After the launch of a new bus service this year that connects travellers to Toronto from Niagara, the service is set to expand to five from three daily departures starting mid-December, just in time for holiday travel.
Air Canada and the Landline Company announced Tuesday that its luxury motorcoach service between Niagara District Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport, six months after the bus service started running in mid-June.
The service allows passengers to book the airport as the starting point or final destination of an Air Canada trip. The motorcoach ride is included in the same itinerary at no additional cost.
The expanded schedule will add two departures each day from both the NOTL airport and Pearson. The companies say the additional trips will give travellers more flexibility when planning connections through Pearson to Air Canada’s North American and international network.
Right now, the service runs seven days a week, with departures from the airport at 5:30 a.m., 11:20 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. Each trip is around an hour and 20 minutes.
Starting Dec. 14, it’ll depart from Niagara District Airport five times a day: 5:20 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 1:10 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.
Air Canada said the service has been well-received since its launch. Ranbir Singh, the airline’s director of regional airlines and markets, said the expansion would make it easier for residents and visitors to access the airline’s network through Pearson.
Niagara District Airport CEO Dan Pilon said the airport had received positive feedback from travellers, including requests for more departure times. He said the increased frequency, along with free parking at the Niagara airport, would give passengers more flexibility to begin their journeys in Niagara.
The service offers an alternative to driving from the region to Pearson, where travellers may face traffic, fuel costs and airport parking fees. Instead, passengers can leave their vehicles at the NOTL airport, board the motorcoach and travel to Pearson as part of their booked Air Canada itinerary.
