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Inside PASSPORT TO: CANADA’S WILDERNESS MEET LEE PAUL FROM SAGA/TITAN WIN AIR CANADA TICKETS TO VANCOUVER AIR CANADA CONCIERGE SERVICE AIRCANADA.COM
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Team ‘Air Canada UK’ raised a massive £3,500 in the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Race for the Kids 2017 in Hyde Park, London. The RBC Race for the Kids is Great Ormond Street Hospital
Children’s Charity’s annual 5 km family fun run and for many of the team it was quite a challenge! Some had never really run before so many weeks of training had to be fitted in before the big day!
Team Air Canada UK: Sophie Cranfield, Ripple Bika, Wayne Birnie, Emma Levett, Paul Adolphus, Clare Van Spall, Kate Price - Team Captain, Vasantha Indrakumar, Luciano Bueno Chaves and in the true spirit of the Joint Venture, Satinder Mekwan from Lufthansa.
MEET THE IRISH SALES TEAM…Our dedicated sales team in Ireland, Bláithín O’Donnell (front) and Bernadette Goldsmith (back), celebrate the expansion of services for Ireland in 2018 and look forward to continued success marketing the Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge services to the Irish market.
UPDATE
InsideTRADE NEWS 3
TRAVELLER NEWS 4
MEET LEE PAUL FROM SAGA/TITAN 6
CARIBBEAN ROUTE NETWORK 7
INTERNATIONAL ROUTE NETWORK 8
AIR CANADA CONCIERGE SERVICE 10
PASSPORT TO: CANADA’S WILDERNESS 12
COMPETITION: WIN FLIGHTS TO VANCOUVER 14
SCHEDULE 16
Check In is designed and produced on behalf of Air Canada by Johnston Associates (johnstonassociates.org) and Izio Design (iziodesign.co.uk). Cover photo: © iStock/ LuCaAr
Air Canada has been named ‘Eco-Airline of the Year’ for 2018 by Air Transport World. This is a great honour recognising our environmental leadership and our absolute commitment to emission reductions. Air Canada recently reported strong financial results for 2017, underscoring the success of our global expansion and the power of our international network. In 2017 alone, we launched 30 new routes and carried a record 48 million customers, whilst continuing to invest heavily in our product and services. As Air Canada’s network expansion continues apace, in the UK we are looking forward to a great summer, increasing the frequency of our London Heathrow to Vancouver flights to twice daily and introducing our brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on our London Heathrow services to St. John’s and Halifax. In Ireland, our Concierge service, introduced in Dublin in October 2017, has been a great success (find out more on pages 10-11) and this summer we’re introducing two
new seasonal Air Canada services in the market – Dublin to Montréal and Shannon to Toronto. Additionally, our Air Canada Rouge service from Dublin to Vancouver will offer up to five flights a week this summer. As you turn the pages of Check In, we hope you will enjoy our feature on the best wilderness lodges in Canada, our interview with one of our leading clients - Saga/Titan, and don’t forget to enter our competition to win two tickets to Vancouver. We look forward to welcoming you and your clients on board.
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA RACE FOR THE KIDS
TRADE NEWS
WelcomeBY STEVE GERRARD,
AIR CANADA GENERAL MANAGER SALES, UK AND IRELAND
Air Canada was awarded ‘Airline Partner of the Year’ by Travelsphere at a luncheon during WTM.Left to right: Jeremy Moore and Maggie Boto-White from Air Canada with David Wilson - Commercial Manager, Air & Rail, Travelsphere.
AIRLINE PARTNER OF THE YEAR
TV personality Anthea Turner who officially opened the 26th Belfast Telegraph Holiday World show found plenty to interest her at the Air Canada stand. A keen traveller, Anthea cheerfully admitted to having fallen in love with Canada and she is eager to plan a return visit soon. Pictured alongside the bubbly celebrity are (left to right) Show Director Maureen Ledwith; Bernadette Goldsmith and Bláithín O’Donnell from Air Canada and Paulette Moran from Holiday World.
