Air Canada is at record growth and wants to tackle Lyon…

This is yet another record year for Air Canada.

The maple leaf company should be ending the year with a 10% growth.

Excellent results that can be granted to its internal reorganization, and, especially, the drop in fuel prices that account for 30% of its costs.

In fact, it lowered four times its fuel surcharge tax, enabling a savings of around 100 euros per plane ticket.

Something that allows the company to offer very competitive rates on the Paris-Montreal line, with a starting price of €420 including taxes by next October. Enough to tease its competitors on a line where four operators usually confront each other during the summer.

But Air Canada does not seem to suffer from this. Between last June 15 and September 15th, it had added another weekly frequency on its Paris - Montreal and Paris-Toronto lines. A schedule that will be renewed next summer 2016.

For the winter, its new Dreamliner, that bears the entirely refurbished cabin, will operate on the Toronto line.

Enjoying the craze for its country, Air Canada will land on the tarmac of Lyon’s airport. A city chosen for its healthy mix of business and leisure clienteles.

The operations will begin on June 17th, 2016 with 5 weekly flights in summer and 3 flights in winter. The line will be operated by a two class Boeing 767-300 equipped with 211 seats, of which 24 are in Business.

David Gégot, France’s Director, ensures that this opening will not eat up his daily flight to Geneva.

“There were few people from Lyon heading to Switzerland. Indeed, due to the exchange rate, the prices there are around 20% higher than in France and the parking lots are much more expensive than at Saint Exupéry.” The Lyon-Montreal flight has a starting price of 708 euros including taxes.

Air Canada was already positioned in the province via its leisure branch, Rouge, that has been operating a flight on Nice since May 2014.

While the launch was a bit difficult, the group believes that its fill rates are high enough to open one week earlier in 2016 (May 17th), with an additional frequency starting mid-June, amounting to 4 weekly flights.

In 2015, the company totaled an additional 20% in capacities on the French market and should increase further in 2016.

It also hopes to promote its Cuba flights to France’s tour-operators thanks to a price schedule on Havana and Varadero.

As a matter of fact, close to 70% of French travelers who fly towards Toronto take a connecting flight, especially towards the west coast of the United States (Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles), a destination for which capacities are too low from Paris’ airports.

Finally, for those in the West Indies, the prices could drop next summer thanks to the arrival of its branch, Rouge, in May 2016. Next summer, the company will operate three flights leaving from Guadeloupe and three from Martinique, in total.