TORONTO — There was a bit of turbulence for two of Canada’s airlines this year – and maybe more on the way for another – but for the most part it was calm skies for Canada’s carriers in 2025.
Air Canada’s operations were disrupted in the busy summer travel season with a three-day strike by its flight attendants, while Air Transat managed to dodge a bullet (notwithstanding a handful of cancellations) when it secured a final-hours deal with its pilots.
Meanwhile next year could bring labour unrest for Porter Airlines after flight dispatchers voted 100% in favour of a strike.
Labour negotiations are part and parcel of operations for Canada’s airlines, and despite the blips on the radar, Canada’s carriers got travellers here, there and everywhere on their way to destinations near and far in 2025.
What do Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines, Air Transat and Flair Airlines have to say about the past 12 months – and the year to come? Travelweek checked in with all five for executive insights and feedback …
AIR CANADA
Lisa Pierce
VP, Global Sales, Air Canada & ACV
Lisa Pierce, VP, Global Sales for Air Canada and ACV
2025: “It was a year of many accomplishments. Perhaps the most exciting was the growth in our network as we added 12 new international destinations to our schedule during the year. In terms of network, another important development was our decision to begin transborder services from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago next spring. These are significant new services that will be very convenient, especially for business travellers going to and from Canada’s financial capital. For this coming winter, we have four nonstop flights weekly to Lima, two each from Montreal and Toronto and new Toronto-Puerto Escondido; and a weekly Montreal-Belize service.
“There were other things to celebrate too, such as the 50th anniversary of ACV, Aeroplan reaching the 10 million member mark, and the nine SkyTrax Awards we brought home from the Paris Air Show, including for Best Airline in North America. Another very important achievement was the implementation of continuous pricing, creating greater opportunities for us and our partners. This was a very significant achievement, and we made great strides during the year with trade partners and corporate buyers in modernizing Air Canada’s product distribution. It is something we could not have done without the support of the agency community, for which we are grateful. To recognize the hard work of agents every day, we introduced in 2025 the Air Canada & Me program, where agents can earn tokens convertible into Aeroplan points for every dollar of sales.”
2026: “There is much to look forward to next year. Perhaps most exciting is the ongoing expansion of our international network. We are adding new and increased service to a host of international destinations, including from Montreal to Catania, Italy and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; the return of Toronto to Shanghai and Budapest; and the extension of Vancouver–Bangkok to year-round. Next summer, we are starting Montreal to Nantes and Berlin, Toronto-Ponta Delgada in the Azores, and Halifax-Brussels.
“Making these routes possible are the 35 new aircraft being delivered in 2026, the most ever in a single year. This includes our first the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and the much-anticipated Airbus A321 XLR (our first narrow-body with lie-flat Signature Class seating). Of course the success of these routes hinges in great part on our agency partnerships, this is why we plan to expand the Air Canada & Me program with more token-earning opportunities and to leverage the AC&ME member database to choose agents for Fam Trips and VIP Trips. In addition, we will work closely with our account management teams to recognize top performing agents.
“Finally, 2026 will also be a year of renewal. In the new year, Alex Lefevre will become the new executive responsible for Sales and Network Planning, and Francois Choquette will be the new Head of Sales.”
WESTJET
April Crane
VP, Communications and Engagement
2025: “In 2025 the WestJet Group marked a year of transformation. Some of our key milestones included the successful integration of Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations Group; the relaunch of WestJet Rewards; a Boeing aircraft order that was the largest in Canadian history; and the rollout of WestJet WiFi presented by TELUS. Onex Partners also finalized the sale of a 25% equity stake in WestJet to Delta, Korean Air, and Air France-KLM, signifying support for our people, strategy and future by world-class airlines and creating new opportunities for collaboration.”
April Crane, VP, Communications and Engagement, WestJet
2026: “WestJet’s recently announced 2026 summer schedule underscores our commitment to connecting Canadians with the people and places they love. Halifax becomes WestJet’s Atlantic gateway to Europe, offering nine transatlantic destinations, including new destinations: Ponta Delgada, Madrid, Lisbon and Copenhagen. Toronto will see two new transatlantic destinations that include service to Cardiff and the Azores, making WestJet the only North American carrier to operate non-stop flights to Wales. In addition to introducing our first South American route, with service between Toronto and Medellin, Colombia. Western Canada will gain two new transatlantic gateways with non-stop service from Winnipeg and Edmonton to Reykjavik, Iceland. All new transatlantic routes will be operated by our growing Boeing 737 MAX fleet. WestJet will also become the first international carrier to serve Tepic, Mexico, servicing Riviera Nayarit this winter.
“We will also complete the rollout of free WestJet WiFi, presented by Telus across its Boeing 737 fleet next year, ensuring guests are able to stay connected throughout their journey.”
PORTER AIRLINES
Eddy Eldebs
SVP & CCO
2025: “At the end of March, we launched the BMO VIPorter Mastercard lineup. With Porter’s North American expansion, we now have a national customer base that will see great value in these loyalty credit cards. We expect it to become a meaningful revenue stream in a similar manner as other airlines. We are used to challenging larger competitors by disrupting the market and that’s also our intention with these new cards. They are the only airline credit cards in Canada that grants automatic status in an airline’s loyalty program. The launch was incredibly successful and we’re continuing to build on it.
Eddy Eldebs, SVP & CCO, Porter Airlines
“Porter now flies to the sun! We introduced five new destinations this winter to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Grand Cayman, Liberia (Costa Rica) and Nassau, with 13 total routings. These are Porter’s first routes outside of Canada and the U.S. in nearly 20 years of flying. There are some unique routings, like Ottawa to Grand Cayman and Liberia, as well as Hamilton to Puerto Vallarta. The destinations are distinct and create new flight options based on where people want to fly with Porter. Canadian travel interest in Latin America and the Caribbean is steadily growing, and this is the biggest development in our network since we began operating the E195-E2 aircraft almost three years ago.
