It’s no secret that travel demand between Canada and the United States is down, like way down. Because of that, Canadian airlines have excess capacity and are looking to deploy it elsewhere as travel habits shift.
Air Canada Adds Four New Destinations
Today, Air Canada announced that it is launching service to four new cities as part of a thirteen route expansion by the Canadian flag carrier in Latin America.
Air Canada brands these as “Sun” routes and this winter it will operate 16% more seat capacity to Latin America when compared to 2024. Four new destinations have been announced as part of this expansion; Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Cartagena (CTG), Guatemala City (GUA), and Guadalajara (GDL).
Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, and President, Cargo at Air Canada, had this to say about the addition of four new destinations:
“Air Canada is delivering on its New Frontiers strategy with the expansion of its Latin America presence this winter. We are excited to be adding Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena, Guatemala City and Guadalajara to our global network, and increasing service to Santiago with new flights from Montreal. Our Latin America winter schedule has been built to serve both Canadian and global Sixth Freedom connecting travelers, as well as capitalize on growing cargo opportunities.”
The flights to Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Cartagena (CTG), Guatemala City (GUA), and Guadalajara (GDL) will operate on the following schedules:
| Flight | Depart | Arrive | Days of Operation | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC84 (YYZ-GIG) | 11:30p | 10:45a (+1 day) | Tue, Thu, Sat | 12/4/25-3/28/26 |
| AC85 (GIG-YYZ) | 9:30p | 7:00a (+1 day) | Wed, Fri, Sun | 12/5/25-3/29/26 |
| AC936 (YYZ-CTG) | 8:15a | 1:40p | Sat | 12/20/25-4/11/26 |
| AC937 (CTG-YYZ) | 2:40p | 8:25p | Sat | 12/20/25-4/11/26 |
| AC1388 (YUL-CTG) | 8:15a | 2:00p | Sat | 12/20/25-4/11/26 |
| AC1389 (CTG-YUL) | 3:00p | 8:25p | Sat | 12/20/25-4/11/26 |
| AC1368 (YUL-GUA) | 5:35p | 10:30p | Thu, Sat | 10/2/25-4/25/26 |
| AC1369 (GUA-YUL) | 10:50a | 4:50p | Fri, Sun | 10/3/25-4/26/26 |
| AC1360 (YYZ-GDL) | 4:45p | 9:10p | Tue, Thu, Sat | 11/4/25-4/28/26 |
| AC1361 (GDL-YYZ) | 8:30a | 2:05p | Wed, Fri, Sun | 11/5/25-4/29/26 |
Multiple Destinations See Expanded Service with Nine New Routes
In addition to the five new routes connecting four new destinations listed above, Air Canada is adding eight more routes to airports it already serves, providing travelers more options to get to the fun and sun this winter.
New routes to Santiago (SCL), Pointe-a-Pitre (PTP), Fort-de-France (FDF), Nassau (NAS), Montego Bay (MBJ), and Huatulco (HUX) are being introduced, from cities like Vancouver (YVR), Halifax (YHZ), Quebec City (YQB), Ottowa (YOW) and more.
Multiple Routes See Increased Frequencies
Finally, Air Canada is adding additional frequencies to popular vacation destinations. This winter, it will operate more than 55 daily flights and more than 80,000 weekly seats. This will make Air Canada the most comprehensive Canadian carrier flying to Latin America. The carrier will increase frequencies on the following routes during peak demand periods:
| Route | Increase |
|---|---|
| Toronto – Los Cabos | 2 additional weekly flights; up to daily flights |
| Toronto – Nassau | 5 additional weekly flights; up to 12 weekly flights |
| Toronto – Montego Bay | 3 additional flights; up to 10 weekly flights |
| Toronto – Monterrey | Extended from summer season; 4 weekly flights |
| Toronto – St. Maarten | 1 additional flight; up to 5 weekly flights |
| Montreal – Punta Cana | 1 additional daily flight; up to 3 daily flights |
| Montreal – St. Maarten | 2 additional flights; up to 4 weekly flights |
| Montreal – Montego Bay | 1 additional flight; up to 4 weekly flights |
| Vancouver – Los Cabos | 1 additional flight; up to 5 weekly flights |
| Vancouver – Puerto Vallarta | 1 additional flight; up to daily flights |
Summary
Air Canada is significantly bolstering its flights to Latin America this winter. The Canadian flag carrier plans to operate more than 55 daily flights to a variety of new and existing destinations across Central and South America. These additions come as travel demand between Canada and the United States plummets, forcing the airline to redeploy capacity elsewhere.
