New York City is a widely sought after destination for travelers around the world. It is a center for tourism, business, and culture here in the United States.
Canadians also make up part of that demand. Major Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal are about an one hour flight away, making a trip to New York City either a quick business trip or a quick weekend getaway.
Air Canada dominates the Canadian air travel market share. They essentially have complete ownership of all the routes between Canada and New York as there really aren’t any competitive offerings by any of its Canadian airline competitors.
Air Canada currently offers Canadians nonstop flights to New York from five cities throughout Canada; Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, and Vancouver.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through why Canadians’ may look to travel to New York City, the cities where passengers can find nonstop flights between Canada and New York City, and some of the aircraft passengers can expect to fly on for these flights.
Air Canada Flies Into These Three New York City Airports
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey currently has the most Air Canada flights into the New York Area.
The airport is located right across the Hudson River from New York City, making it a great option for passengers looking to get to New York City since it’s only a short train ride or Uber away.
Air Canada can be found at Terminal A in Newark. Terminal A is home to Newark’s domestic and Canadian flights. Air Canada shares the terminal with United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.
Terminal A is the southernmost terminal on the airfield. If you are taking the airport shuttle, you will need to pass Terminal C and Terminal B only on your way to getting to Terminal A.
New York LaGuardia Airport
New York LaGuardia Airport is another option for Canadian travels looking for nonstop flights into the New York Metro Area.
LaGuardia is the second closest airport to New York City however is a bit more difficult to navigate to the Big Apple. There is no direct Subway access to LaGuardia. You will likely need an Uber to get to New York City, which can be a pain considering New York’s stand still car traffic at times.
Air Canada uses LaGuardia’s “brand new” terminal B. Some have claimed that LaGuardia’s terminal B may be the nicest terminal in the world. Air Canada shares Terminal B with Delta, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue Airways amongst others.
Due to being a rather small airport, Air Canada operates smaller regional-type planes on flights to this airport.
New York-John F Kennedy International Airport
John F Kennedy International Airport is the final option for Canadian travelers looking to get to New York City. JFK is found the furthest distance away from New York City compared to the other two airports but the public transportation option from JFK is an upgrade over LaGuardia.
Once travelers land, they can make their way to the AirTrain which connects them to the Long Island Rail Road which has round the clock trains to New York City’s Penn Station.
Air Canada operates out of Terminal 7 at JFK, sharing with notable airlines like Alaska Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and Norse Atlantic Airways.
Like LaGuardia Airport, JFK is a slot restricted airport meaning that airlines need to bid for landing slots to facilitate the airport’s higher traffic demands and capacity restraints. Newark also has a similar approval process however it is technically not slot restricted.
With that said, JFK likely serves as an extra means for Air Canada to keep up with the area’s passenger demand and compete with American Air carriers and their flight offerings to/from Canada.
Why Air Canada Chooses To Fly Into New York?
While it’s obvious why most airlines would choose to fly into New York City due to the area’s large population, there are several considerations that the airline used to solidify the airline’s commitment to the New York Area.
Air Canada’s Flag Carrier Status and Lack of Competition in the Canadian Market
Air Canada is the nation’s flag carrier airline. Flag carrier airlines are usually the preferred airlines for a given country, flying the bulk of the country’s international flights or are subsidized by the government.
Air Canada is by far the country’s largest airline, some would even say it has a major strangle hold on Canadian commercial aviation. Only WestJet, Porter Airlines, and Air Transat come remotely close to competing with Air Canada, however none of those airlines offer the same international route schedule that Air Canada provides the country.
To Canadians, Air Canada is really their only option for flights to New York. The only Canadian airline that puts any resistance to Air Canada’s New York market share is Porter Airlines and their routes to Ottawa and Toronto-Billy Bishop Airport, both of which aren’t served by Air Canada.
In terms of American competition, only Delta Air Lines and United Airlines fly to Montreal and Toronto from New York using their regional brands, Delta Connection and United Express.
