Where Can Canadians Fly This Winter?

3 weeks ago 11

While the rest of the autumn leaves have yet to fall, the aviation industry is already ushering in the official start of IATA’s 2024/2025 winter schedule, which runs between October 24, 2024 and March 29, 2025.

At this time, airlines are starting to run on their winter timetable, which mostly means shifts in flight schedules and routes.

That said, with the season’s timetable in place, where can Canadians fly to in the 2024/2025 winter?

Winter Flying in Canada

Winters in the Great White North are famously (and infamously) harsh, and Canadians have always been drawn to escaping the cold for warmer climates. The same short-term migration habits also exist for other countries and regions in the northern hemisphere where seasons are more pronounced, such as the US and Europe.

Therefore, airlines adapt to this seasonal travel tendency by adjusting their operations, which involves launching, testing, resuming, and halting seasonal routes.

For winters in Canada, airlines generally operate on a leaner schedule, mainly ceasing seasonal summer routes, especially those crossing into Europe, and shifting their timetables to focus on warmer places in the Caribbean and Latin America – otherwise known as “Sun destinations.”

During this time, secondary and even smaller Canadian cities may get direct routes to Latin America and the Caribbean, as we’ll cite below.

The winter season does see some of the European destinations remain, but the routes are mostly to cities that are milder in the winter like Barcelona and Athens, as well as to year-round cities such as London and Paris.

All that being said, where can Canadians fly to this winter?

Let’s do a rundown of notable winter flights and routes from Canadian and foreign carriers, with the help of data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

(For the purpose of this article, “winter” means the IATA winter schedule, which runs between October 24, 2024, and March 29, 2025.)

Air Canada

As expected, Air Canada is temporarily ceasing or decreasing a number of flights to Europe, and among the routes it’s axing for the season are Vancouver (YVR) to Dublin (DUB) and Montreal (YUL) to Venice (VCE).

On the flipside, the flag carrier airline is temporarily reassigning its mainline aircraft to serve popular Sun destinations, and thus, you’ll find Air Canada Signature Class on routes you normally wouldn’t in the summer.

This “upgauging” is happening on a handful of routes, including:

Montreal (YUL) to Cancun (CUN): to be operated with a Boeing 777
Montreal (YUL) to Punta Cana (PUJ): to be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Toronto (YYZ) to Bridgetown (BGI): to be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Toronto (YYZ) to Montego Bay (MBJ): to be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Again, this is your chance to fly these routes on Air Canada Signature Class, as they’d otherwise be operated with smaller narrowbody aircraft from either mainline Air Canada or its subsidiary Air Canada Rouge.

These flights can be booked with Aeroplan points, albeit with dynamic pricing, if you’re interested.

Mainline Air Canada will also be resuming or increasing a handful of routes, especially out of its hubs in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

From Vancouver, Air Canada will be flying to Bangkok (BKK) daily with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and flights to Singapore (SIN) are set to be increased this winter as well. This is notable as Bangkok and Singapore are the airline’s only non-stop services to Southeast Asia.

Air Canada will also be increasing the frequency of its China services with its Vancouver to Shanghai (PVG) route growing to daily flights starting December 2024 and with daily flights set to connect Vancouver to Beijing (PEK) starting January 2025.

The airline will likewise be ramping up its flights to Hawaii, with the resumption of routes between Vancouver and Maui (OGG) and Kona (KOA). Furthermore, Honolulu flights are being increased to twice daily in Vancouver and set to be resumed twice weekly in Toronto starting December 2024.

Speaking of Toronto, Air Canada is flying to Santiago de Chile (SCL) five times weekly until the end of the winter season. Clocking in at more than 10 hours, these flights are being operated with the Boeing 787 and are therefore a great way to fully experience Air Canada Signature Class – that is, of course, if you can find a decently priced redemption with Aeroplan.

