Air Canada will next summer begin service on 11 new routes to the USA, an expansion intended to help fill its flights from major Canadian hubs to cities in Asia and Europe.

The flights will also connect Air Canada's network to several major hubs of fellow Star Alliance member United Airlines, Air Canada says.

The routes will "support our international expansion by making it easier for international travelers flying to and from the US to connect to Air Canada's global network", says the carrier.

The expansion begins in May, when Air Canada starts daily service from Toronto to Portland (Oregon) and Salt Lake City, twice-daily service to Washington-Dulles and twice-weekly flights to Jacksonville.

It will also begin twice-daily flights from Montreal to Philadelphia and serve Vancouver to San Jose with two flights a day.

The following month Air Canada will begin flying daily from Montreal to both Denver and Houston, and daily from Calgary to Chicago, San Diego and San Francisco, Air Canada says.

The carrier will operate between Calgary and Phoenix three times weekly, extending into summer a route it previously operated only in winter, the carrier says.

Air Canada will face no direct competition on its flights to Denver, Jacksonville, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego or San Jose, according to Innovata schedules.

It will compete against American Airlines to Philadelphia, and against American and WestJet to Phoenix, schedules show.

Its Star Alliance partner United Airlines already operates on the Chicago, Houston, San Francisco and Washington-Dulles routes, according to Innovata.

Source: Cirium Dashboard