United Airlines, Air Canada Expand Partnership With Hundreds of New Flights

Flying between the United States and Canada is about to get even easier this summer as United Airlines and Air Canada partner to offer more than 260 daily flights.

As part of the expansion, Air Canada will launch a new nonstop service between Vancouver and Washington-Dulles on June 1, while United will launch a new nonstop flight between Calgary and Washington-Dulles on June 2, the airlines shared with Travel + Leisure. The flights will also include a codeshare option, bringing the carriers’ total transborder codeshare routes to 80.

“We’re proud of our continued work with Air Canada to provide customers with even greater transborder connectivity, including adding more flights and new direct service to Calgary and Vancouver from Washington Dulles,” Patrick Quayle, the senior vice president of global network planning and alliances at United Airlines, said in a statement provided to T+L. “With schedules designed to give customers more flexibility with timing and more convenient connection options, as well as the ability to enjoy the benefits of both airlines’ loyalty programs, our agreement with Air Canada makes United the premier U.S. airline for travel to Canada.”

The summer 2023 routes will represent about a 20 percent increase in transborder departures compared to the same time period last year. And popular routes will be flown often: flights between Toronto and Newark, for example, will take off 16 times each day, while flights between Chicago and Toronto will take off 13 times each day.

As part of the codeshare agreement, members of United’s MileagePlus or Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty programs will be able to earn and redeem miles while eligible customers will be able to access Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounges and United's lounges, according to the airlines.

This isn’t the first time the two airlines have expanded their partnership. Last summer, the carriers, which are both part of Star Alliance, connected customers to 38 codeshare destinations in the U.S. and an additional eight in Canada.

For its part, United has introduced new policies to make flying easier, including allowing families to book seats together for free and allowing customers to cancel basic economy fares.