Other notable flights to be resumed or increased by Air Canada this winter are:

From Toronto (YYZ): Los Cabos (SJD), West Palm Beach (PBI), and Martinique (FDF)
From Montreal (YUL): Providenciales (PLS), Nassau (NAS), Montego Bay (MBJ), and Liberia (LIR)
From Vancouver (YVR): Dubai (DXB), Los Cabos (SJD), and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

Air Canada Rouge

As you may know, the purpose of Air Canada Rouge these days is mainly to operate short-haul leisure routes, as well as a handful of routes within Canada and from Canada to the US.

This winter, Rouge will generally be linking secondary Eastern Canadian cities and Sun destinations, and among the routes it will be operating this season are the following:

From Halifax (YHZ): Cancun (CUN), Orlando (MCO), and Tampa (TPA)
From Quebec City (YQB) and Ottawa (YOW): Cancun (CUN), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Punta Cana (PUJ), Tampa (TPA), and Tulum (TQO)
From Montreal (YUL): Antigua (ANU), Samana (AZS), Cayo Coco (CCC), Curaçao (CUR), Cozumel (CZM), San Salvador Bahamas (ZSA), Tulum (TQO), and Aruba (AUA)

In addition to the routes above, Air Canada Rouge will be starting or restarting flights out of its hub in Toronto to Aruba (AUA), Samana (AZS), Belize (BZE), Cozumel (CZM), Holguin (HOG), Huatulco (HUX), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Santa Clara (SNU), St. Vincent (SVD), St. Kitts (SKB), Cayo Coco (CCC), Curacao (CUR), Liberia (LIR), Tulum (TQO), Varadero (VRA), and St. Lucia (UVF), in addition to transborder flights to Fort Myers (RSW), Palm Springs (PSP), Sarasota (SRQ), and Tampa (TPA).

Pricing on some of the flights above can be quite steep due to demand, so despite being economy Rouge flights, you might be better off using your Aeroplan points or booking them through Air Canada Vacations.

We’ve written a guide to booking Sun destinations with Aeroplan points, so check it out if you’re looking for some support navigating your options.

WestJet

WestJet is employing the same winter strategy as Air Canada – it’s flying to fewer European destinations and focusing instead on Sun destinations.

Most of its schedule focuses on hubs and secondary cities in Western Canada, but with the folding of Swoop into its mainline operations, WestJet has also planned a wide assortment of routes out of Toronto this season.

First off, WestJet is increasing the frequency of certain routes, especially to Cancun (CUN), with additional flights being added out of Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

The airline is also increasing its flights to Hawaii. From Calgary, the airline is flying to Honolulu (HNL), Kona (KOA), and Maui (OGG), and from Edmonton, it’s flying to Honolulu and Maui.

Additionally, the majority of its routes to Hawaii will be operated out of Vancouver, where WestJet will fly to Honolulu, Lihue (LIH), Kona, and Maui.

As for new and resumed seasonal routes, WestJet will be operating them out of secondary Canadian cities in Western Canada, including Comox (YQQ), Prince George (YXS), Abbotsford (YXX), Kelowna (YLW), Saskatoon (YXE), Winnipeg (YWG), and Regina (YQR).

And again, with Swoop absorbed into mainline WestJet, the airline is also flying seasonal routes out of secondary Eastern Canadian cities, namely Ottawa (YOW) and Halifax (YHZ).

The bulk of the seasonal routes WestJet is operating are to Mexico, with the following Mexican routes set to start or resume:

From Vancouver (YVR): Huatulco (HUX) and Mazatlan (MZT)
From Edmonton (YEG): Huatulco (HUX) and Mazatlan (MZT)
From Winnipeg (YWG): Cancun (CUN), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), and Huatulco (HUX)
From Kelowna (YLW): Cancun (CUN), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), and Mazatlan (MZT)
From Regina (YQR): Cancun (CUN) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
From Saskatoon (YXE): Cancun (CUN) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
From Comox (YQQ): Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
From Prince George (YXS): Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

WestJet is likewise operating a number of transborder routes out of secondary Canadian airports, including Ottawa to Fort Myers (RSW), Kelowna, and Regina, and Saskatoon to Las Vegas (LAS) and Phoenix (PHX).

