2nd Toronto nonstop hailed as win

Air Canada’s second Toronto nonstop is a significant win for Memphians seeking one-stop connections to more than 160 Canadian and other international destinations, officials say.

The expansion launched Tuesday on the one-year anniversary of Air Canada’s return to Memphis after a five-year absence. The airline announced it in December.

It’s an early-morning flight, departing Memphis at 6 a.m. and arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport at 9:25 a.m., good timing for passengers who are connecting to Asia. The other flight is a 4:05 p.m. departure from Memphis.

“Air Canada’s Memphis-Toronto service has been extremely well-received by our passengers,” said Pace Cooper, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority board chairman.

“This second frequency boldly shows that Air Canada is responding to the strong demand of the Memphis market, and more importantly, it opens up Toronto as a gateway city through which Memphis passengers will be able to achieve very convenient onestop service to Asia, Europe and the Middle East,” Cooper said.

The flight is operated by Air Canada Express using a 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200.

Lisa Pierce, Air Canada’s senior director, U.S. sales and market development, said the expansion is due to strong demand from Memphis and the surrounding area.

“Apart from visiting Canada many customers are connecting onward through our Toronto global hub and the timing of this second flight starting this spring will make it even more convenient for people flying from Memphis to connect onward to our extensive Asian network,” Pierce said.

“MEM has been very supportive in helping us develop this service and we thank the residents of Memphis and the region for choosing to fly with Air Canada.”

The Toronto-to-Memphis flights depart Toronto at 2:05 p.m and 8:25 p.m. and arrive in Memphis at 3:31 p.m. and 9:51 p.m., respectively.

Toronto is the city’s only daily nonstop international destination. Air Canada continues to use an international arrival gate in the B Concourse after the rest of the concourse closed this spring for a multi-year modernization project.

With U.S. customs pre-clearance in Toronto, airport officials say, customers arriving in Memphis save time on U.S. customs procedures because they already cleared customs to enter the U.S.

Reach reporter Wayne Risher at (901) 529-2874.