Customers from Western Canada have no other option to fly Air Canada if they want a direct flight to/from New York.
Tourism
It goes without saying that New York is a major tourist attraction. With attractions like the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, Empire State Building and others, for Canadians New York City would rank pretty highly on their lists when considering tourist destinations close to home.
In addition to the tourist attractions, the New York City area is a melting pot of cultures. Food, shopping, and the many languages spoken can help Canadians get a sense of the world without having to travel over oceans.
Outside of New York City, New York State and Long Island each have plenty of things to do during the summertime like beaches, hiking, and wine tasting that will appeal to Canadians, especially those living in Western Canada near Calgary and Edmonton.
Business
New York City is one of the largest business cities in the United States and in the world. It is home to Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, and serves as the headquarters for countless businesses and major corporations.
For Canadian business executives, especially those who are based in Toronto, frequent trips to New York City are possible.
The flights that Air Canada provides from Canada to New York work perfectly for business travel. With more frequent flights to Montreal and Toronto per day, business executives can be home for dinner if they have a morning meeting in New York.
These Are The Five Canadian Cities That Have Nonstop Flights to The New York Metro Area.
Air Canada currently has flights between Canada and New York from five major cities that span across the entire country. See below.
Montreal
Air Canada flies to New York’s LaGuardia Airport and John F Kennedy Airport from Montreal Trudeau International Airport. There are also flights offered to Newark’s Liberty International Airport.
Montreal and New York are only separated by 374 miles, which is roughly a six hour drive. However, for passengers looking to get between these two cities quickly and with relative ease, boarding one of Air Canada’s flights may be the way to go.
Flights to New York are offered everyday, all year round. Flights between Montreal and LaGuardia Airport are offered up to seven times a day. Newark has the second most number of daily flights with four. John F Kennedy International Airport sees only one daily flight per day.
Odds are in favor that passengers will likely be using LaGuardia Airport to complete their travels to/from Montreal.
Air Canada uses an assortment of aircraft for flights between New York and Montreal. They mostly use their smaller Air Canada Express aircraft like Embraer 175s or CRJ 900s. But the airline has been observed scheduling their larger Boeing 737 aircraft on these routes.
Toronto
Just like the Montreal – New York route, the distance between New York and Toronto is rather short, equating to very short flight time. However, it might be more lucrative to fly to Toronto instead of driving because people would need to drive throughout the entire state of New York towards Niagara Falls, cross into Canada and make their way Northeast again which makes the drive longer than that it would take to get from New York City to Montreal or perhaps, fly to Toronto.
The route between New York and Toronto is more in demand than the Montreal route. With that said, Air Canada devotes more daily flights between Toronto and New York. Between Toronto-Pearson International Airport and LaGuardia Airport alone, there are upwards of 11 daily flights. Newark – Toronto is offered 4 times daily while Kennedy – Toronto is flown twice per day.
The extra demand can likely be attributed to both cities’ importance in the business world, and likely sees an uptick of passenger demand because of business travel.
The flights between Toronto and New York are flown with Air Canada’s regional brand, Air Canada Express. They use an assortment of smaller aircraft like the Embraer 175 and DeHavilland Dash-8. However, it is worth including that the airline flies the brand new Airbus A220 on these routes as well.
Halifax
The last remaining Northeastern Canadian city with a nonstop flight to the New York area is Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This route is truly an outlier compared to the other five. It’s the least populated city amongst the other cities. But, being remote in Nova Scotia and subjected to adverse weather conditions, it makes sense why travelers from this area would look to travel to New York, perhaps on vacation.
Air Canada operates out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport for this route. They don’t have any flights between Halifax and LaGuardia or Kennedy Airports.
Another unique note about this flight is that it is solely operated under Air Canada Express. Air Canada Express uses their Bombardier Q-400 turboprop aircraft for this route. The distance between these two cities is 600 miles, making it a rather long flight for the small propeller driven aircraft.
This route is offered once per day, all year by Air Canada Express.