HOLIDAY WORLD BELFAST
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TRAVELLER NEWS
n SERVICE UPDATEAfter a successful 2017 we are improving and expanding routes out of the UK and Ireland this summer:
Air Canada
London Heathrow - Vancouver Two daily services operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
London Heathrow - St. John’s Introducing our new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on this daily service.
London Heathrow – Halifax Introducing our new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on this daily service.
NEW Dublin - Montréal Seasonal service will operate a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with four flights a week.
NEW Shannon - Toronto Seasonal service will operate a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with four flights a week.
Air Canada RougeDublin - Vancouver Seasonal service will operate a Boeing 767-300 with up to five flights a week.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8
Air Canada’s new, fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft will make its debut in the UK and Ireland this summer, featuring a Premium Economy and Economy cabin configuration.
Air Canada ran a pop-up ‘Poutinerie’ restaurant in Shoreditch, London as part of its #CoolNotCold campaign - to inspire travel to ‘cool not cold’ destinations in the Americas during winter. All proceeds raised from the Air Canada Poutinerie were donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
Trade guests and media were invited to enjoy a range of exciting variants of the iconic Canadian dish – Poutine – before opening to the public. The 10 unique Poutine dishes were prepared with ingredients and flavours inspired by a range of
Air Canada destinations, from Miami’s ‘South Beach Pollo’ to Boston’s ‘Loaded Crab’.
Steve Gerrard, Air Canada General Manager UK and Ireland said: “Our Poutine dishes raised over £17,000 which Air Canada matched pound for pound. The drink sales raised £3,885 which the owner of the restaurant kindly rounded up to £4,000. In total we raised £39,075 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. I’m hugely proud
of Air Canada’s team and business partners whose commitment to raising money for this incredibly important charity will help make a real difference to many children.”
The #CoolNotCold campaign was much talked about on social
media and enjoyed by a range of travel industry guests.
Amit Aggarwal, Director of Corporate Partnerships at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said: “A huge thank you to Air Canada and partners for their fantastic culinary fundraising efforts. The money raised will support seriously ill children and their families.”
AIR CANADA POUTINERIE RAISES NEARLY £40,000 FOR CHARITYAir Canada is about unbeatable service and attention to detail – we pride ourselves on providing a high quality premium product and an unrivalled network of services to Canada and beyond.
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents. We are in the elite group of the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2017, 48 million customers chose our services. Here are a few special features of our services:n Premium Economy Pamper yourself with Air Canada Premium Economy
and experience enhanced service, a larger seat, extra legroom and priority airport services. Premium Economy is available year-round onboard our services from London Heathrow to Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver, St. John’s and Halifax.n Family-friendly services Sign your children up for Skyriders, Air Canada’s kids club, for free and they will be given colouring books, badges and other fun stuff. Air Canada also offers family-friendly inflight entertainment and in fact, our Air Canada Rouge crew are specially trained at the Disney Institute to make
the flight fun and memorable for the entire family.n US pre-clearance Fly into Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa or Halifax and you can clear US customs at these airports whilst your baggage is booked straight through to your destination. Smoother, quicker, easier – that’s Air Canada.n Special needs services We cater for our customers whatever their requirements, so if people need assistance, let our team know and they will always go out of their way to help.
Air Canada RougeAir Canada Rouge, the leisure airline from Air Canada, will offer seasonal non-stop services this summer from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester to Toronto and from Dublin to Vancouver.
MANCHESTER (MAN) TO TORONTO (YYZ)Up to five non-stop services per week from Manchester to Toronto commencing 15th June AC1931 1215 1500 (Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat)
EDINBURGH (EDI) TO TORONTO (YYZ)Four non-stop services per week from Edinburgh to Toronto commencing 15th JuneAC1905 0820 1040 (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat)
GLASGOW (GLA) TO TORONTO (YYZ)Three non-stop services per week from Glasgow to Toronto commencing 17th JuneAC1939 0830 1045 (Tue/Thu/Sun)
DUBLIN (DUB) TO VANCOUVER (YVR)Up to five non-stop services per week from Dublin to Vancouver commencing 26th MayAC1941 1010 1135 (Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun)
Air Canada Rouge schedule subject to change.
