Execs from Air Canada Visit RI — Talk Direct Flights to Toronto and More
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Some of the top executives of Air Canada visited RI on Wednesday to discuss the new service from T.F. Green direct to Toronto.
In a visit to GoLocalProv’s newsroom, Ronald Kaercher -- Director, Regional Airlines and Markets for Air Canada said, “Our objective here -- with the May to October flight service to start -- is to make it sure that we can go year round. Then we look to add more service. We can get you the world from Toronto, and an ease of use compared to say a Chicago. [Toronto] is a wonderful hub. We’re the carrier to the ‘great white north’ but we can so so much more.”
The return of Air Canada to the Providence is possible due to three major factors; new leadership and growth for Air Canada, growing momentum at T.F. Green, and the congestion at Boston’s Logan Airport. Consumers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are looking for an easier way to fly direct to key cities.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTProvidence Focus
“So we’re back — not with a tired old prop, but with a 50 seat regional aircraft to Toronto in one hour and forty minutes in one direction. It's comfortable, convenient,” said Kaercher.
The addition of Air Canada at T.F. Green gives Rhode Islanders an alternative route to all of Canada and to Asia.
“Is Montreal a possibility? Toronto is our global hub — when it works well, we work well. Vancouver is Asia focused, and Montreal as a hub serves francophone markets — Lyon, Marseilles, Nice, North Africa. We have purpose-built hubs,” he added.
“As for flying out of Providence compared to Boston, in the last 5 years, there’s been an expansion in capacity between Boston and Toronto. We understand there needs to be a comparable price point between Boston and Providence. Our sales folks are hearing it as well,” he said.
“From our perspective — we need business and leisure. The challenge for us right now is the seasonal service — use it or lose it. We're really touting the stopover program. You can buy your ticket through — but stay and catch a Raptors game, take a day and stay and continue on your journey,” said Kaercher. The Toronto Raptors are the #1 seed in the NBA Eastern Conference and the Boston Celtics are the #2.
In addition, the Boston Bruins start a playoff series in the NHL playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Air Canada Growth
“We’re a different carrier than we were five years ago — we made money, lost money — after the last crash, we had a change in CEO and direction. There are a number of pillars [including] culture, costs, international footprint, which we’ve reflected with the introduction of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to extend our reach,” said Kaercher, a Montreal native.
Air Canada’s effort to upgrade its fleet is improving efficiency and passenger satisfaction.
“We’re in the process of going through a narrow body fleet renewal [with] B 737 Max 8 — those will replace older Airbus narrow bodies. In 2020 [we'll have] Bombardier C series 300 — we’ll take delivery of 45 — and then we’ll have one of the youngest fleets in the air,” said Kaercher.
"So that has lead to the ability to transform ourselves and grow. We’ve got internationally more than 120 new routes, and almost forty in the US. We now operate to 60 airports in the U.S., In contrast, we have 65 in Canada, so we’ve grown the footprint. We’re now a global carrier — we want to be a top 10 carrier in all that we do — we’ve got the change in culture. Our CEO talks about us as an 80-year-old startup. We’re currently the only North American carrier with a 4-star rating [on Skytrax] — we’re shooting for a 5," said Kaercher.
Related Slideshow: New Direct Flights from T.F. Green Globally - Updated January, 2019
_540_540_90.jpg)
_80_80_90_c1.jpg)
Related Articles
- Another New Airline for RI: Air Canada to Fly Direct From T.F. Green To Toronto
- Tourism Officials Fight to Bring Norwegian Air to RI, Langevin and Cicilline Fight Against Airline
- Senate Majority Leader Ruggerio Says Norwegian Air Would Be Boost to RI’s Economy and Jobs
- White House’s Spicer: Norwegian Air Expansion is Pro-Jobs, Providence Expansion Pending
- Norwegian Airlines Picks Providence for $69 European Flights, But Trump Has Last Word
- Providence On Short List for Norwegian Air Flights to Ireland for $69 Each Way
- Langevin Flips and Now Supports Airport’s Position on Norwegian Air in Rhode Island
- FAA Has Approved Norwegian Air for TF Green, $69 Fare to Ireland One Step Closer
- VIDEO: Norwegian Air Makes Announcement of Additional International Flights from Green
- Norwegian Air Completes 1st Week of Service Out of Green to European Markets
- BREAKING: Norwegian Air Expands Service To Norway Direct From T.F. Green
- EDITORIAL: “Landing Norwegian Air is Rhode Island at Its Finest”
- Seven Things You Need to Know About Norwegian Air Flights
- Norwegian Adds More Direct Flights at T.F. Green to Europe
- T.F. Green Airport to Hold Emergency Preparedness Exercise on Thursday
- T.F. Green Ranked 3rd Best Airport in Country
- Can T.F. Green Jump Start the RI Economy?
- Head of Cork, Ireland Airport Talks International Flights from T.F. Green on GoLocal LIVE
- Homeland Security Test at T.F. Green Opposed by RI ACLU
- T.F. Green Voted 7th Best Airport in U.S. by Conde Nast Readers
- NEW: Air Canada Discontinues Service from T.F. Green
- NEW: T.F. Greene, RIPTA Cancelling Service in Anticipation of Storm
- T.F. Green Airport Ranks As One Of America’s Best
- NEW: T.F. Green Airport Announces Enhancements to Customer Service
- T.F. Green Announces New Route to Cancun
- VIDEO: Allegiant Coming to T.F. Green, Third Major Announcement in 3 Weeks
- Renaming T.F. Green Airport, Restricted Receipt Account for 911: This Week at the State House
- NEW: Frontier Airlines to Offer Nonstop Service to Austin & Atlanta From T.F. Green
- Frontier Airlines to Add Nonstop Service to Myrtle Beach From T.F. Green
- Shekarchi on T.F. Green Name Change, Mastectomy Coverage, on GoLocal LIVE
- Azores Airlines to Offer Nonstop Flights to Azores From T.F. Green This Summer
- RI Leaders, Airport Officials Celebrate T.F. Green Runway Extension Completion
- T.F. Green Airport is Transforming - See The New Places You Can Now Fly Direct
- Patriots Become First NFL Team with Private Planes, Will Fly Out of T.F. Green
- Growth at T.F. Green Airport Drives Second Major Job Fair—Sept 21
- T.F. Green Ranked 6th Best Airport in U.S. by Money Magazine
