Air Canada rouge offers Toronto-Cancun 6 days per week this October

TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada rouge says 'Buenos Dias' to Mexico starting October 10, with flights between Toronto and Cancun 6 days per week. And beginning December 19, Air Canada rouge will operate two flights daily between Toronto and Cancun, with convenient mid-morning and early evening departures. Cancun is the gateway to Mexico's spectacular Mayan Riviera, Mexico's premier visitor destination.

Air Canada rouge's service between Toronto and Mexico marks the next phase of its fleet and network expansion for winter 2013/14. Air Canada rouge announced earlier in June that it would be adding flights to Mexico, Las Vegas, Sarasota, and additional Caribbean destinations, from both Toronto and Montreal gateways. With this network expansion, the airline's fleet grows from 4 aircraft to 10, including 2 Boeing 767-300ERs and 8 Airbus 319 aircraft.

The fleet will grow to 10 aircraft by the end of 2013 with the addition of 6 Airbus A319 aircraft by December 2013 and an additional 4 Airbus A319 aircraft by March 2014, for a total of 14 aircraft by the end of the 2013-2014 winter season. Air Canada rouge will operate its A319 on the Cancun route. The newly fitted aircraft features 142 seats: 24 new slimline rouge Plus seats in a 3+3 configuration, offering more legroom and recline, and 118 new slimline rouge seats in a 3+3 configuration.

Air Canada rouge is part of the new Air Canada Leisure Group, recently created by Air Canada to uniquely serve vacation travelers with flights and, through Air Canada Vacations, packaged holidays and cruises.

"The Air Canada Leisure Group leverages the combined strengths at Air Canada, Air Canada Vacations and Air Canada rouge to offer the best possible travel experience for leisure customers so that they can truly 'vacation ahead'," said Michael Friisdahl, Chief Executive Officer of the leisure group. "We will expand the Air Canada rouge network of popular sun destinations significantly this coming winter, as more winter getaway vacation destinations are transferred from Air Canada."

Friisdahl added, "Cancun fits perfectly into our network of highly desirable leisure destinations to escape for a break from the Canadian fall and winter weather.  It is one of the fastest growing holiday destinations for Canadians not just in Mexico, but anywhere. Cancun and the Mayan Riviera have tremendous growth potential, both for Air Canada rouge and Air Canada Vacations, as the region continues to rapidly develop."

Air Canada Vacations features a full range of hotels and resorts in Cancun and throughout the extensive Mayan Coast, Mexico's international playground, providing vacation experiences uniquely designed for everyone: singles, couples, families and honeymooners. Select resorts also offer early booking bonuses and the exclusive added-value Privileges program, with additions such as early check-in/late check out, guaranteed à la carte reservations, preferred room locations and much more. Plus, with the PriceGuard program, if the price of an Air Canada Vacations' Air, Hotel & Transfer package drops before travel, we'll refund the difference of up to a maximum of $800 per couple. These offers are valid for travel from November 1, 2013 and completed by April 30, 2014.

Booking with Air Canada Vacations rewards travelers with Aeroplan Miles with every package. Book by October 31 and Aeroplan members can earn 3,000 bonus Aeroplan Miles. Clients who book a vacation package with Air Canada Vacations by October 31 will save $400 per couple and $600 per family to Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Air Canada rouge crew offer the airline's unique warm welcome onboard.  Trained in customer service excellence, rouge crew take every measure to ensure flights that are relaxed, enjoyable and are part of a memorable start and end to a vacation.

A tasty selection of meals, drinks and snacks, as well as comfort items such as pillows, blankets and headphones, are available onboard through Air Canada rouge's Buy On Board service.

Air Canada rouge aircraft are all equipped with player, a next generation in-flight entertainment system that streams unlimited live entertainment -- including movies, TV shows, kids programming, music and an About Us section -- to customers' personal electronic devices. Air Canada rouge is one of the first airlines in North America to offer streaming onboard content. Player is offered at a nominal fee of $5 for rouge and rouge Plus customers for unlimited movie and TV show access; music and destination content are always complimentary. Customers simply need to bring their own fully-charged laptop or iPad, iPod or iPhone, or they can rent an iPad on board for $10.

Visit Air Canada rouge at https://www.aircanada.com/rouge/en/index.html for more information about destinations and services offered.

About Air Canada rouge
Together with Air Canada Vacations, Air Canada rouge offers competitively-priced travel to exciting leisure destinations in Europe and the Caribbean: Edinburgh, Venice, Athens and multiple destinations in the Caribbean such as Cuba, Costa Rica, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Air Canada rouge is backed by Air Canada's 75-year reputation for safety and reliability and Air Canada Vacations' 30-plus year history of vacation travel excellence. Learn more at www.aircanada.com/rouge or www.facebook.com/aircanadarouge.

About Air Canada Vacations
Air Canada Vacations is a leading Canadian tour operator offering a wide selection of vacation packages to destinations across Mexico & the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, Canada and the U.S.A. and is a repeat recipient of the Consumer's Choice Award for favourite Travel Wholesaler. Air Canada Vacations offers convenient connectors from 65 Canadian cities, Executive Class^® service, on-demand seat-back entertainment from gate to gate on many flights, mobile app, web and mobile check-in and Aeroplan^® Miles. Visit aircanadavacations.com/agents for more information or to book.

SOURCE: AIR CANADA ROUGE