Air Canada Rouge has restarted operations after a seven-month hiatus, flying an initial three routes from Toronto Pearson (YYZ).
Services have now restarted to Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO) in the US, as well as Regina (YQR) in Canada’s Saskatchewan province.
The flights are the first to be operated by the leisure carrier since February 2021, when the Canadian government requested that airlines suspend flights to the Caribbean and Mexico.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we anticipate increased demand for vacation travel and from customers flying to enjoy overdue visits with family and friends,” said Jon Turner, president of Rouge operations at Air Canada. “Air Canada’s leisure airline is ideally suited to serve this market.”
Air Canada Rouge’s return to the skies coincides with Canada reopening its borders on Sept. 7 to fully vaccinated foreign citizens for non-essential travel. Under the new measures, travelers arriving in the country must show proof of vaccination status and provide a negative COVID-19 test result.
According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, Air Canada Rouge will resume two more destinations in September, flying to Cancun (CUN) and Tampa (TPA) from Sept. 10.
A further four destinations return to the carrier’s Toronto network in October—Cayo Coco (CCC), Fort Myers (RSW), Hewanorra (UVF) and Punta Cana (PUJ)—while the airline will also fly from Montreal (YUL) to MCO, PUJ, Samana (AZS) and Varadero (VRA). All routes are onboard Airbus A319, A320 or A321 narrowbodies.
As well as resuming service, Air Canada Rouge has also showcased the refurbished cabins of nine A321s. The aircraft, which will re-enter service over the coming weeks, feature leather seats, a 30-in. pitch in economy, and upgraded entertainment options.
Photo credit: Air Canada
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