Air Canada rouge Gears up for Winter 2016-2017 with new non-stop flights: Montreal to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and San José, Costa Rica; Toronto to Palm Springs, CA and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

MONTREAL, April 20, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced today it will launch four new seasonal Air Canada rouge services between Montreal-Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Montreal-San José, Costa Rica; Toronto Palm Springs, California; and Toronto-Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The non-stop flights will give Canadian travelers more competitively-priced options when flying to sun destinations beginning winter 2016-2017. Seats on these four new routes are now available for purchase at aircanada.com and through travel agents.

"Air Canada is solidifying its position in the Canadian leisure market by offering more flights to more sun destinations during the 2016-2017 winter season.  We are delighted to launch seasonal Air Canada rouge non-stop flights to such popular vacation destinations as Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and San José, Costa Rica from Montreal as well as Palm Springs, California and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from Toronto. Flights are timed to optimize connectivity for travelers from all across Quebec and Eastern Canada looking to escape the Canadian winter," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "All Air Canada rouge flights provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption and, for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access, priority boarding and other benefits."

Route Details:

Montreal-Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Service begins November 18, 2016 with flight AC1842 and operates three times weekly departing Montreal at 07:40 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, arriving in Puerto Vallarta at 12:32. Return flight AC1843 departs Puerto Vallarta at 13:50 and arrives in Montreal at 19:41. Service ends for the season on April 21, 2017. Flights will be operated by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada's leisure carrier using a 282-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Flights are timed to offer convenient connections to/from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick as well as Quebec-City, Ottawa and Toronto.

Montreal-San José, Costa Rica: Service begins December 22, 2016, subject to government approval, with flight AC1844 and operates twice weekly departing Montreal at 07:40 on Thursday and Sunday, arriving in San José at 12:14. Return flight AC1845 departs San José at 13:35 and arrives in Montreal at 19:47. Service ends for the season on April 16, 2017. Flights will be operated by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada's leisure carrier using a 282-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Flights are timed to offer convenient connections to/from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick as well as Quebec-City, Ottawa and Toronto.

Toronto-Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Service begins December 21, 2016, subject to government approval, with flight AC1880 and operates twice weekly departing Toronto 09:00 on Wednesday and Friday, arriving in Port of Spain at 15:25. Return flight AC1881 departs Port of Spain at 16:45 and arrives in Toronto at 21:35. Service ends for the season on April 21, 2017. Flights will be operated by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada's leisure carrier using a 282-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Flights are timed to offer convenient connections to/from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick as well as Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, U.S. cities including Boston, Baltimore-Washington, Cleveland, Newark, Las Vegas and international destinations such as Delhi and Dubai.

Toronto-Palm Springs, California:  Service begins December 14, 2016 with flight AC1827 and operates three times weekly departing Toronto at 09:15 on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday arriving in Palm Springs at 11:26.  Return flight AC1826 departs Palm Springs at 12:15 and arrives in Toronto at 19:30. Service ends for the season on April 16, 2017. Flights will be operated by Air Canada rouge, Air Canada's leisure carrier using a 136-seat Airbus A319 offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Flights are timed to offer convenient connections to/from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec-City, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver as well as international destinations such as Delhi and Dubai.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2015 served more than 41 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 63 airports in Canada, 52 in the United States and 86 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,321 airports in 193 countries.  Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

About Air Canada rouge
Air Canada rouge is Air Canada's leisure airline. Together with Air Canada Vacations, Air Canada rouge offers competitively-priced travel to 69 exciting leisure destinations on 95 routes in Europe, Mexico, the U.S., the Caribbean, Asia, South America, Africa and Canada. As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Air Canada rouge is backed by Air Canada's 79-year reputation for safety and reliability and Air Canada Vacations' 35-year history of vacation travel excellence. For more information, visit www.flyrouge.com or to book a flight visit www.aircanada.com. Visit Air Canada rouge on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aircanadarouge.

SOURCE Air Canada

Isabelle Arthur (Montréal), [email protected], 514 422-5788; Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), [email protected], 416 263-5576; Angela Mah (Vancouver), [email protected], 604 270-5741; Internet: aircanada.com