Rather than pulling a Taylor Swift and flying between two cities 40 miles apart, Air Canada has partnered with bus operator The Landline Company to connect passengers through Toronto, to and from two neighboring cities from May 2024.
If you’re to travel into and/or out of Hamilton (YHM) or Waterloo (YKF) with plans of connecting to a further destination through Toronto-Pearson (YYZ), Air Canada will soon ‘fly’, or rather, bus you between the two airports to catch your connecting flight.
Following in American and United’s footsteps, Air Canada will use luxury Prevost buses operated by The Landline Company to shuttle passengers between the two destinations, which are each under 40 miles apart.
From a passenger perspective, customers will book their ticket just like they normally would to book a regular flight. The bus segment of the trip will carry still carry a flight number, but rather than having an aircraft type, it will instead say ‘BUS’, along with ‘Operated by THE LANDLINE COMPANY’.
At the airport, customers will check in as if they were taking a flight, and will be issued regular boarding passes. If they are traveling with checked items, those bags will be taken at the drop-off counters and checked to the final destination. From there, passengers will then head to their designated area to board their bus.
For those traveling to Toronto, once they arrive at the airport, they will be dropped off land side and guided directly to security lines in order to meet their connecting flight to their final destination. For those traveling to Hamilton or Waterloo via Toronto, the process is similar to taking a connecting flight, except they would board the bus landside at Pearson to their final destination. In both scenarios, those traveling with checked items do not have to worry about baggage transfer as this is handled on Air Canada’s side of things.
Note that this service is only offered to passengers taking connecting flights on Air Canada-operated flights (both domestic and international). For instance, someone can use the service if they’re traveling from Hamilton to Vancouver via Toronto, or Dubai to Waterloo via Toronto. If you only want to want travel between Hamilton or Waterloo and Toronto, you’ll have to find your own mode of transportation. Is this where the Taylor Swift part comes in?
“Air Canada is focused on improving regional services and through this innovative partnership with The Landline Company, we are connecting communities and extending our network by offering customers a convenient, stress-free multimodal option,” said Alexandre Lefevre, Vice President Network Planning, North America, and Scheduling, at Air Canada. “Customers travelling between airports on Landline’s premium motorcoaches will enjoy the same benefits as those making air-only connections, including the convenience of a single itinerary, through-checked baggage when departing Hamilton or Region of Waterloo, disruption protection and Aeroplan earning opportunities. We will look to further expand our regional network in Canada through our Landline partnership, as it also advances our sustainability programs by potentially removing tens of thousands of vehicles from the road each year.”
Air Canada and Landline will evaluate the performance of these new bus routes, and may expand its service to other nearby destinations and hubs if it proves successful. If all goes well, they may even be able to find ways to streamline the process so that customers can transfer directly onto the airside beyond the security line.
About the Landline buses
The airline plans to operate six round trips daily between both city pairs, with Landline’s luxury Prevost buses. Each bus can seat 36 passengers, split across 12 rows with a 2-1 configuration. Passengers will be able to enjoy amenities such as free Wi-Fi, power outlets, tray table space, large overhead bins for carry-on items, and a lavatory to the back.
[Featured Photo: Air Canada ]
