Air Canada expands Toronto hub with 2 new Landline bus destinations

21.02.2024 - 13:56 / thepointsguy.com / Airlines

Air Canada flyers will have two new Toronto-area destinations to choose from come May. That's when Landline, the flight-on-a-bus operator that partners with the likes of American Airlines and United Airlines, will launch new "flights" connecting Hamilton and Kitchener in Ontario to Air Canada's hub at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).

Landline will offer six daily round trips for Air Canada between YYZ and both John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) and Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) in Kitchener from May 1. Both are new destinations for the Star Alliance carrier. The airports are currently served by other airlines, including Lynx Air and WestJet at YHM and Flair Airlines at YKF, according to Cirium Diio schedules.

Buses will operate with Air Canada flight numbers, similar to Air Canada Express flights, with seat assignments and checked bags included. One-way trips between YYZ and both YHM and YKF are estimated at one hour to one hour and 10 minutes.

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As an added perk, passengers can expect free "inflight" Wi-Fi.

"Air Canada is focused on improving regional services," said Alexandre Lefèvre, vice president of network planning for North America at Air Canada. "Through this innovative partnership with The Landline Company, we are connecting communities and extending our network by offering customers a convenient, stress-free multimodal option."

The network additions come as airlines around the world pull back on regional flying. These cuts come as airline costs have risen following the coronavirus pandemic, various staffing shortages that have hindered operations and climate considerations taking a newfound prominence. The net result is that smaller cities have less air service today than they did before the pandemic.

Air Canada has cut 10 smaller Canadian cities from its map since 2019, Cirium Diio schedules show. They include Kingston and Sarnia in Ontario, Penticton in British Columbia and Val d'Or in Quebec.

The big question for travelers riding Air Canada's Landline buses: Do they, like the flights they emulate, arrive "airside" — or inside security — for connections at YYZ? No, at least, not yet, said David Sunde, co-founder and CEO of Landline.

"We need to prove that [our model] works in Canada, and show that we can drive a lot of volume," he said. Air Canada is Landline's first partner outside the U.S.

Air Canada buses will arrive and depart outside security from the terminal curb — or "landside" in airline parlance — at all three airports. Bags, however, will be transferred directly from flights to buses and vice versa at YYZ, saving travelers a stop at either the ticket counter or