“Schedules in these regions complement Air Transat’s network, our joint venture partner. This gives travellers additional choice for destinations, travel dates and the number of flights on a given route. Nassau and Grand Cayman are examples of two new destinations Air Transat passengers can now access. They will sell these Porter flights on their website and through travel agents. In addition, our loyalty program members can redeem their VIPorter points for travel on Porter and Air Transat flights to sun destinations, for as low as 10,000 points each way. In the future, Air Transat Vacations will sell packages that include Porter flights to sun markets, opening our network to another category of customer.”
2026: “In 2026, Porter is deepening its commitment to sun destinations to meet the strong demand for seasonal travel among Canadians. This includes more capacity to popular destinations from Toronto-Pearson, Ottawa and Hamilton, and new route launches: Ottawa to Miami, Ottawa to Phoenix, Vancouver to Phoenix, and Montreal to Nassau. These routes include Porter’s first-ever transborder service from Vancouver and our first flight from Montreal to the Caribbean. We’ll continue to develop our airline partner strategy, including our newest partnership with American Airlines that provides seamless connectivity to the U.S., Caribbean, and South America that we don’t serve directly. We’re also working closely with Air Transat to offer
vacation packages for our sun destinations. This is an important feature for many travellers and we expect to have something available for the next winter season.
“Also in 2026, Porter’s co-development of a passenger terminal at Montréal Metropolitan Airport (MET) in Saint Hubert will be complete and appeal to a significant share of the market. Much like efforts to revitalize Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport 19 years ago, this second airport will provide Greater Montréal with a convenient alternative for much of the population within a comfortable terminal environment. This facility will offer Montreal-area travellers a modern, convenient flying experience, enhanced by seamless terminal operations and new regional connections with partners like Pascan. The location is highly strategic, providing the most convenient travel option for roughly half of Montreal’s entire catchment area. It is an excellent option for people travelling from the city or those arriving from various points across the country. The new passenger terminal will be 210,000 sq. ft., with nine bridged aircraft gates, and capable of serving over four million passengers annually. A number of potential MET routes have been initially identified, spanning from Vancouver to St. John’s, N.L. This provides a meaningful complement to our continued growth at YUL, supporting Porter’s domestic and future international ambitions with more route choices for Quebec travellers. YUL is an important airport to support connecting flights across the Atlantic and further south with our partner Air Transat.”
AIR TRANSAT
Selva Veragou
Senior Director, Network Planning & Strategy
2025: “In 2025, Air Transat achieved several pivotal milestones. We unveiled a robust network expansion in both the leisure and VFR segments, focusing on what we do best: bringing people together. A big part of that was strengthening our alliances. Our joint venture with Porter Airlines increases connectivity across Canada to feed our international flights, while our interline /codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines provides seamless access to Türkiye and beyond.
Selva Veragou, Senior Director, Network Planning & Strategy, Air Transat
“We also launched almost a dozen new key Air Transat routes, such as Montreal to Guadalajara (Mexico) and Valencia (Spain), Quebec City to Fort-de-France (Martinique), and Toronto to Istanbul (Türkiye), Berlin (Germany), Georgetown (Guyana), and Medellin via Cartagena (Colombia).
“Moreover, we were honoured to be named the World’s Best Leisure Airline by Skytrax for the seventh time. Because this distinction is based entirely on passenger votes, it’s simply the most rewarding validation we could ask for. It stands as a testament to the enduring confidence placed in our brand and to the genuine care and expertise we bring to the skies.”
2026: “We intend to capitalize on the strides made in 2025. The year ahead will be defined by the continuing strategy to maximize the efficiency of our all-Airbus fleet, allowing us to launch even more distinctive, off the beaten path long-haul routes. Namely, Toronto to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Accra (Ghana) and Tirana (Albania); Montreal to Reykjavik (Iceland), Dakar (Senegal) and Agadir (Morocco); Quebec City to Marseille and Nantes (France); as well as Ottawa to London-Gatwick (United Kingdom).
“Some of these are North American firsts, and we take real pride in being the airline to trailblaze these new nonstop flights. Simultaneously, we will also continue to increase our presence in secondary gateways such as Windsor, Fredericton and Charlottetown, and explore new partnership opportunities that will bring tangible value to our network.
“And while new horizons are certainly thrilling, a strong network has to be built on strong foundations. As such, we will continue to intensify operations in our Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City hubs by converting specific routes to year-round service and increasing frequencies on strategic routes. We’re not only mitigating the seasonality of our activities, we’re also ensuring sustained year-round performance. And ultimately, this means granting our passengers unprecedented choice and flexibility.
“In essence, we are launching our most ambitious and robust program yet. And we couldn’t be more excited.”
FLAIR AIRLINES
Maciej Wilk, CEO, Flair Airlines (photo credit Mackenzie Calle)
Maciej Wilk
CEO
2025: “This was a significant year, marked by numerous leaps forward … I mean, Flair FWD for our airline. The biggest wins were achieved through the successful launch of Flair FWD: Flair’s ongoing commitment to making Flair the easiest airline to fly. This was accomplished through specific projects, including Flair Express, Apple Locator, Fairlyne ticket resell, our new website, and more to come in 2026.
“We’re Canada’s most reliable airline, and we are dedicated to being the easiest airline to fly with and interact with. Honourable mention to the successful launch of direct flights (sold-out inaugural flights) up to four times weekly to Mexico City from YVR and three times weekly from YYZ, making a bucket list destination finally accessible.
2026: “Next year will see more Flair FWD enhancements, like better bundles, Flair Vacations, the Flair app, new destinations on our network map and more.”
