Air Canada to bring back nonstop Montreal flights

Air Canada is reinstating nonstop daily service to Montreal from Bush Intercontinental Airport next summer.

The airline stopped offering the route around three years ago, said Molly Waits, director of Air Service Development for the Houston Airport System.

“It’s always been a market that we’ve wanted to get back,” she said.

Beginning June 6, the daily flights will leave Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at 8:45 a.m. local time and arrive at Bush Intercontinental at 12:10 p.m. The return flight will depart Bush Intercontinental at 12:45 p.m.

“We’ve always had significant traffic between Houston and Montreal,” Waits said. United Airlines also has daily service to Montreal.

Pete Garcia, a Houstonbased airline consultant, noted “an uptick in the market growth to Canadian destinations.”

WestJet, for instance, began nonstop flights between Bush Intercontinental Airport and Calgary in September. Air Canada also has nonstop service from Bush Intercontinental to Calgary and Toronto.

Garcia said Montreal is a business and tourist destination. Recent unrest in Europe, he said, could steer wary tourists to Canada

With a combined network of 30 carriers at Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports, the Houston Airport System has more than 180 nonstop destinations, including nearly 70 international locations.

Lisa Pierce, senior director for U.S. sales and market development at Air Canada, said Canadians travel to the U.S. more than any other coun-try. "Air Canada is pleased to extend service to Houston from Montreal,” she said in the news release.