Big Air Canada News

So, if you didn't know, at the moment, this video is going live. I'm actually on holiday. Yes, hopefully sitting by a beach in Australia, enjoying some downtime. So, these are pre-recorded videos and it's why you're not necessarily always seeing long-form aviation recap updates. I apologize, but I do hope it's okay. I'll be back in a few days. Air Canada continues to focus on expansion efforts. That's the focus in today's proceedings. It is directly looking towards the United States. Trans-border connectivity will always be an integral part of the operations at Air Canada, and the company plans to increase the number of destinations served in the next three years. Reporting led by The Points Guy and comments at Roots America highlight that the airline intends to add around 10 to 15 new cities to the Air Canada route map in the United States that are not currently visible. Air Canada feels that it can expand its trans-border connectivity quite significantly in the coming years, with 2028 outlined as the year when it feels all the new destinations should be part of the network. If Air Canada can increase its connectivity to the US, it feels that it will be able to enhance travel through many of its hubs to Asia and Europe, all from the United States, instead of strictly relying on, say, existing relationships with airlines that are part of the Star Alliance network. Based on comments from the airline's Vice President of Schedule and Planning, Air Canada must focus on adding dots to its route map so that it can confidently say it serves the people of Canada and many different markets, therefore meeting various demand levels. If the Canadian flag carrier is capable of doing this, well, executives believe they will be able to offer more value to their customer base, adding more customers in the future, increasing their market share to specific destinations, and therefore seeing positive upticks in their overall revenue, general finances, load factors, passengers carried, and more. The beauty of Sixth Freedom flights, as they are known, allows Air Canada to leverage its presence in the United States to facilitate onward connectivity to international destinations, which remains another avenue of focus. International expansion has long been on the radar for Air Canada, just as much as its trans-border offering, however, the latter is typically easier to get up and running. There have been challenges in making international route expansion possible. Say, look at your delays in acquiring next-gen widebodies such as the 787s and other single-aisle jets that have postponed attempts to reach markets around the world, such as my home of Melbourne, Australia, which was once previously on the Air Canada map, but was removed in time for the global pandemic and has yet to return. I'm my many run-ins with the flag carrier, and some absolute horror stories involving 10-hour road trips across Canada, last-minute cancelled flights, sleeping on the floor in airports, and a lack of compensation. I could be here for hours, but still, I personally want that Air Canada service it back. Many of these airlines face the exact same complication. They have demand, they have routes they want to launch, but they don't necessarily have the capability to do so, and that is often through aircraft limitations. Many international destinations have been listed on the airline's future network map through Investor, PowerPoints, and more, but have yet to come to fruition. Across 2025, yes, Air Canada is expected to commence service to several new airports around the world that will form part of its new network as it focuses on emerging and also existing markets where it believes demand can be captured, but ultimately, there is more, and as airline executives for route and planning have highlighted, aircraft delivery delays from Airbus and Boeing have significantly affected growth plans and postponed a lot of service resumptions and new routes from getting underway. Current estimates show the airline can grow its schedule by around 5% yearly, but if new aircraft on order cannot arrive on time, those growth estimates may be adjusted just as much as if supply chain issues were to say even themselves out, well, then we would see growth probably exceed the 5%. Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments. Are there any international routes you'd like to see Air Canada begin service to? And on top of that, if we're focusing strictly on trans-border connectivity, what city pairings that are not currently served do you believe should be? And as always, I appreciate the patience, and actually, you guys are the sole reason why I'm even able to take a couple days off, which is a rare thing, so I apologize, but I do look forward to being firmly back and covering the developments in the next couple of days.