AIR CANADA: WE’RE ALL ABOUT ATTENTION TO DETAIL
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CARIBBEAN ROUTE NETWORKCHECK IN MEETS...
What’s your role at Saga? I’ve been at Saga Holidays for 27 years and have worked in the Aviation department for 20 of those. Based in Folkestone I’ve been with the buying team since 2015 on Canada and the USA, working closely with Air Canada as Senior Aviation Buyer.
Saga and Titan sell both east and west Canada products and we continue to expand the range of itineraries we offer, both across our Titan Travel and Saga Holidays brands.
What product do you feature with Air Canada? The majority of our Canadian products are provided by Air Canada. We pride ourselves in using the premier scheduled carrier to Canada and we see this as a powerful selling point.
How has the Canada tourism market performed for you in the last couple of years?We’ve enjoyed strong bookings for the last five years and a record year in 2017, probably fuelled by Canada’s 150th anniversary. We’re pleased to be experiencing a strong start to 2018.
Are there any key trends you’re seeing at Saga?The west coast is where the volume is for us. People love to cruise to Alaska and they combine it with the much sought after Rocky Mountaineer train experience. We continue to see increased take up of Air Canada’s excellent Premium Economy and International Business class services.
CHECK IN MEETS WITH LEE PAUL, SENIOR AVIATION BUYER, SAGA HOLIDAYS AND TITAN TRAVEL.
60 SECONDS WITH
Lee Paul
What are you looking at for the future with Air Canada?Canada and beyond! We are keen to work with Air Canada to Latin America, the Americas and beyond.
What are the key measures of success in your work with Air Canada?Customer scores – happy customers are the key. On Air Canada we have great faith our customers will be well looked after.
What’s most important to you in working with an airline partner?It’s refreshing to work with an airline that supports and reflects the quality we offer and they are a fun team to work with too. Jeremy Moore from Air Canada and Ronaldo Stroppa from United Airlines came down recently and served teas and coffees off the Joint Venture trolley to around 130 sales staff – it was a fun idea and much appreciated by all the team! It’s a pleasure working with Air Canada and its Joint Venture partners.
The groups team, and the sales team headed by Maggie Boto-White are wonderful. Nothing is too much trouble. Air Canada staff go above and beyond, every time.
What do you do in your spare time?I’m a very keen golfer and play off a handicap of 12. I also love to travel and hope to experience the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner this spring.
Jeremy Moore and Ronaldo Stroppa
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INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
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AIR CANADA CONCIERGE SERVICE
When did you start as a Concierge for Air Canada?I was one of the first ever airline concierges when the programme was first implemented and I joined Air Canada in 2000. In 2012 I was promoted to the post I currently hold.
Why did you launch the Concierge service in Dublin? The business and leisure market is substantial out of Dublin so we introduced the Concierge service there in October last year, to support our expanding mainline schedule.
I recruited three amazing Concierges; Anne-Marie Reid, David Farrell and Sean Ryan.
The Dublin team were new to the Concierge life, but they all came from ground handling and customer service
backgrounds so they’ve transitioned smoothly and efficiently into their new roles. My feet haven’t touched the ground since Dublin launched!
How many Concierges does Air Canada have?Our Concierge team at London Heathrow is 17 strong, full and part time.
Internationally, I’m responsible for Concierge teams in 27 airports around the world and a team of 103 Concierges. These are truly global including Mumbai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Santiago, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Incheon and Delhi, as well as major European airports. Across the business we have over 250 Concierges in 44 locations in total.
What does the Concierge team do?Our motto is to be accessible and visible at all times!
Air Canada Altitude Super Elite members will enjoy personalised concierge service with a 24-hour hotline available 7 days a week to connect instantly with an Air Canada Concierge agent. Our International Business Class guests enjoy concierge service on the day of travel at the airport.
We offer a superior personalised service for these premium customers. We are there to anticipate customer needs, listen and resolve any of their concerns. We aim to deliver a consistent, premium experience.