Some of these routes are niche and operated infrequently, so frankly, they can be expensive. Hence, you might be better off booking them as a package through WestJet Vacations, or using WestJet dollars to lessen your out-of-pocket cost.

Sunwing

Sunwing is operating a leaner winter timetable this year, seemingly a reflection of a cooling demand for leisure travel.

According to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, an aviation analytics company, the leisure airline is planning to fly 10,630 flights from November 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025 – or 1,206 fewer flights than during the last winter season.

The WestJet subsidiary is largely flying to the same Sun destinations, with a few new route additions and relaunches, such as:

From Montreal (YUL): Acapulco (ACA), San Andres Island (ADZ), Camaguey (CMW), La Romana (LRM), and Tulum (TQO)
From Toronto (YYZ): Acapulco (ACA) and Camaguey (CMW)

As Sunwing mainly deals with vacation packages, the flights above are better (and more cost-effective) when bought as packages with hotels.

Flair Airlines

This winter, Flair Airlines is temporarily axing a number of domestic routes in favour of seasonal flights to Sun destinations.

Toronto is seeing the most domestic cuts since the airline is temporarily ceasing flights from Toronto (YYZ) to Deer Lake (YDF), Kelowna (YLW), Quebec City (YQB), Thunder Bay (YQT), St. John (YSJ), Saskatoon (YXE), Charlottetown (YYG), Victoria (YYJ), and St. John’s (YYT).

On the flipside, Flair is launching or restarting a number of routes, including:

From Edmonton (YEG): Cancun (CUN), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
From Kitchener–Waterloo (YKF): Cancun (CUN), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
From Saint John (YSJ): Orlando (MCO)
From Montreal (YUL): Cancun (CUN) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
From Vancouver (YVR): Cancun (CUN) and Kelowna (YLW)
From London (YXU): Cancun (CUN) and Orlando (MCO)
From Calgary (YYC): Cancun (CUN), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), and Kelowna (YLW)
From Toronto (YYZ): Guadalajara (GDL), Orlando (MCO), and Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

As is the case with most low-cost carriers, you’re better off booking these Flair flights sooner rather than later since their prices usually increase as the date nears and more seats get sold.

Porter Airlines

Like Flair, Porter Airlines is temporarily halting several domestic routes, but with the limited flying range of its smaller Embraer E190 jets, the airline is focusing its winter schedule on flights to warm US destinations, especially Florida and California.

This winter, the airline will be launching or resuming the following flights:

From Halifax (YHZ): Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA)
From Ottawa (YOW): Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS), Fort Myers (RSW), and Tampa (TPA)
From Montreal (YUL): Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS), and Fort Myers (RSW)
From Toronto (YYZ): Miami (MIA), West Palm Beach (PBI), Phoenix (PHX), Palm Springs (PSP), Fort Myers (RSW), San Diego (SAN), Tampa (TPA), and Thunder Bay (YQT)

Porter has been lowering its prices to better compete with WestJet and Flair Airlines, so you’ll surely find deals on the routes above. You can use Google Flights to help you search for flights and compare prices across multiple airlines.

Air Transat

As a leisure airline, Air Transat is doing what it’s expected to do this winter – fly to warmer destinations. Thus, it’s reassigning its aircraft to do just that, while halting most of its flights to Europe.

Notably, the airline will be flying widebody planes to these warm destinations from its base in Montreal (YUL), and among the destinations it will deploy its Airbus A330 jets to are Malaga (AGP), Cancun (CUN), Martinique (FDF), Holguin (HOG), Liberia (LIR), Puerto Plata (POP), Pointe-a-Pitre (PTP), Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Santa Clara (SNU), and Varadero (VRA).

