Air Canada/Middle East Airlines launch codeshare flight

Air Canada and Middle East Airlines on 01JUL10 launched codeshare service. Codeshare service covers flights between Canada and Lebanon via Geneva and London Heathrow.

Air Canada is MEA’s 1st North American codesharing carrier, offering service to North America through its own “ME” code for the first time. This also gives both carrier access to each country, by-passing current restrictions on operation own service due to security concern by the US. (Air Canada also codeshares with bmi to Beirut).

Codeshare routes and flight numbers below:

Route AC Codeshare ME Operating
Geneva – Beirut AC6524 ME214
Beirut – Geneva AC6525 ME213
London Heathrow – Beirut AC6526 ME202
Beirut – London Heathrow AC6527 ME201
ME Codeshare AC Operating
Geneva – Montreal ME4551 AC831
Montreal – Geneva ME4550 AC830
London Heathrow – Calgary ME4513
ME4515 AC851
AC853
Calgary – London Heathrow ME4512
ME4514 AC850
AC852
London Heathrow – Edmonton ME4501 AC899
Edmonton – London Heathrow ME4500 AC898
London Heathrow – Halifax ME4503 AC861
Halifax – London Heathrow ME4502 AC860
London Heathrow – Montreal ME4507 AC865
Montreal – London Heathrow ME4506 AC864
London Heathrow – Ottawa ME4505 AC889
Ottawa – London Heathrow ME4504 AC888
London Heathrow – Toronto ME4521 AC849
Toronto – London Heathrow ME4522 AC858
London Heathrow – Vancouver ME4509
ME4511 AC855
AC897
Vancouver – London Heathrow ME4508
ME4510 AC854
AC896

Source: Airline Route Updates by jimyvr

I don't recall AC & MEA announcing a codeshare deal. When was that deal announced?

I wonder if AC will begin courting MEA to Star....

MEA was supposed to join SkyTeam a few years ago under AF's sponsorship but that hasn't happened yet. MEA has really stepped up their game - all new Airbus aircraft, probably one of the best inflight services available out there.

It's too bad that Canadian and US governments won't let them fly to Montreal....would really open up a world of opportunities for them and AC in terms of codeshare.

I don't think the Canadian government have a problem with a non-stop flight to BEY, I think it is the US government that is against it, just like what happend in 2003 for AC YULBEY summer flight.

I'm not quite sure if these concerns are reasonable or not, but the influence of Hizbollah on the airport operation in BEY is widely rumored.

A certain Canadian minister announced something at something, and............

Yes, I am speaking in code. (And I am not making this up.)

No.

The Americans have nothing to do with allowing or not allowing a foreign carrier to fly to Canada. Last time I checked, Canada was a soverign nation.

If Canada was so sovereign, it wouldn't have waited days, if not hours (excuse my memory) before the first of AC's YUL-BEY flights to be cancelled a few years back. That had American pressure written all over it. This is pretty well known...

The deal wasn't really announced. Sometimes a codeshare deal can go into effect without any major announcement.

AC/MEA applied for codeshare with Canadian Transport Agency back in May or June, I think.

Ah, politics. I thought I smelled something...