To the point
From May 2024, Air Canada's Montreal-Madrid route will operate year-round. In addition, there will be more frequent flights between Montreal, Toronto and popular European destinations such as Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome and many others.
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Air Canada is expanding its international flight offer for summer 2024, in particular its transatlantic routes. The new Montreal-Madrid route will operate year-round from May 2024. Service will also be more frequent between Montreal and Toronto, and popular European destinations such as Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome and many others.
From Montreal
Air Canada plans to make a strong comeback in the summer of 2024 after an enforced pause during the pandemic. The airline expects to achieve the same level of service as during its peak period in summer 2019.
Non-stop flight to Madrid
Announced earlier this summer, the new non-stop flight from Montreal to Madrid will start in May 2024, and will be a year-round service. The aircraft used is a Boeing 787-8 with a capacity of 255 seats and three classes of service: Air Canada Signature with fully reclining seats, Premium Economy and Economy.
The flight schedule is as follows:
| Flight number | Departure | Destination | Days |
| AC834 | Montreal YUL at 8:30 p.m. | Madrid MAD at 9:40 a.m. +1 | Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday |
| AC835 | Madrid MAD at 1:15 p.m. | Montreal YUL at 3:20 p.m. | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday |
The flight from Montreal to Madrid takes 7 hours 10 minutes. The return journey takes 8 hours 5 minutes.
Flights to the Mediterranean
The frequency of non-stop flights to Mediterranean vacation destinations will be increased. In addition, seasonal services to Amsterdam and Copenhagen will start earlier. Here are the improvements made to the 2024 summer service compared to the 2023 summer service:
| Destination | Upgrade for summer 2024 |
| Athens ATH |
Increase to 3 weekly services in April and daily service from May to October |
| Amsterdam AMS |
Season starting March 30, 2024, increase to daily service |
| Barcelona BCN |
Increase to 4 flights per week in April, 5 in May and 6 from June to October |
| Casablanca CMN |
Increase to 6 routes per week from June to September |
| Copenhagen CPH |
Season starts earlier, on May 2, 2024 |
| Lisbon LIS |
Increase to 4 flights per week in April and 5 from May to October |
| Milan MXP |
Increase to daily service from June to September |
| Nice NCE |
Increase to 5 weekly connections from June to September |
| Rome FCO |
Increase to 9 weekly connections from May to September |
| Venice VCE |
Increase to 3 routes per week from June to October |
From Toronto
Flights to Europe from Air Canada’s hub at Toronto Pearson airport (YYZ) will also be more frequent. For Brussels and Edinburgh, the start of the season will be brought forward to spring 2024. The changes are as follows:
|
Destination |
Upgrade for summer 2024 |
|
Athens ATH |
Increase to 4 weekly connections in April, and daily connections from May to October |
|
Brussels BRU |
Season starts earlier, on May 1, 2024 . |
|
Barcelona BCN |
Increase to 5 weekly connections in April, and daily connections from May to October |
|
Copenhagen CPH |
Increase to daily service from May to September |
|
Edinburgh EDI |
Season starts earlier, from March 1, 2024 (running from March to January) . |
|
Lisbon LIS |
Increase to daily service from April to October |
|
London LHR |
Increase to 4 flights a week from April to October |
|
Manchester MAN |
Increase to 6 routes per week from June to September |
|
Rome FCO |
Increase to 12 weekly connections from May to September |
|
Venice VCE |
Increase to 4 routes per week from June to October |
New ETIAS travel authorization
An important new feature for 2024: Canadian travelers to Europe will be required to apply for an online travel authorization called ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) prior to departure. This authorization is required to enter the Schengen area, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.
Bottom Line
This announcement coincides well with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will cause significant traffic. If you’re looking for flights to Paris for the Games, it’s worth flying to any major European city. Then you can reach Paris with a low-cost flight with Ryanair, for example, or with Air France and Flying Blue miles.
Find all our tips for saving on flights to the 2024 Olympics in this guide.
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
