Air Canada Adds Transborder Routes To United Hubs

Air Canada is launching new transborder routes to United Airlines’ hubs at New York Newark (EWR) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) as the Star Alliance members continue to deepen ties.

Service from Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) to Newark and from Vancouver (YVR) to Houston will start on Dec. 16, with both routes operating daily. Halifax-Newark flights will use Air Canada Express Dash 8-400s, while Vancouver-Houston will use Air Canada Airbus A220s.

“With these new routes from Halifax and Vancouver, Air Canada is meeting demand in these important markets and building on our strengthened transborder partnership with United Airlines to solidify our leadership in the Canada-US market," Air Canada SVP network planning and revenue management Mark Galardo said.

According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, United currently operates Vancouver-Houston daily using Boeing 737-9 aircraft. The route resumed in June for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, operating seasonally until the end of October. The latest schedules show it will return for the summer 2023 season.

United also operated Halifax-Newark before the COVID-19 crisis but flights remain absent from its schedule. Air Canada will therefore be the sole provider of nonstop YHZ-EWR service.

Galardo said the Halifax-Newark route would “reinforce the already strong links between Atlantic Canada and New York,” while Vancouver-Houston would offer passengers in Western Canada more options for reaching destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean through United’s Houston hub.

“They will also facilitate many new one-stop connections from the US onto Air Canada’s extensive domestic and global network,” Galardo added.

In July, Air Canada and United announced plans to expand their Canada-US transborder partnership, deepening cooperation and growing codesharing. The carriers have long been partners, notably as part of an antitrust-immunized transatlantic joint business agreement, but now plan to coordinate transborder networks and schedules, and share revenue on transborder flights.