Air Canada and United Launch New Routes to Washington DC

Air Canada and United are set to launch new routes between Western Canadian cities and Washington DC. Beginning in early June 2023, United will launch a direct flight from Calgary (YYC) to Washington Dulles (IAD), and Air Canada will begin service between Vancouver (YVR) and Washington Dulles (IAD). 

These two routes will offer Western Canadians excellent access to Star Alliance and Aeroplan-partner flights out of Washington Dulles, which was previously cumbersome to access outside of Toronto and Montreal.

Furthermore, as part of the announcement, the two airlines revealed that they plan to expand on the transborder joint business agreement, which will offer travellers easier connectivity between the two countries.

Air Canada and United Launch New Routes to Washington Dulles

Beginning in early June 2023, Air Canada and United will operate new flights from Western Canadian cities to Washington Dulles. 

As of June 1, 2023, Air Canada will fly five-times weekly between Vancouver (YVR) and Washington Dulles (IAD) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The flight times for this route as follows:

• AC1036, Vancouver (YVR) to Washington Dulles (IAD), departing 8:15am and arriving 4:16pm
• AC1037, Washington Dulles (IAD) to Vancouver (YVR), departing 5:10pm and arriving 8:01pm

The route will be operated by the two-cabin Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and is already loaded on the Air Canada and Aeroplan websites.

As of June 2, 2023, United will fly daily between Calgary (YYC) and Washington Dulles (IAD). The flight times for this route are as follows:

• UA2221, Calgary (YYC) to Washington Dulles (IAD), departing 1:30pm and arriving 7:54pm
• UA1225, Washington Dulles (IAD) to Calgary (YYC), departing 9am and arriving 11:59am

United will operate the two-cabin Airbus A319 aircraft on this route, which is available to be booked as of now.

Easy Access to Award Flights from Washington

The addition of these two new routes is fantastic news for Western Canadians who engage with the Aeroplan program. Washington Dulles is a great hub airport for catching flights with many Star Alliance airlines and other Aeroplan partner airlines, such as Etihad Airways.

Prior to this announcement, anyone from Western Canada wishing to catch a connecting flight from Washington Dulles would most likely have to route via Toronto or Montreal, which was unnecessarily cumbersome and often a hindrance in both…