Air Canada still plans three new routes next summer, despite the low number of crossover travelers.
Star Alliance Airlines will return to San Antonio International Airport (SAT) from its hub at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) and add new routes from Montreal-International International Airport (YUL) to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) in Ohio and John Glen International Airport (CMH) in Columbus. From May 1 to October 2026, these three routes will run seasonally.
Here are the details of Air Canada’s new route:
- YYZ-SAT: Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the Airbus A220-300 three times a week.
- Yul-Cle: Every day on Embraer E175.
- Yul-CMH: On E175 every day.
Air Canada last flew YYZ-SAT in 2020, a timeline for aviation analytics company Cirium. It currently offers CLE and CMH from YYZ.
Air Canada said the airline plans to increase its perspective capability by about 15% between the United States and Canada in the summer of 2026.
Cirium timeline shows that Air Canada is getting 7% less from May this year to this summer.
Planned growth is in an uncertain time of air travel in the United States and Canada. The latest data from the U.S. International Trade Administration shows that from January to June, the number of Canadians arriving in the U.S. in air fell 11% to 4.7 million compared with the same period in 2024.
From all measures, Canadians are not staying at home, but traveling elsewhere, such as the Caribbean and Mexico, not the United States, because of hostility to the Trump administration.
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However, Air Canada may not be a new route for Canadians. The airline conducts large enterprise flights to Europe and Asia through its hubs at YYZ, YUL and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). These are called the “Sixth” routes because travelers originated in one country, in the second country, and arrived on the third time.
Alexandre Lefèvre, Air Canada vice president of planning and scheduling, said in February that the airline plans to add up to 15 new U.S. airports to enhance connectivity to its hubs. He added that these new destinations are not necessarily one of the largest markets in the United States.
“Our focus and the enormous success of the past few years have been in those inconsistent markets where we have the right to win,” he said.
CLE, CMH and SAT are all suitable for this description – mid-sized U.S. cities do not have a single dominant hub airline.
The new crossover route complements Air Canada’s long-term expansion in 2026. In June, the airline will fly to Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) in Italy at Spain and Catania Airport (CTA) and resume flights to Budapest Ferenc Ferenc Ferenc liszt International Airport (Bud) and Shanghai Pudong Airport (Pudong), which are 20 companies (pvg).
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