Mikey Mike Mike

I'd like Halifax to London Heathrow and St John's to London Heathrow please.

Oh hang on - AC DID operate them until the MAX saga kicked in. Forcing folk from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to transit via YUL and YYZ continues 10 months on!

The 319's used to serve St John's to LHR and the 767 from Halifax before the MAX took over and downgraded the whole product on the route.

Given the ex WOW A321s, the ex SQ A330 lions, keeping on the 767s, liberal use of Rouge and Jazz, and currently Omni Air to cover for MAX capacity- these two routes currently leave two provinces without a direct link to Europe (and they're the closest) - hardly the role of a national flag carrier

So Halifax and St john's to London please

YEG USER

AFAIK the route was only suspended for a few months. I just looked up a random date in April and it's showing on aircanada.com. Too lazy to look up when it starts up again...

Sean Peever

I had hopes that they would bring it back, since it was advertised as an airport for the western Canada flight pass for over a year after the YQF route went away.

songsc

Random thoughts, any chance AC doing YYZ to smaller European cities such as MAN, DUS? From my knowledge many people travel to smaller European cities either by taking a connecting flight, either on sam eticket or on separate ticket, or use another mode of transportation. Some airlines in US, Middle East, and Asia fly to these cities. Any thoughts on why or why not AC should launch these flights?.

Some of my thoughts are:
1. The demand in J may simply not be there.
2. 787 is too big, 7M8 is the right size but currently grounded

IluvSQ

I remember flying AC DUS-YYZ. I used to fly into FRA 4 times a year, but one time my passport( and paper ticket) was stolen in FRA and I had to go to Bonn for a replacement .
It was easier to fly home from DUS than FRA. This was in the mid-1980's,when AC still had First Class on all European flights.

RatherBeInYOW

Dusseldorf and Koln/Bonn are easily accessible from FRA via high-speed train. I go to that area with some regularity, and I can think of about 10 places I'd prefer AC to fly direct to before DUS.

YXUFlyboy

It's a temporary route suspension due to the MAX then. They used to offer it and it's still listed as a common route. Should return when MAX does.

songsc

What are the 10 places you wish AC to fly before DUS?

I mentioned DUS because AC used to fly there way back then, and LH flew there till 2014 I believe.

A318neo

1. YVR-SIN or YVR-TPE-SIN or YVR-KHH-SIN
2. YVR-MEL
3. YVR-JFK

YXUFlyboy

This route exists.

CZAMFlyer

For more than three decades, a "national flag carrier" in Canada has not existed. Air Canada is a private corporation, and a shareholder/board-driven enterprise. If any given routes don't make a satisfactory profit, or if other routes make more money, there is no obligation at all for AC - or any other airline - to offer service. There are four other provinces and three territories that also lack a direct link to Europe; are we to expect that Air Canada must initiate such routes to tick off these boxes?

Sorry Maritimers, there is currently no capacity to offer nonstop service to Europe from where you live. Until (if) the Max returns, you must choose between a connecting flight or paying a rather large premium to convince AC to resume your nonstop pond hop.

It ain't personal - it's business.

respectable_man

YYZ-YHU (St-Hubert Longueuil) to avoid the traffic jam between YUL and anywhere east of YUL
YQT-YUL (only YQT-YYZ currently available either with AC or WS; Porter also does YQT-YTZ)
YYZ-YSC

sokolov

Germany is increasing departure taxes for long distance to almost CAD 100. That makes additional routes to Germany less likely.

The UK already has a high departure tax. Same same.

drvannostren

I love these threads

YVR-PTY (I'd actually prefer Copa flies this, but really I'd take either one)
YVR-BOG (selfishly, I know there's really no market for this one though)
YVR-BKK (don't think there's enough demand for that)
YVR-MNL (PR flies this daily, AC send plenty of people to partners to MNL, I always kinda wonder why they don't think they can make it work)
YVR-South Florida (FLL/MIA/MCO, I'm surprised AA doesn't run MIA as a red eye all year round from here, but I'm sure they know more than I do on the subject)

YYZ-JNB would be nice

Really I only care about YVR as I live and work here I'm selfish, sue me haha

AtlanticXpat

I too would like the return of the YYT-LHR direct flight as I'm fed up of the 15hr drag via YYZ or YUL. The consolation that the 5 trips I'll make this year across the pond will get me close to E50 as opposed to P25 isn't really enough. :-)

I don't have any illusions that AC offer YYT service out of some commitment.. It's the money honey. I've been on the direct flight enough to see when it is woefully undersold & I wasn't surprised when WJ pulled out of YYT-LGW a few years back. There simply isn't the demand for two carriers on this route, no matter how much local politicians and talking heads bloviate about the government should do something to get a direct flight to UK and one to Ireland please, to support tourism.

I do fear that the longer the route is suspended, the more chance there is that it will simply never come back. So my ask is please, when you have an aircraft that is suitable for this route, please reinstate it. Heck, bring CGTIP and CGITR (the old A319 ETOPS birds) in as Rouge, that'd be better than nothing!