Air Canada and United Are Asking Ottawa to Renew Their Partnership

Air Canada and United Airlines have agreed to renew and expand the Transborder Joint Business Agreement that has linked their Canada–US networks since 2022. The renewal is subject to regulatory approval, and an application has been submitted to Transport Canada. Announced on October 16, it came with a batch of new routes for Summer 2027.

Air Canada’s additions include Toronto–Louisville, running up to daily from April 28 to October 31, and Montréal–Indianapolis, daily from June 1 to September 30. Edmonton–Newark flies four times weekly from June 1 to October 17, and Edmonton–San Francisco gets bigger capacity by switching to the Airbus A220. United is adding seasonal Newark–St. John’s, Denver–Ottawa and Denver–Québec City service, more Washington Dulles–Québec City flights, and 65 percent more seats on Denver–Winnipeg.

The airlines say the partnership has produced 20 new transborder routes since 2022, six of them this year. More than 4.3 million passengers have flown on the joint network, which covers 10 Canadian gateways and offers over 1,200 connecting itineraries with through-fares. Transborder seat capacity rose about 31 percent in 2023 and a further 7 percent in 2024.

The two carriers have cooperated since 1996 and are founding members of Star Alliance. If regulators approve the amended agreement, the expanded cooperation would continue through the new routes. Travellers heading between the two countries next summer should find more nonstop choices to mid-sized cities than before.

Sources: Air Canada via GlobeNewswire