We provide Concierge on arrival as well as departure. You will always find one at Check In, in the lounge (Maple Leaf Lounge or Star Alliance Lounge), at departure and arrival gates and in the transit areas.
Maple Leaf Lounge Concierges might be asked to help with upgrades, baggage handling, special inflight meals and ticketing as well as other personalised services.
What does your typical week involve?My role involves leading, managing and supporting the Concierges internationally and I like to be in my station at least once a year. I enjoy coaching and mentoring my colleagues and I have to ensure grooming and operating standards are adhered to. Most of all I try to lead by example.
I also travel a great deal for business. I’m just back from Amsterdam having interviewed, hired and trained staff there. On Sunday I head off to Tel Aviv to interview hire and train. It’s vital to ensure we have the right, well-trained staff ready for the summer services.
Consider it done
“ Our motto is to be accessible and visible at all times”
CHECK IN TALKS TO AIR CANADA’S KELVIN OGUNJIMI, MANAGER VIP AND CONCIERGE SERVICES INTERNATIONAL.
What’s your motto in life?Learn today and lead tomorrow! I’m always learning from the team and my job.
What’s your most rewarding experience ever at work?Making the impossible happen – I love to be creative and think outside the box. There’s always a solution to a problem and that’s the part of the job I enjoy. I did get quite a lot of jokes on one occasion when a customer was travelling to western Canada with her dog. They were unable to turn the heating on in the hold, so I transferred the dog to another flight and it arrived before her!
We always aim to do what’s right for our members and we have a great incentive programme for our Concierges called the Shine Programme to reward exceptional service.
What is special about working for Air Canada?Air Canada empowers all of its employees to do the right thing at all times. For the Concierge team, this means being customer focused in everything we do.
What do you do in your spare time?I used to be a competitive swimmer, and still enjoy swimming but I also love to walk my beautiful Chow Chow dog called Oliver.
Skytrax named Air Canada Best Airline in North America in 2017
Air Canada’s Concierge service is available at 44 locations worldwide
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PASSPORT TO: CANADA’S WILDERNESS
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SPIRIT BEAR LODGE, BRITISH COLUMBIAThe Waterfront Spirit Bear lodge is a truly unique and culturally authentic property. Enjoy a full day of adventure and exploring in the Great Bear rainforest, the largest intact temperature rainforest in the world. Explore the natural habitat of the Spirit Bear and home of the world’s only Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy. Then kick back at the lodge with 20 foot high ocean view windows and gaze out across the waters of the Pacific ocean watching passing orcas, white sided dolphins and sea lions. spiritbear.com
A walk on the wild side
Main image: The rare and beautiful Spirit Bear Top: An eagle catches salmonAbove: The wonderful sight of a breaching humpback whale
CANADA’S WILDERNESS LODGES MAKE A VISIT TO THIS VAST, BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY A BUCKET LIST EXPERIENCE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET.
Spirit bears, polar bears, black bears and grizzlies are just a handful of the wildlife you can see in Canada along with moose, salmon leaps, eagles and whales. This is a pristine wilderness and it’s waiting to be explored. With Air Canada you have the best network of flights to get you there with all the major cities served non-stop from the UK and a large network of regions and towns served from the key arrival gateways. So if you fancy adding Canada to your bucket list, here are the some of the best lodges for wildlife viewing.
