TORONTO — Air Transat’s Rio de Janeiro flights are back – and because the route was so popular the first time around, “we’ve extended our season right through until June 2027,” said Laura Albrow, Account Manager, Air Transat.
The Air Transat team was joined by RIOgaleão airport and Visit Rio at Toronto’s Copacabana Brazilian Steakhouse for a high-energy night of live samba and a churrasco dinner, plus product updates, of course.
Transat’s 2026-2027 Brazil program includes direct fights to Rio de Janeiro from Toronto and Montreal, from Dec. 16 (YYZ) and Dec. 17 (YUL), through June 2027.
The convenient schedules offer overnight flights arriving in the morning, with 2x weekly flights YYZ-GIG (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and 1x weekly service YUL-GIG (Thursdays). Packages with Transat are available as well.
Air Transat hears from passengers how much they love the fact that Rio is almost the same time zone as Toronto and Montreal, with only two hours’ difference.
“Even though we’re flying south, we consider this the same level of inflight service as Europe because we want to make sure passengers are comfortable,” said Albrow.
COPACABANA, CARNIVAL & NEW HOTELS
Joao Rodrigues, Visit Rio, led advisors at last night’s event on a bit of a tour of the city.
“Most people are familiar with the South Zone, which includes Copacabana and Ipanema,” he said. Rio’s beaches are legendary. So are its iconic events. New Year’s Eve on Copacabana Beach usually attracts more than two million people, said Rodrigues.
By far the city’s biggest event, Rio Carnaval, will take place Feb. 5 – 10. For 2027 organizers have added an extra night of parades. “We needed one more night!” joked Rodriguez. “Carnaval is one of the major events for the city. It brings in a lot of money, a lot of tourists and a lot of fun. I hope you all have a chance to experience it one day,” he told advisors.
The South Zone is also where visitors will find the majority of Rio’s hotels.
A couple of highlights: The Copacabana Palace, the most famous hotel in Rio de Janeiro, has undergone a renovation of its annex building. It now has a brand-new wellness area, with three floors dedicated to wellness, as well as a new spa. The swimming pool has also been renovated.
Meanwhile the brand new Sofitel Rio de Janeiro Ipanema is scheduled to open Dec. 1. And in 2029 the city will welcome the Four Seasons Hotel Rio de Janeiro at Leblon.
Shifting focus to downtown Rio, Rodrigues said the Centro Zone is home to popular attractions including the Museum of Tomorrow, plus it’s an area “that was completely transformed for the 2016 Olympic Games.” The cruise port is also right downtown.
In the West Zone, there’s Barra da Tijuca. It’s a growing neighbourhood and one of the city’s more developed areas. It’s where the Olympic Village was located, along with the Grand Hyatt hotel. “It has 18 kilometres of beach, many shopping malls, a convention centre and the Olympic golf course,” said Rodrigues, adding that a lot of the newer luxury shopping centres are located in Barra da Tijuca as well.
Copacabana beach
CURATED LUXURY OPTIONS FOR RIO GETAWAYS
Some fun facts, courtesy of Rodrigues: Rio was the first city in the world to receive UNESCO World Heritage recognition for its cultural landscape. It’s also a destination that caters to the luxury market: “We’re the only Brazilian city that is a member of Virtuoso.”
Speaking of luxury, Rodrigues said the possibilities for curating Rio’s iconic experiences for clients is just about endless. “Essentially, all the different activities and tourist attractions in Rio can be elevated and customized for your clients, depending on their needs,” he said. “You can actually arrange a breakfast event at Sugarloaf Mountain. You can also arrange an event at Christ the Redeemer. They do weddings and sunset yoga classes. You just need to find the right DMC to make the arrangements.”
And of course, the city has its beaches. We have an amazing coastline, and we’re surrounded by nature,” he said. “For those who enjoy hiking, running through the forest or spending time outdoors, you name it, we have it.”
