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Air Canada A220 inaugural to fly as planned, despite schedule data to the contrary

Zach Griff
Articles
Zach Griff is a senior reporter at TPG. He writes travel and product reviews, deep dives into loyalty programs, news about the airline industry and more.
Dec. 30, 2019
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4 min read
Air Canada A220
Air Canada A220 inaugural to fly as planned, despite schedule data to the contrary
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Correction: This post has been updated to show that Air Canada’s Airbus A220 inaugural will operate on Jan. 16, 2020, as originally scheduled.

If you’re scheduled to fly the Air Canada A220 inaugural flight, you may see that your reservation lists another type of Airbus - the A320 - operating the inaugural flight.

Air Canada's first Airbus A220-300 took its maiden flight on Dec. 11, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Airbus)
Photo courtesy of Airbus

But don’t fret, we’ve confirmed with the airline that the A220 is still set to fly from Montreal (YUL) to Calgary (YYC) beginning on Jan. 16.

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The 8:10 a.m. departure (flight AC 317) was originally scheduled to be the A220 inaugural, but eager passengers were in for a surprise when their reservations updated to show an A320 instead of the A220.

Though the airline reassured us that the A220 will still fly as planned, airline-data websites such as Google Flights, ExpertFlyer and Expedia all show the A320 on the route. Air Canada confirmed that they are working to update the schedules.

The next route to see A220 service will be from YUL to Toronto (YYZ) on Air Canada Flight 481 on Sunday, Jan. 19. At the outset, the 330-mile commuter hop will only get the new planes on select Sunday frequencies.

Service will expand to other existing routes, including to New York LaGuardia (LGA) in March, through May.

Air Canada will use the A220 to open new nonstop service between Montreal and Seattle (SEA) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and San Jose, California (SJC), on May 4.

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Related: Air Canada Adds New California and Seattle Routes with Airbus A220

The Air Canada A220 will deliver an upgraded passenger experience for those seated in both business class and economy. The plane features just 137 seats, with 12 up front and 125 in the back.

Photo courtesy of Air Canada
Photo courtesy of Air Canada

The jet is configured with personal entertainment screens at every seat, as well as power and USB ports. Economy features some of the airline’s widest seats, and the plane features plenty of overhead storage for passengers’ belongings.

Photo courtesy of Air Canada
Photo courtesy of Air Canada

The carrier will also be the first to launch North America operations of the Airbus A220-300. Delta has been operating the shorter A220-100 variant since February, but Air Canada will be the first to fly the longer stretched version.

Related: Here's why I loved my 2 flights on Swiss' Airbus A220

Though it may be appear that the Air Canada A220 inaugural flight is delayed, don’t worry— the plane will begin criss-crossing North American skies starting as planned on Jan. 16.

ExpertFlyer is owned by Red Ventures, TPG's parent company.

Featured image by Air Canada's first Airbus A220-300 took its maiden flight on Dec. 11, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Airbus)