With border restrictions easing and pent-up travel demand playing out in travel agencies and online across the country, a number of Canadian airlines are boosting (or announcing) route network enhancements in anticipation of the impending surge. Here’s the latest from three of them, Porter, Swoop, and Lynx:

Porter

Porter Airlines is boosting its presence in the Maritimes in a big way with three new non-stop routes connecting Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Halifax, Fredericton, and Moncton.

Non-stop Halifax service begins April 7, featuring up to three daily roundtrips in summer, while Fredericton and Moncton both start May 5, with one daily year-round non-stop flight each. The new service is in addition to existing flights for each market that stop in Montreal or Ottawa, and don’t require passengers to change aircraft.

The combination of increased flight frequency and non-stop service links Atlantic Canada more conveniently with Porter’s network in Ontario and the US, including for Newfoundland travellers who benefit from the creation of a single connection trip to Toronto via Halifax.

Porter offers these markets their only direct access to downtown Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport and offers the ability to make easier connections to onward destinations.

Swoop

Ultra-low fare airline Swoop will expand its presence in the US by adding non-stop flights to five new destinations this summer: New York, Chicago, Nashville, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

In addition to serving five new destinations, the airline will also extend its current seasonal services to San Diego, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, St. Pete-Clearwater, Orlando (Sanford) and Phoenix (Mesa) into the summer season. In total Swoop will serve 11 US destinations from its three main Canadian bases in Toronto, Hamilton, and Edmonton.

Previously Swoop had announced service in 10 new Canadian destinations bringing the airline’s total number of destinations served to 33 this summer.

Swoop’s announced US expansion comes as the ULCC reports significantly increased domestic passenger numbers and record bookings, on par with pre-pandemic demand. The airline expects to see that pent-up demand trend extend to US leisure travel this summer as more than 30.5 million fully vaccinated Canadians look to resume their transborder travel habits.

Lynx

Lynx Air has announced the addition of Victoria, BC to its growing network and the expansion of its presence in Toronto and Winnipeg. The new gateway expands the ULCC’s network to six Canadian cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Kelowna and Victoria.

Passengers will now be able to fly between Winnipeg and Toronto twice weekly starting May 5, and on May 12 between Calgary and Victoria two times a week, increasing to thrice-weekly service on June 22.