The city is ideal for whale-watching. “The whales come very close to the coastline. Sometimes you can even see them from the beach,” said Rodrigues.
Aerial view of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain
SAFETY AND SECURITY
He also made sure to update Rio de Janeiro’s safety measures. “A lot of people ask me about safety, so I’m going to touch on that,” he said. “For those who haven’t visited Rio in the last few years, things have improved significantly regarding security. Crime has gone down.”
He noted that the Rio Operations Center was created to monitor activity throughout the city. The cameras have facial recognition technology, which has helped authorities combat crime. “If the command centre identifies someone through the cameras who has a criminal record, they can notify nearby police officers to investigate,” he said.
Rio also has tourist police throughout the major tourist areas.
“WE LOVE CANADIAN TRAVELLERS”
Canada is one of Rio’s fastest-growing markets, said Rodrigues.
“We love Canadian travellers!” he told Travelweek. “They are experienced, curious travellers. They plan ahead, stay longer and want more than a beach. They care about culture, food, nature and meeting local people, which is exactly what Rio does best. Your winter is also our summer, so demand from Canada peaks during our high season and flows well into Carnaval.”
Travelweek asked Rodrigues what surprises travel advisors who are selling Rio for the first time.
His answer? “How easy it is now to get there. And that Rio’s food scene goes far beyond churrasco, from chef-driven tasting menus to botecos and the street markets. Another major surprise for advisors is how safe they feel in Rio.”
GIG INFO & TRANSAT GROUP PERKS
Priscilla Cremer, Aviation Marketing, RIOgaleão, Rio de Janeiro International Airport, noted that GIG is a gateway to 29 domestic destinations in Brazil.
“With Air Transat, your clients can arrive in Rio and then fly onward to another 29 destinations throughout Brazil,” said Cremer. GIG is also a gateway for 29 international destinations.
Transat’s Albrow meanwhile had plenty of info about Group perks and more. Transat requires just a $100 deposit for group bookings. “That’s $100 per group, not per person. Per group!” said Albrow to cheers. Sixteenth passengers travel free. “If you’ve got 30, 40 or 50 passengers, the free seats just keep adding up. We don’t put a cap on that,” said Albrow.
More group benefits: Final payment is due 30 days before departure, “so everyone has time to save their money. They only have to pay a month before they travel.” Unlimited name changes are permitted up to seven days before departure.
Albrow said Air Transat’s joint venture partnership with Porter Airlines means Air Transat has 76 destinations when TS’s network is combined with PD’s.
There’s also Staria, Transat’s just-launched loyalty program, offering clients opportunities to unlock additional travel benefits, share points and more.
“THE POTENTIAL IS HUGE”
Jhadyd Gonzalez, National Sales Manager, Air Transat, told Travelweek the introduction of Rio de Janeiro to its network in February 2026 “was a very valuable addition to our winter program. The route allowed us to expand our South American offering and presence, as well as to provide travellers with another unique destination.”
He added that “the potential is huge” and while the airline sees GIG as a strong leisure destination, it also attracts and facilitates travel for a vast VFR community, not only heading to Rio but to other regions of Brazil as well.
Air Transat’s interline agreement with GOL allows the airline to leverage Rio as a gateway to a wide range of destinations across Brazil, including São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza and many others, he added. Passengers benefit from seamless connections, through-checked baggage to their final destination and itinerary protection. “With nonstop flights from Montreal and Toronto to Rio de Janeiro and onward connections with GOL, we’re not only offering access to Rio itself, but helping make Brazil as a whole more accessible to Canadian travellers,” said Gonzalez.
Lead image caption: Jhadyd Gonzalez, National Sales Manager, Air Transat; Nour Mehalli, Commercial Specialist, Air Transat; Laura Albrow, Account Manager, Air Transat; Priscilla Cremer, RIOgaleão airport; Joao Rodrigues, Visit Rio (event images courtesy Michelle Zimmer)
