Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in British Columbia is getting a handful of new transborder routes.
Air Canada announced on Monday three new routes between Vancouver and the U.S. for the upcoming summer season. The airline will add service to Nashville, Tampa and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Nashville service will commence May 1, 2025, and operate four times a week seasonally through Oct. 30, 2025.
Flights to Tampa take off June 3, 2025, and will operate just two days a week year-round. Finally, flights to Raleigh will operate three times a week seasonally from June 4, 2025, until Sept. 29, 2025.
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Furthermore, the airline is adding additional frequencies on three existing routes from Vancouver to Austin, Denver and Miami.
While Air Canada’s expansion might be the splashiest, Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet announced last week its own expansion in Vancouver. It will offer a new route to Austin that begins May 11, 2025, and operates three times a week.
WestJet’s Austin service joins new previously announced routes to Boston and Tampa for the upcoming summer season. Those were just unveiled a few days before the Austin route announcement.
While both carriers are touting increased demand for travel in both directions between western Canada and the U.S., it’s also possible that some of these expansions are designed to prevent a competitor from stealing market share, especially for Air Canada.
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As the largest carrier in Canada, Air Canada prides itself on a robust domestic, transborder and international network that caters to a wide range of locals.
WestJet, meanwhile, isn’t nearly as large as Air Canada, but it is the country’s second-largest airline and vies to be a strong competitor to the flag carrier.
Much like in the U.S., Canadian carriers are no strangers to turf wars, and this latest expansion from Air Canada might be seen as a defensive move, at least in Austin and Tampa, designed to prevent ceding traffic to WestJet.
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Of course, WestJet hasn’t announced service from Vancouver to Nashville or Raleigh, so these new markets will open up new nonstops for local flights at both ends. (WestJet did announce new flights to Raleigh from Calgary, Alberta, though.)
While flyers will undoubtedly benefit from the increased service and competition, Air Canada touts that this expansion will also appeal to travelers heading beyond Vancouver to the carrier’s destinations across the Pacific.
“Air Canada continues to reinforce its position as the leading carrier between Canada and the US with new flights to fast-growing metropolitan areas and sought out destinations. … At Air Canada’s Pacific gateway, our newest services further bolsters our sixth-freedom strategy by efficiently bridging North America and growing international destinations across the Asia-Pacific region,” Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s network chief, said in a statement.
And, in a rare move for an airline, Galardo said that “more network news will be coming soon.” Stay tuned to TPG for the latest.
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