On Location: “Frequent and easy connections”: Air Canada adds U.S. links from Billy Bishop

At a time when Canadian airlines are reducing some U.S. service amid political and economic uncertainty, Air Canada Express, operated by Jazz, is expanding its presence at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport with new transborder routes supported by recently built preclearance facilities.

PAX experienced the new Billy Bishop-to-LaGuardia route firsthand, moving through U.S. customs preclearance and arriving at Bryant Park in central Manhattan in under two hours.

The service is part of what Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s executive vice-president, chief commercial officer and president of cargo, described as the airline’s “most significant expansion at Toronto Island since Air Canada first served the airport 35 years ago.”

The expansion creates “frequent and easy connections between the heart of Canada’s financial capital and the major markets of New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago,” Galardo said.

While the flights are positioned to appeal to a range of travellers, Air Canada says the core product is designed around convenience-focused business travel.

“The bones are built for business,” said Bradley Sutherland, director of business development at Air Canada. 

“We’re offering quick flight times, amenities like complimentary Wi-Fi and the convenience of a downtown-to-downtown experience.”

Flight specs

The De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft in use have been upgraded with free inflight Wi-Fi from Bell. 

According to Air Canada, this marks the first time Wi-Fi has been made available on a Dash 8 aircraft anywhere in the world.

By mid-2026, the airline is aiming to complete a cabin redesign that will include well-padded, ergonomic reclining seats from Expliseat.

The seats will feature new branding and design details through the seat dress cover. 

All seats will include a seatback multi-use device holder for tablets and phones, as well as a tray table.

The commute

Also on the trip were advisors from Direct Travel, one of North America’s largest corporate travel management companies. 

The goal of the FAM trip was to give the team firsthand experience with the new route and airport process.

“I always try to put myself in my clients’ shoes when booking their trips,” said Lora Sirizzogti of Direct Travel.

“Being on the road all the time for work isn’t the fun you might think it is. It’s always helpful to know what they are going through so I can give them the best experience.”

Changing climates

Given the current political and economic climate, is now the right time to increase business travel?

Maria Martin, account manager at Direct Travel, shared some of her observations.

“We’ve definitely seen a shift depending on the vertical. If it’s something essential like research or IT, then that travel really hasn’t changed. But if people that have an option to put it off, then their travel has been put on hold until tensions go down.”

She said she has seen this particularly in the medical field.

“Anything related to research or lab work is being put off if it can,” she said.

The automotive industry has also seen shifts.

“They used to cross the border to Michigan in packs of thirties for any kind of meeting but those travellers have changed, and they’re now trying to get business in the Europe market.”

Fewer deals

The current climate has also affected sales and cost-conscious travellers.

“It’s getting harder to find any types of flight deals,” said Sirizzogti.

“We aren’t seeing big changes in year-over-year travel frequency in the US, but we are seeing spikes in costs. And flights are fuller because of reduced capacity brought on by rising fuel prices. But overall, if you have business in the US, still have to get there.”

She added that international tourism does not appear to be slowing in New York.

“We met tourists from Japan and Italy today, but Canadian leisure travel to the US is definitely low.”

Looking ahead

Air Canada appears to be playing the long game as more preclearance services expand to Montreal and Ottawa.

“They’re a big investment but one that we’ve been waiting for,” said Sutherland.

Air Canada remains confident that convenience-focused business travel between Canadian cities and major U.S. markets remains resilient.

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