Air Canada flies high in the west

Air Canada has just introduced new Bombardier Q400 services in western Canada, with the start-up of AC Express flights from Calgary to Fort McMurray, Calgary to Regina and Calgary to Saskatoon. Concurrent with the launch of the Next Generation Q400s in these markets, Air Canada announced it is boosting capacity on key regional routes this spring and summer in response to demand. “This spring, Air Canada will strategically increase capacity by either scheduling larger aircraft or adding flights to meet strong demand in western Canada and we will continue to roll out the Q400 aircraft on additional routes in B.C., Alberta and the Northwest Territories in the coming months,” said Marcel Forget, Air Canada’s VP of Network Planning. The Express flights are scheduled to enable convenient, point-to-point, same-day business travel, as well as convenient connections to Air Canada’s domestic, U.S. and international network. A total of 19 routes in western Canada will get increased spring/summer capacity, including for example Calgary-Regina (up 36%), Edmonton-Yellowknife (up 48%), Vancouver-Smithers (up 50%) and Vancouver-Fort McMurray (up 100%) to name some. The made-in-Canada Bombardier Q-400 NextGen aircraft, with 74 seats, replaces the 50-seat CRJ-100/200ER aircraft. http://www.aircanada.com