Air Canada has announced that its Air Canada Rouge service currently operating between Dublin and Toronto will change to an Air Canada mainline operation from winter 2017. Flights AC843 Dublin-Toronto Pearson and AC842 Toronto Pearson-Dublin are available for sale now for travel from the end of October.
According to the company, the new product better reflects the growing number of corporate as well as leisure travellers using the route. The year-round schedule will operate a minimum of three flights per week and rise to at least daily when demand increases in peak seasons.
Air Canada will operate the new product using its 292-seat, wide-body A330-300 series, with the first Dublin departure on Monday 30th October. The aircraft interior features three cabins with 27 Business Class seats in a 1x1x1 pod layout, each with aisle access in the front cabin, and 21 Premium Economy Class and 244 Economy Class seats in the middle and rear cabins.
Business Class features include a fully lie-flat seat to a length of 191cm (6’3”), with lumbar support and massage function; a 30cm touch screen television with noise cancelling headphones; gourmet cuisine from Air Canada’s culinary partner Chef Hawksworth, and fine wine selections from Canadian sommelier Véronique Rivest.
“I am delighted that we will be flying our Air Canada three-class service operation out of Dublin from October,” said Bláithín O’Donnell, Sales Manager Ireland. “We have seen a significant uplift in corporate travel in recent times, and with the signing of the Canada Europe Trade Agreement (CETA) earlier this year, this offering will be of particular interest to business travellers as Irish and Canadian companies seek to identify and exploit new opportunities in each other’s markets.
“As 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Canada and the 80th birthday of Air Canada, it is wholly appropriate that this investment should happen now to demonstrate our commitment to the Irish market and further strengthen our position as a global, customer-focused organisation with a truly Canadian spirit, flying to more than 200 destinations on six continents.”
For the peak summer 2017 season, Air Canada has 14 departures a week to Canada, 11 to Toronto and three to Vancouver, all operated by Air Canada Rouge, the airline’s leisure brand. The Vancouver summer route returned two weeks early this year on 27th May, following its successful inauguration last year.
Air Canada has achieved the Skytrax 4-star rating.
Air Canada customers arriving at the airline’s Toronto hub, Toronto Pearson International Airport, can connect with Air Canada flights to destinations across Canada, the USA and throughout the Americas.