SONORA RESORT, BRITISH COLUMBIALocated in British Columbia’s cluster of Discovery Islands, Sonora is surrounded by one of the most pristine environments in Canada. Only accessible by air or sea, this resort is a 50-minute helicopter ride from Vancouver or 75-minute water taxi ride from Campbell River. Activities include ocean salmon fishing, trout fishing, grizzly bear tours, mountain hiking, helicopter glacier tours or just a peaceful swim in the nearby lake.sonoraresort.com
TWEEDSMUIR PARK LODGE, BRITISH COLUMBIASet on 60 acres of private land Tweedsmuir lodge is hidden amongst British Columbia’s majestic coastal mountains, the largest fjord system in the Americas, the high Chilcotin Plateau and the coastal temperate rainforest. The historic lodge offers luxury accommodation in the awe-inspiring wilderness, which is home to grizzly bears, bald eagles, deer and black bears with a fishing river just 150 m away. The lodge provides nature walks, heli-hikes to ancient glaciers and also has access to heli-skiing and heli-boarding terrain.tweedsmuirparklodge.com
SEAL RIVER LODGE, CHURCHILLSeal River Heritage lodge is located 60 km and 30 minutes north of Churchill by plane, deep in the heart of polar bear territory. With ground level coastal views of Hudson Bay, Seal River Heritage lodge offers spectacular wildlife viewing with species such as beluga whales, birds and bears. Whether you’re hiking, dining or relaxing at the authentic wilderness lodge, you will experience wildlife in a way that very few people ever get to see it.churchillwild.com
ARCTIC LODGE, SASKATCHEWANArctic lodge is a warm and welcoming historic lodge located in northern Saskatchewan giving you an authentic Arctic experience yet in comfort with great food and amazing activities. It’s exceptional as a base for fishing for varied species of trophy fish. Stay in traditional Arctic lodges but with modern amenities.arcticlodges.com
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Check in to Vancouver
CompetitionAir Canada is offering you the opportunity to win two Economy return flights from London Heathrow to Vancouver. To enter, simply answer the following three questions and send your answers, name, address and contact number to [email protected] by 30 June 2018.
Questions1 Which province is Vancouver
in?
2 Which aircraft will operate our London Heathrow to Vancouver services this summer?
3 Which award-winning Vancouver based Chef and restaurateur is also Air Canada’s culinary partner?
Terms and Conditions Entries must be received by 30 June 2018. Correct entries will be entered into a draw and the winner will be notified within 30 days.
CongratulationsThe winner of our last Check In competition (two return tickets to Montréal) is Nick Richardson from Reed and MacKay.
COMPETITION
Vancouver is the best-known and most populous city in British Columbia. This beautiful waterfront city, named after the English captain George Vancouver who chartered the northwest of Canada in the late 18th century, has top hotels, pan-Asian food experiences, scenery few cities can match and a great relaxed way of life. Fly with Air Canada on one of its two daily non-stop Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services from London Heathrow to Vancouver this summer.
Where to eatMany chefs in Vancouver are influenced by European techniques and Asian flavours. A multiple winner of Vancouver Magazine’s ‘Restaurant of the Year,’ Hawksworth Restaurant is undoubtedly worth a visit. Award-winning Chef David Hawksworth is also Air Canada’s culinary partner and creates compelling signature dishes for our International Business Class inflight and lounge menus.
Yaletown’s Blue Water Café is widely recognised as one of the best places for seafood in the city. Splurge on a seafood tower: three tiers of fresh oysters, prawns, hand-rolled sushi and other delicacies from the ocean. Or try the Omakase menu at Tojo’s Restaurant. For an old school steak experience, try Hy’s Encore. For the modern take, head to Black + Blue and enjoy prime steak cuts from Canada, the US and Japan.
Whale-watching is a must in Vancouver from May to October when you can see resident orcas, migratory whales including humpbacks and a large number of sea mammals and other animals such as bald eagles.
For the best aerial views of the city, coastline, islands and mountains, outfits such as Harbour Air Seaplanes, Saltspring Air and Whistler Air offer seaplane excursions. These range from a quick viewing tour of the city,
through to day trips that include landing on mountain lakes for a picnic, action-packed excursions to Whistler, Bowen Island and more!
Hiking, skiing, cycling and watersports are also extensive in this part of the world.
n For more information and travel ideas visit tourismvancouver.com.n For flight information and schedules, see p16.
Amongst the many adventures the city and surrounds offers, the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a great day out for the whole family – if you’re not afraid of heights! Walk the 137 metres across the suspension bridge, which hangs over a canyon 70 metres high. Then follow nature trails through the woods, or hug the cliff edge on high walkways fixed to the cliff edges around the park.