Calgary
The closest major western Canadian city with a nonstop flight to the New York Metro Area is Calgary, Alberta. Calgary is a cold weather location. Residents are definitely seeking to escape the cold winters. A vacation to New York City especially during New York summers might be a good change of pace.
Calgary boasts a large population, finishing third in the 2021 Canadian census after Toronto and Montreal.
Despite the larger market, Air Canada only flies a once a day flight between Calgary and New York City. The route is between Calgary International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
Air Canada’s main fleet is used for this route. The airline has been observed flying its Airbus A320-100 on this particular flight.
Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia is the furthest Western Canada city with service to New York City. Vancouver, just like Toronto, is a major business city in Canada. This means that people may be looking to travel to New York City on business.
Unlike the route between Calgary and New York City, the Vancouver – New York City route is flown twice a day. Air Canada passengers will be utilizing Vancouver International Airport as well as Newark Liberty International Airport to complete this flight between both of these cities.
Air Canada flies this route using their Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet. The Max 8 has the sufficient range to fly transcontinentally and give passengers a relatively comfortable ride.
What Aircraft Does Air Canada Use for Flights to New York?
Air Canada uses seven aircraft types across their main fleet and their regional brand Air Canada Express, to complete their nonstop flights between Canada and New York City.
Airbus A220-300
The Airbus A220 is a new aircraft type flown by Air Canada. Their A220’s are configured to fit 137 passengers in both an economy class and business class configuration. The aircraft is very fuel efficient and is capable of flying transcontinentally although Air Canada uses it for shorter hops.
Currently, the only route between Canada and New York City that Air Canada uses their A220 is between New York-LaGuardia – Montreal.
Airbus A320-100
Air Canada’s Airbus A320 fleet is used on flights between New York City and Calgary. The Airbus A320 is a versatile short to medium range airline capable of transporting 70 to 150 passengers depending on the seating configuration.
Usually, the seats are configured in a three class configuration (business, preferred, and economy). However, one configuration is solely a business class configuration which seats 70 passengers. But for travelers between Calgary and New York City, you will likely be flying in a standard passenger configuration class with business, preferred, and economy seating arrangements available.
Boeing 737 Max 8
The Boeing 737 makes up the bulk of their short to medium ranged aircraft fleet. The airline uses these aircraft on its longest route from Canada to the tri-state area, Vancouver to New York City.
Seating arrangements are standard. Each aircraft flies with a business class, preferred, and economy class. The Boeing 737 Max 8 can accommodate just shy of 180 passengers per flight.
CRJ-900
The CRJ-900 is part of the Air Canada Express fleet, more specifically Jazz Aviation. This aircraft is used on shorter routes like the ones between New York City-Toronto and New York City-Montreal.
These aircraft are configured in a three class arrangement like most Air Canada aircraft. They have a business class, preferred, and economy class. They fit upwards of 76 passengers which is the typical amount of passengers that a regional flight carries.
Dehavilland DHC-Dash-8
Jazz Aviation also operates Air Canada Express’ Dehavilland DHC Dash-8 turboprop aircraft. Unlike the other aircraft listed here, this plane has propellers which means it’ll take a little longer for passengers to get to their destination. While they lack speed, they are great for the airline to operate as they cost less to operate than a jet aircraft.
For flights between the New York City area and Canada, this plane only files the routes between Toronto-New York and Halifax-New York.
Each of these aircraft can fit between 76-78 people in either an all economy class configuration or a mix of preferred and economy class seating.
Embraer 175
The Embraer 175 is a regional jet operated by Jazz Aviation. It is featured on many routes between New York City and Canada, notably the routes from Toronto and Montreal.
The 175 can accommodate up to 76 passengers in a business class and economy class seating configuration.
Sources
https://www.flightconnections.com/route-map-air-canada-ac
https://www.airport-ewr.com/newark-airlines/air-canada
https://www.airport-jfk.com/airlines/air-canada
https://simpleflying.com/us-airports-slot-restrictions-guide
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/canadas-not-so-friendly-skies
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/onboard/fleet.html#
