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Air Canada Applies To Add Toronto-Los Angeles-Australia Daily Flights |
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Written by Wire Services
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Wednesday, 25 January 2006 |
Air Canada today announced that as a result of new market opportunities presented by the recently expanded Open Skies Agreement for Canada and the United States, the airline will apply to Canadian and Australian authorities to commence daily Toronto-Los Angeles-Sydney service.
Flights would commence during the first half of 2007 with the delivery of Air Canada's new Boeing 777 fleet featuring industry-leading lie-flat suites in the Executive First cabin and personal entertainment systems at each customer's seat throughout the aircraft. Air Canada already operates between the U.S. and Australia on its Vancouver-Honolulu-Sydney service using existing route authorities.
With an elapsed westbound time of 21 hours and 15 minutes, Air Canada's Toronto-Sydney flights via Los Angeles would offer the fastest elapsed time of any airline from eastern Canada to Australia, shaving three and a half hours off current Air Canada routings and also offering one-stop service from all business markets across Canada. The daily flights would serve Canadian, American and Australian consumers as well as freight forwarders.
Air Canada plans to work with its Star Alliance partners, Air New Zealand, United
Airlines and US Airways, through schedule coordination and codeshare services
to offer customers increased choice and convenience.
"The recently concluded Open Skies Agreement for Canada and the United States opens new opportunities for Air Canada to enhance service for consumers and business in Canada, the United States and international markets, such as Australia," said Ben Smith, Vice President, Network Planning. Air Canada has long advocated the further liberalization of our shared skies so that we can better link our expanded North American network to our growing international network, and further capitalize on our cooperative agreements with our commercial partners."
"In addition to offering all our customers faster access to and from Australia", Smith continued, "same plane service from our main hub in Toronto will raise the bar in premium in-flight comfort using our new 777 fleet."
The Toronto-originating flights would be timed to offer convenient connection possibilities in Los Angeles to and from Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, as well as to and from points throughout the United States via Los Angeles on flights operated by Air Canada's Star Alliance partners, United Airlines and US Airways.
An Open Skies Agreement for Canada and the United States was concluded November 10, 2005. The agreement comes into effect September 2006. In addition to providing for more choice and competitive pricing for consumers, the agreement allows for carriers of each country to carry passengers via the other country to third countries, referred to as "fifth freedom" rights, such as Air Canada proposing to serve Australia via the United States. |
