Air Canada has unveiled its most significant expansion at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in 35 years, introducing new daily transborder flights to four major US cities and enhanced domestic service to key Canadian destinations.
Starting in spring 2026, Air Canada will launch non-stop service to New York (LGA) four-times daily, Boston (BOS) three-times daily, Chicago (ORD) twice daily, and Washington DC (IAD) once daily.
The expansion follows the anticipated opening of US Customs Pre-Clearance facilities at Billy Bishop, which will enable passengers to clear US customs before departure.
Air Canada Launches US Flight Expansion from Billy Bishop Airport
Air Canada has announced an expansion of its service departing from Toronto Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ), slated to begin in 2026.
The airline will offer new service to four US destinations, and it’s also increasing flights to Ottawa (YOW) and Montreal (YUL).
This expansion is Air Canada’s most significant boost at Billy Bishop Airport in the last 35 years, and it’s planned to coincide with the opening of the new US Pre-Clearance Facility to provide passengers a smooth arrival experience in the United States.
The first route set to launch is to New York–LaGuardia (LGA), which is slated to start on March 29, 2026 with four flights daily with the following flight times:
From there, Air Canada plans to debut two routes in early June 2026.
Twice-daily flights to Chicago–O’Hare (ORD) are slated to begin on June 1, 2026, with the following flight times:
Also on June 1, 2026, the once-daily service to Washington–Dulles (IAD) will start, with the following flight times:
The last route to launch will be flights to Boston (BOS), which are slated to begin on July 1, 2026 with three flights daily as follows:
Passengers bound for Montreal or Ottawa will enjoy service boosts from January 2026: Billy Bishop–Montréal will jump to nine times daily (up from eight) and Billy Bishop–Ottawa will boost to six times daily (up from four).
If you’re a downtown-to-downtown traveller, the pattern is obvious: early morning out, late afternoon back, with enough mid-day options to make same-day meetings realistic.
Enhanced Service and Premium Amenities for Passengers
Air Canada is leaning into the downtown business crowd by offering enhanced services on the ground and in the skies.
You’ll get fast, free Wi-Fi on the Dash 8-400s so you can clear your inbox or tweak a deck without hotspot gymnastics.
The refreshed cabins (rolling out through mid-2026) add new ergonomic seats with device holders while keeping the same seat pitch, so comfort improves without shrinking your knees.
Snacks aren’t an afterthought: expect complimentary premium bites plus beer and wine on all flights.
If you’re an eligible passenger departing on a domestic flight from Billy Bishop, you can also slip into the Aspire Air Canada Café—a quiet pre-flight space to plug in, caffeinate, and get a head start on the Wi-Fi.
For US flights, the planned pre-clearance at YTZ means you’ll clear US customs before boarding, then arrive stateside as a domestic passenger.
This means fewer lines on the far side and a quicker path to the curb (or your meeting) upon arrival.
Why Air Canada’s US Expansion Matters
This is genuinely great news for downtown Torontonians and business travellers, as well as for Miles & Points enthusiasts looking to reach a major US hub on a positioning flight.
Chicago and Washington Dulles are superb hub airports for premium cabins (think Star Alliance long-hauls), which means better chances to leverage positioning flights from YTZ when you’re chasing upper-cabin award space.
Add New York for business meetings and Boston for easy weekenders, and you’ve got a much more useful downtown network.
Make no mistake about it: Air Canada’s expansion into the US and increase in frequencies to Montreal and Ottawa goes toe-to-toe with Porter Airlines.
Porter Airlines also offers flights from Billy Bishop to Chicago, Boston, New York–La Guardia, and Washington Dulles, as well as Montreal and Ottawa (in addition to a handful of other destinations).
Both carriers offer complimentary snacks, beer, and wine, as well as 2–2 seating on flights from Billy Bishop.
However, Air Canada offers complimentary Wi-Fi, too, which Porter Airlines offers on its Embraer E195-E2 aircraft (which depart from Toronto Pearson but not Toronto Billy Bishop), but not on its Dash 8s.
It’s great to see the competition heat up at YTZ, and this announcement is great news all around for passengers departing from Toronto’s downtown core.
Conclusion
Air Canada’s Billy Bishop expansion in 2026 adds four US links, boosted service to Montreal and Ottawa, and a nicer onboard experience without sacrificing the downtown convenience that makes YTZ a favourite.
As you’re planning your travels in spring 2026 and beyond, be sure to consider the new options available to you from downtown Toronto.
This story originally appeared on princeoftravel