Vancouver Art Gallery is located in a stunning heritage building in the heart of the city. The gallery has a collection of 11,000 permanent artworks and 200 major works by Emily Carr, the Group of Seven, Jeff Wall, Harry Callahan and Marc Chagall.
Don’t miss Stanley Park with its famous collection of First Nations Totem Poles or the must-see gardens at Van Dusen Botanical Garden.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
See the city sights from a seaplane
A plate of deliciousness from Hawksworth Restaurant
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SCHEDULE
n Air Canada offers more daily flights from the UK to Canada than any other airline, with up to 77 non-stop flights per week this summer to seven major Canadian cities scheduled from London Heathrow Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal.
TORONTO (YYZ)n More non-stop flights than any other carrier from London Heathrow to Toronto, all flights now offering Premium Economy.AC869 0830 1110 (Daily)AC857 1205 1445 (Daily)AC849 1500 1740 (Daily)AC859 1800 2040 (Daily)
MONTRÉAL (YUL)AC865 1520 1720 (Daily)
OTTAWA (YOW)n The only daily non-stop flight from London Heathrow to Ottawa.AC889 1410 1645 (Daily)
n Air Canada offers the only direct service to the Maritimes and Eastern Canada from London Heathrow.
HALIFAX (YHZ)AC861 1105 1345 (Daily)
ST. JOHN’S (YYT)AC823 1300 1510 (Daily)
VANCOUVER (YVR)n Offering two daily services this summer from London Heathrow to Vancouver. AC855 1005 1130 (Daily)AC897 1615 1740 (Daily)
CALGARY (YYC)n The first arrival from London Heathrow to Calgary.AC851 1305 1455 (Daily)
n IRELAND Year-round non-stop flights from Dublin to Toronto and summer seasonal non-stop flights from Dublin to Montréal and Shannon to Toronto.
DUBLIN (DUB) TO TORONTO (YYZ)AC843 1225 1445 (Daily)
DUBLIN (DUB) TO MONTRÉAL (YUL)AC819 1020 1200 (Tu,Th,Fr,Su)
SHANNON (SNN) TO TORONTO (YYZ)AC821 1020 1235 (Mo,We,Fr,Sa)
n Travelling to the USA with Air Canada is seamless when connecting in Canada.Customers are not required to pick up their bags during the transit process andcan pre-clear US Customs and Immigration in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa and Halifax.
Here are some examples of connections in Toronto: AC869 LHR 0830 YYZ 1110 Connections to US points: FLT DEP ARRCleveland AC7405 1245 1346Detroit AC7363 1235 1345Kansas City AC7321 1430 1601Pittsburgh AC7266 1325 1431
AC857 LHR 1205 YYZ 1445 Connections to US points: FLT DEP ARRAtlanta AC7546 1640 1855Denver AC1039 1610 1743Miami AC1642 1615 1923Tampa AC1658 1635 1918
Examples of connections in Montréal: AC865 LHR 1520 YUL 1720 Connections to US points: FLT DEP ARRBoston AC8466 2000 2116La Guardia AC7628 1910 2037Orlando AC1638 1955 2308
Examples of connections in Calgary:AC851 LHR 1305 YYC 1455 Connections to US points: FLT DEP ARRLos Angeles AC578 1630 1902
Examples of connections in Vancouver:AC855 LHR1005 YVR 1130 Connections to US points: FLT DEP ARRAnchorage AC538 1240 1502Las Vegas AC1898 1310 1551Honolulu AC1831 1740 2037
AC897 LHR1615 YVR 1740 Connections to US points: FLT DEP ARRSeattle AC8101 1925 2019San Francisco AC568 2000 2227
CONNECTIONS TO THE CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICAn In addition to numerous connections across Canada and the USA, we offer a range of connections to the Caribbean and Latin America.AC869 LHR 0830 YYZ 1110Montego Bay, Jamaica AC1804 1210 1510Kingston, Jamaica AC1802 1210 1510
AC849 LHR 1500 YYZ 1740Mexico City AC1982 1840 2230Havana AC1876 1930 2255
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For Air Canada Rouge flight schedules see page 5.