MONTREAL — When Air Canada’s first A220-300 finally takes flight, it will offer the only nonstop service between Montreal and Seattle, and Toronto and San Jose.

Both starting on May 4, 2020, the daily, year-round flights mark the A220-300’s first new routes after being delivered later this year.

Special introductory fares from Montreal to Seattle start at $315 one-way, all in, while Toronto-San Jose starts at $298 one-way, all in. Tickets are now available for purchase until Aug. 28 for travel between May 4 and July 31, 2020.

Calling the A220-300 a “game changer”, Mark Galardo, Vice President of Network Planning at Air Canada, said there is no rival aircraft in this category.

“The A220 will further strengthen our position on transborder and transcontinental markets and be instrumental in our continued growth. When connecting through our hubs across Canada onward to international destinations, customers travelling on an A220 will benefit from a virtually seamless cabin experience offering the same level of service and comforts as on a widebody aircraft,” he said.

Galardo also noted that the two new routes are the first of many future possibilities as “the A220 will allow us to further develop our North American network, offering customers new routes and more robust year-round schedules.”

With Montreal-Seattle service, flight AC565 departs daily from Montreal at 17:55; return flight AC564 departs daily from Seattle at 08:35.

With Toronto-San Jose, flight A765 departs Toronto daily at 08:55, while return flight AC766 departs daily from San Jose at 12:15.

Air Canada will be the first North American carrier to operate the larger A220-300 version of the aircraft, which has a range of 3,200 nautical miles. The two-class cabin has a total of 137 seats (12 in Business Class, 125 in Economy), and features the widest economy seats in the fleet and the largest overhead stowage bins for an aircraft this size.

Additional features include larger windows and full-colour LED ambient and customizable mood lighting that helps reduce fatigue while travelling.

Every seat features a Panasonic eX1 in-flight entertainment system with content available in 15 languages. The A220 also comes equipped with satellite-based high-speed connectivity for Wi-Fi access.

Noting how the two new routes will deepen Air Canada’s transborder network, Gallardo added: “This includes strengthening our position in the Seattle market by providing yet another key link for business and leisure travellers with service from Montreal, complementing our existing non-stop service there from Toronto and Vancouver. And with our new Toronto-San Jose route, we are increasing our presence in the Bay Area, adding to our many flights into San Francisco in addition to our existing service to San Jose from Vancouver. Customers from Canada now have another gateway to the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.”