AC, United to offer 260+ daily transborder flights, routes between IAD & YVR, YYC

Air Canada and United Airlines, through its transborder agreement, will offer "industry leading capacity" and new routes between Canada and the U.S. for summer 2023 – including a new United-operated flight between Washington-Dulles and Calgary and a new Air Canada-operated flight between Washington-Dulles and Vancouver. 

The carriers have collaboratively optimized their schedules (subject to applicable government and regulatory conditions) and added more flights to provide customers greater connectivity and more flexible flight times, with more than 80 transborder codeshare routes and more than 260 daily flights.

"Through our longstanding partnership with United Airlines, Air Canada has been able to offer customers ever-increasing and significant benefits. This summer, customers will have even greater choice and convenience with our joint summer schedule made possible by our airlines' new enhanced transborder agreement. Together we will offer more than 260 daily departures to the U.S, and new non-stop flights from Vancouver and Calgary to Washington-Dulles," said Mark Galardo, senior vice-president of network planning and revenue management at Air Canada. 

"Our coordinated schedules will provide business travellers with the convenience of hourly service and the additional comfort of a business cabin on all flights between Toronto and New York and Chicago, as well as Vancouver and San Francisco."

New flights between Vancouver, Calgary & Washington

New, non-stop service between Vancouver and Washington-Dulles will begin June 1 and will be operated with an Air Canada Boeing 737 Max 8. 

United will also introduce a new, non-stop flight between Calgary and Washington-Dulles on June 2 on an Airbus 319. 

Air Canada and United will codeshare on these flights, allowing Aeroplan or MileagePlus members to accumulate and redeem miles. 

Transborder schedule

The two carriers will operate more than 260 daily transborder departures in summer 2023, about a 20 per cent increase in schedule capacity compared to summer 2022. 

The schedule will include up to 120 daily departures between the airlines' hub markets, an increase from 101 in summer 2021. 

Flights will be timed to offer optimized connections at both Air Canada and United's hubs and line stations.

Shuttle-Style schedule

The coordinated schedule will enable both carriers to offer shuttle-style hourly service throughout the day between key Air Canada and United hubs. 

The airlines will offer 29 daily flights with complementary timings between Toronto and New York/Newark and Chicago, and 11 daily flights between Vancouver and San Francisco.

Enhanced Western Canada network to U.S.

There will also be nine daily flights between Vancouver and New York/Newark, Houston and Chicago, and seven flights daily between Los Angeles and Vancouver. 

A second daily flight will be added between Calgary and both Chicago and Houston, and a second daily flight will also be added from Edmonton to Denver.

A long-standing Partnership

In July 2022, Air Canada and United announced a joint business agreement for the Canada-U.S. transborder market, building on their long-standing partnership that will give more flight options and better flight schedules to customers traveling between the two countries (coordination subject to regulatory conditions). 

Air Canada and United are also founding members of Star Alliance and a transatlantic joint business agreement with the Lufthansa Group.

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