

Air Canada aircraft slide show:

Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show: