This week, Air Canada announced the resumption of more transatlantic services, noting that it would restore its three-times-weekly services from Montreal to London Heathrow and from Toronto Pearson to Dublin. Let's take a look at what aircraft are operating these routes and what customers can expect when flying the airline 'across the pond.'
With Canada easing its own restrictions on international arrivals, airlines like Air Canada are ramping up their operations, restoring services that were previously canceled due to suppressed demand. The country will be accessible to fully vaccinated Americans from August 9th, while International travelers may also be allowed to enter Canada from September 7th, as long as the "COVID-19 epidemiology remains favorable," the Canadian government said in a statement in late July.
Toronto to Dublin
On August 3rd, Air Canada resumed passenger flights between its Toronto Pearson hub and Dublin (Ireland). This will be a three-times-weekly nonstop service.
- Flight AC800 from Toronto to Dublin: This flight will depart on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Departure from YYZ is at 20:35, with arrival in DUB scheduled for 07:50 the next morning. The total duration of this flight will be
- Flight AC801 from Dublin to Toronto: This flight will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Departure from DUB is at 10:50, with arrival at YYZ at 12:45. The total duration of the flight is six hours and 55 minutes.
“We are pleased to resume our service between Dublin and Toronto...Our nonstop service from Dublin provides our customers from Ireland with direct access to Canada and the possibility to connect via our Toronto hub to 40onward destinations acrossCanada, USA and Mexico.” -Stephen Gerrard, General Manager Sales, U.K. and Ireland, Air Canada
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Montreal to London
As of August 2nd, fully vaccinated travelers from destinations on the UK's "amber list" are allowed to enter the country without self-isolating for up to 10 days. This is one major factor in Air Canada's restoration of flights to the UK.
On August 4th, the airline resumed passenger flights between its Montréal hub and London Heathrow. This will initially be a three-times-weekly service, increasing to four times weekly from September 8th, 2021.
- Flight AC864 from Montreal to London Heathrow: This service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Departure from YUL is scheduled for 18:55, with arrival at LHR at 06:30 the next morning. The flight's total duration is six hours and 35 minutes.
- Flight AC865 from London Heathrow to Montreal: This service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Departure from LHR is scheduled for 13:05, with arrival at YUL at 15:15. The flight's total duration is seven hours and 10 minutes.
The airline notes that this service is operated with "a newly reconfigured" Airbus 330-300. This jet features 32 Air Canada Signature Class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 241 seats in standard economy.
