As reported by Travelweek, Air Canada has come out of the gate with three winning routes out of YVR and agents here are lauding the sales potential of new December flights to Yellowknife, Melbourne and Orlando.

The three routes are the latest additions for Air Canada out of YVR, which has rapid-fire tacked on new destinations for the past few years, building a network out of Vancouver International Airport.

Still more routes are planned for June 2018, she said, as Air Canada adds four flights a week to Paris, three flights a week to Zurich, and three flights a week to Melbourne (year round)

The routes will operate using the B787-900 Dreamliners. Walker said that Air Canada is also reinstating the Delhi route in October 2018 with five flights a week. Air Canada launched the seasonal route last year with good success out of Vancouver.

Yellowknife

Starting Dec. 15, this is timed to allow passengers to travel to the Northwest Territories capital to see the popular Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, a curtain of colour created by solar particles colliding with atmospheric gases from November to March.

Selling Tip

• Royal Scenic’s Jerry Lo said the chance to see the Northern Lights is an attraction for Asian visitors visiting Canada. He said it is also considered a better viewpoint in Yellowknife than going to Iceland. • Nick Panos, Owner of Omega Travel, said he is confident that Air Canada will do well on all the new routes starting in December. • Bonnie Walker, director of sales for Western Canada, said there are also a number of Yellowknife tour operators that can make available other packages to travel agents.

Melbourne

Melbourne is Air Canada’s third destination into Australia, although initially the three times a week flights will operate seasonally, taking advantage of a mixed market of business travel, snowbirds, and back-packers. Flights begin Dec. 1.

Selling Tip

• The flights are expected to draw B.C. clients but also will serve as a departure point for U.S. travellers. • This will allow more flexibility in trip planning as passengers can open-jaw a ticket with more departure gateways to choose from. • Air Canada is anticipating that it will pick up traffic from Australia as skiers arrive in B.C.

Orlando

Nonstop Orlando flights are poised to capture the holiday and spring break vacationers, especially families travelling with children to Walt Disney World from Dec. 20 to April.