Air Canada Express Takes Flight

Air Canada resumed service at the City Airport in downtown Toronto on May 1, providing customers with additional options for flying Canada's busiest air corridor between Toronto and Montreal. The flights are being operated under the newly established Air Canada Express brand and are being flown using Bombardier Dash 8-Q400s of partner carrier Sky Regional Airlines.

Air Canada is providing up to 15 daily non-stop return flights between Toronto Island's Billy Bishop Airport and Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. As the table below shows it already operates almost 150 weekly flights between Toronto and Montreal from Lester B Pearson International but is now competing directly with Porter Airlines from the downtown airport, the latter flying over 120 weekly services, also using Q400s. An estimated 380,000 O&D passengers travelled between Toronto City and Montreal Trudeau in 2010, with Air Canada carrying around 985,000 on its own flights from Toronto's main airport.

Ben Smith, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer, Air Canada, believes the new services, which will boost capacity between the two cities by 18.9 per cent, will work effectively alongside the airline’s existing flights to Montreal and that there is no immediate plans to reduce capacity from Person International Airport.

"Air Canada's return to the Toronto Island airport has been much anticipated as it will give customers even more options for flying to and from the heart of Canada's largest city and its financial and entertainment capital,” he said. “Our inaugural City Airport route to Montreal will complement our existing Rapidair service between Montreal and Pearson International Airport.”

These flights mark the launch of the new Air Canada Express name, which will be applied to all Air Canada regional services under a capacity purchase agreement. The new livery and branding will be gradually adopted by Air Canada's regional airline Jazz over a five-year period, starting with the introduction of their fleet of new Q400 turboprops from June 1, while other regional carriers, including Central Mountain Air, Air Georgian and EVAS, will transition to the new livery over their regular aircraft paint schedule, says Air Canada.

“This change does not impact our regional operations, but having a single, readily recognisable brand such as Air Canada Express for all our regional services will make it easy for customers, who can book flights assured of a consistently high-quality travel experience,” added Ben Smith. “This initiative is also in line with industry standards with respect to the relationship of mainline and regional carriers around the world.”