Air Canada expands Canada-Germany services with Lufthansa; Introduces Ottawa-Frankfurt non-stop service year-round
November 5, 2007
Air Canada today announced a major expansion of service between Canada and Germany in cooperation with its Star Alliance partner, Lufthansa, that features new non-stop flights between Ottawa-Frankfurt and Toronto-Dusseldorf, as well as the addition of a second daily non-stop flight between Calgary-Frankfurt. By summer 2008, together the two Star Alliance partners will operate up to 11 flights per day in each direction between five cities in Canada and three cities in Germany, representing an increase of 23 per cent in seat capacity from the previous year. "The introduction of new non-stop services between Canada and Germany in cooperation with our Star Alliance partner Lufthansa will provide significant benefits for international air travellers and freight forwarders in our National Capital Region, Calgary, Montreal and our main Toronto hub," said Ben Smith, Air Canada's Executive Vice President - Commercial. "The convenience of more non-stop flights, streamlined connections using in-transit facilities at Frankfurt to points throughout the globe, and comprehensive reciprocal frequent flyer rewards are key benefits that our customers enjoy since the foundation of Star Alliance ten years ago." Ottawa-Frankfurt Effective June 1, 2008, Air Canada will introduce the only daily non-stop flights between Ottawa and Frankfurt, Lufthansa's main hub and Star Alliance's major European hub for connecting flights to points throughout its comprehensive international network. Connections in Frankfurt are simple and fast through special in-transit facilities that enable passengers to proceed directly to their flight without the need to collect baggage. Air Canada will operate the new year-round service using 211-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft featuring the carrier's new Executive First Suites with lie flat beds, as well as personal seat back entertainment for all passengers throughout the aircraft. In Ottawa, eligible customers will enjoy Air Canada's new Maple Leaf Lounge to work or relax before the flight. Flights depart Ottawa at 19:35, arriving in Frankfurt at 08:55. Flights depart Frankfurt at 14:15, arriving in Ottawa at 16:45. Lufthansa will offer the service on a codeshare basis. "Air Canada's new Ottawa-Frankfurt service is excellent news for the National Capital Region as growth in demand for international passenger services from Ottawa continues to be very strong," said Paul Benoit, Ottawa International Airport Authority President and CEO. "Having a non-stop connection to Frankfurt has been a top priority not only for the Airport Authority, but for our community as well. Ottawa travellers have expressed a need for another European destination that offers connectivity to hard-to-reach places in the world, while our local tourism industry thrives on improved access to the region. Air Canada's Ottawa service to its primary Star Alliance hub in Europe is a perfect fit." Toronto-Dusseldorf Effective May 1, 2008, Lufthansa will introduce seasonal non-stop service between Toronto and Dusseldorf serving northwest Germany, including Cologne, and offering connections to over 20 European cities. Air Canada will offer the service on a codeshare basis. Lufthansa will operate flights May to October using 221-seat Airbus A340-300 aircraft on the new route. Flights depart Toronto at 16:35, arriving in Dusseldorf at 06:05. Flights depart Dusseldorf at 12:25, arriving in Toronto at 14:45. On the Toronto-Frankfurt route, Air Canada and Lufthansa together offer up to three daily non-stop flights. Effective March 1, 2008, Air Canada will offer brand new 349-seat Boeing 777-30ER service on a daily basis, in addition to its second daily refurbished Boeing 767-300ER service, both featuring the carrier's new Executive First Suites with lie flat beds, as well as personal seat back entertainment for all passengers throughout the aircraft. These flights are offered on a codeshare basis by Lufthansa. Calgary-Frankfurt In response to growing business and leisure demand to and from Western Canada, Lufthansa will introduce a second daily non-stop flight between Calgary and Frankfurt effective April 14, 2008. Lufthansa will operate 221-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the route offering a choice of three classes of service. Flights depart Calgary at 14:45, arriving in Frankfurt at 07:55, and depart Frankfurt at 11:10, arriving in Calgary at 12:50. These flights will be offered on a codeshare basis by Air Canada. This second daily Calgary-Frankfurt flight complements year-round daily non-stop service operated by Air Canada. Flights depart Calgary at 18:25, arriving in Frankfurt at 11:55, and depart Frankfurt at 13:45, arriving in Calgary at 15:50. Air Canada operates these flights using 211-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft featuring the carrier's new Executive First Suites with lie flat beds, as well as personal seat back entertainment for all passengers throughout the aircraft. These flights are offered on a codeshare basis by Lufthansa. Montreal-Germany Effective April 1, 2008, Air Canada will operate brand new 349-seat Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on its daily Montreal-Frankfurt service, replacing Airbus 274-seat A330-300 aircraft currently operated on the route. This most recent addition to Air Canada's widebody fleet features the carrier's new Executive First Suites with lie flat beds, as well as personal seat back entertainment for all passengers throughout the aircraft. Montreal-Munich seasonal non-stop service will also be enhanced to offer a choice of three classes of service for travellers during the summer. Lufthansa will operate flights April to October using Airbus A340 aircraft. Air Canada offers this service on a codeshare basis, complementing its year-round Montreal-Frankfurt non-stop service. Canada-Germany With these new and expanded services between Canada and Germany, Air Canada and Lufthansa together will offer a total of up to 154 non-stop flights per week between Canada and Germany on the following eight routes: Vancouver-Frankfurt, Calgary-Frankfurt, Toronto-Frankfurt, Toronto-Munich, Toronto-Dusseldorf, Ottawa-Frankfurt, Montreal-Frankfurt and Montreal-Munich. Further extending its international network, Air Canada offers codeshare service operated by Lufthansa via Frankfurt and Munich to an additional 40 destinations in 22 countries. Pending receipt of government approvals, Air Canada plans to expand these codeshare services to include Belgrade, Zagreb, Amman and Kuwait. FlyForLess is not affiliated with any media companies nor does it represent or work for Air Canada. This article is published with the sole purpose of making information available for those who wish to stay informed on Air Canada's actualities. |
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