United Airlines, Air Canada Expand Codeshare Agreement

DALLAS - United Airlines (UA) and Air Canada (AC) have today expanded their codesharing agreement. The carriers hope to accelerate post-pandemic recovery and meet the demands of the growing international travel market.

Air Canada and UA already cooperate in the transborder market according to the terms of their existing US antitrust immunity. AC says that the new deal means that passengers who search for flights between the US and Canada on either airline’s websites and apps will find more flight options and additional access to each airline's seat inventory.

Air Canada Boeing 737-8 (C-FSOI). Photo: Brandon Farris/Airways

Destinations, Policies

United and AC customers will be able to connect to 46 transborder codeshare destinations in 2022. However, some US leisure locations and territories will be excluded.

The carriers also plan to align their respective customer policies and enable the seamless availability of onboard products, establish airport co-locations and provide more value to their frequent flyer programs.

In 2019, the U.S.-Canada transborder market was the second largest international passenger air transportation market in the world and the largest international market for both Canada and the U.S., as measured by seats.

United Airlines N647UA Boeing 767-300(ER). Photo: Roland Rimoczi/Airways

Company Comments

"United is a world-class airline, and we are pleased to significantly expand our well-established partnership to further enhance the customer's journey between Canada and the U.S. by offering more choice, greater convenience, and an improved airport experience," Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada, said in a statement.

"This agreement marks a new phase in our evolving relationship that will speed the recovery from the pandemic and strengthen both carriers. It will also enable us to optimize our hubs and schedules and to broaden our global network connectivity to maintain our leadership in the market."

"With this new agreement, we are further strengthening our long-standing partnership with Air Canada," added Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances at United. "As international travel continues to recover, this expanded partnership will provide an enhanced experience for all transborder travel."

Featured image: United Airlines and Air Canada take off. Photo composite: Luca Flores Liam Funnell/Airways