In addition to the above routes and the routes out of Toronto (YYZ), Air Transat will be also be launching or resuming leisure routes out of Halifax (YHZ), Ottawa (YOW), Moncton (YQM), and Quebec City (YQB). These routes include:

From Halifax (YHZ): Cancun (CUN), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Holguin (HOG), Orlando (MCO), Punta Cana (PUJ), Varadero (VRA), Cayo Coco (CCC), Puerto Plata (POP), Punta Cana (PUJ), Santa Clara (SNU), and Varadero (VRA)
From Ottawa (YOW): Cayo Coco (CCC), Cancun (CUN), Puerto Plata (POP), Punta Cana (PUJ), Santa Clara (SNU), and Varadero (VRA)
From Moncton (YQM) and London (YXU): Cancun (CUN) and Punta Cana (PUJ)
From Quebec City (YQB): Samana (AZS), Cayo Coco (CCC), Cancun (CUN), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Holguin (HOG), Orlando (MCO), Puerto Plata (POP), Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Santa Clara (SNU), Tulum (TQO), and Varadero (VRA)

Air Transat flights aren’t always affordable when bought as à la carte flights, so be sure to compare the price of the flight with the price of an Air Transat packaged vacation, as the vacation might be a more cost-effective option.

Other Airlines

In addition to Canadian airlines, let’s take a look at what foreign airlines are up to this winter season.

First up, Air India will be increasing its Toronto (YYZ) to New Delhi (DEL) service. While it has operated two daily flights on only some days in the past months, it’ll fly twice daily every day starting November 2024.

Avianca will be adding a second Toronto to Bogotá (BOG) flight on some days starting October 2024, and it’ll start a Montreal (YUL) to San Salvador (SAL) flight in December 2024. Both developments mean more connections to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Avianca holds seat sales quite often, so be sure to check out its website and social media for offers.

Meanwhile, another Latin American airline, Arajet, is shifting its main Dominican hub from Santo Domingo (SDQ) to Punta Cana (PUJ). Hence, its flights out of Toronto and Montreal will land in Punta Cana by the end of October 2024.

Connections from Canada are largely unaffected since Arajet will be flying to a host of destinations, such as Buenos Aires (EZE) and Santiago de Chile (SCL), out of Punta Cana as well.

Like Avianca, Arajet offers plenty of promotions, so be sure to subscribe to emails and its social media if you’re interested in flying to Latin America this season.

China Eastern Airlines is resuming its flights to Toronto, beginning with one weekly flight from Shanghai (PVG). It’s nice to see the airline back as it used to offer $800 (CAD) flights round-trip to/from Southeast Asia – though with one weekly flight, we won’t see those for now.

The much-anticipated entry of Qatar Airways into the Toronto market will begin on December 11, 2024, in time for the holiday peak.

The Toronto (YYZ) to Doha (DOH) route will reportedly be operated by aircraft with QSuites, so better gather your Qatar Airways Avios and start looking for dates to fly this cutting-edge business class product.

Aeromexico will be increasing its Mexico City (MEX) to Vancouver (YVR) service to twice daily, which also means more connections to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Speaking of Vancouver, two Asian airlines are also increasing their services to the city: Korean Air and Cathay Pacific. Both airlines will be flying from their hubs in Seoul (ICN) and Hong Kong (HKG), respectively, up to twice daily this winter, and hopefully these developments mean cheaper flights and more award availability to Asia.

Lastly, Air France will be resuming its twice-weekly Montreal (YUL) to Pointe-a-Pitre (PTP) service, utilizing a narrowbody Airbus A320.

With Guadeloupe being an overseas department of France, this service isn’t technically a fifth-freedom route, but still, it’s interesting to see Air France link Canada and the Caribbean.

Conclusion

Winter has already begun in the aviation industry, as it ushers in the 2024/2025 IATA winter schedule from October 27, 2024 through March 29, 2025.

In Canada, the winter season means airlines will mainly focus on flying to “Sun destinations” in Latin America and the Caribbean, giving all of us more ways to warm up during the colder months.

Hopefully, this article has piqued your travel interest with all the new and resumed routes, and maybe even helped you choose where to fly to escape the cold in the Great White North.

Read Entire Article