Air Canada tests demand with international summer flights

Air Canada will launch an “abridged” schedule this summer with 97 destinations down from 220 last year, betting that coronavirus cases will decline and governments will ease restrictions to enable more international travel. The carrier began its summer sales push by resuming service on 25 May to New York-LaGuardia, Washington-Dulles, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago. Governments in the USA and Canada have restricted “non-essential travel” between their nations through 22 June. The flag carrier on 22 May had announced it would increase its network within Canada “from 34 routes in May to 58 routes in June, with more routes added in August and September”. “Air Canada has also updated its schedule until the end of July with resumption of some services to the US, Caribbean, South American, European and Pacific markets,” the carrier said. The carrier also has “tentative plans” to resume service to more routes between the USA and Canada if the two nations do not extend their restrictions against non-essential trans-border travel past 22 June. The capacity of Canada’s largest airline during May is down 93% year-over-year amid the travel restrictions of the pandemic, Cirium schedules data shows.<br/>