Air Canada chose 26 October 2025 to unveil a major transborder expansion from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, confirming daily flights to New York-LaGuardia, Boston, Chicago and Washington-Dulles beginning spring 2026. The move, first reported by Travel and Tour World, marks the flag-carrier’s most aggressive push yet into the downtown airport long dominated by Porter Airlines.
The new routes will operate with Dash 8-400 aircraft in an all-economy layout, but Air Canada said it will differentiate via complimentary beer, wine and fast on-board Wi-Fi—perks it introduced system-wide on 1 October. Frequencies on existing Billy Bishop services to Montréal and Ottawa will also rise to hourly at peak times.
For corporate travellers, the downtown-to-downtown schedule could shave 60–90 minutes off door-to-door journey times compared with Pearson connections. Travel buyers should, however, assess perimeter-slot constraints and the airport’s early curfew when drafting 2026 travel-policy updates.
Air Canada executives downplayed concern that President Trump’s 10 % tariff hike on Canadian goods might dampen demand, noting that business traffic between Toronto and U.S. financial centres has remained “remarkably resilient.” The carrier also said new Transborder Trusted-Flyer kiosks—due to be installed at Billy Bishop by February—will allow NEXUS members to clear U.S. customs in under five minutes.
Porter Airlines responded by announcing additional Embraer E195-E2 frequencies from Pearson, signalling intensifying competition on the lucrative U.S. business-travel corridor. Companies should monitor fare-level developments and negotiate volume discounts early.
The new routes will operate with Dash 8-400 aircraft in an all-economy layout, but Air Canada said it will differentiate via complimentary beer, wine and fast on-board Wi-Fi—perks it introduced system-wide on 1 October. Frequencies on existing Billy Bishop services to Montréal and Ottawa will also rise to hourly at peak times.
For corporate travellers, the downtown-to-downtown schedule could shave 60–90 minutes off door-to-door journey times compared with Pearson connections. Travel buyers should, however, assess perimeter-slot constraints and the airport’s early curfew when drafting 2026 travel-policy updates.
Air Canada executives downplayed concern that President Trump’s 10 % tariff hike on Canadian goods might dampen demand, noting that business traffic between Toronto and U.S. financial centres has remained “remarkably resilient.” The carrier also said new Transborder Trusted-Flyer kiosks—due to be installed at Billy Bishop by February—will allow NEXUS members to clear U.S. customs in under five minutes.
Porter Airlines responded by announcing additional Embraer E195-E2 frequencies from Pearson, signalling intensifying competition on the lucrative U.S. business-travel corridor. Companies should monitor fare-level developments and negotiate volume discounts early.
