Canada Jetlines joins Sunwing in launching new flights between Melbourne and Toronto
A second Canadian airline has chosen Melbourne Orlando International Airport to launch service to and from chilly Toronto, Ontario, this winter.
Canada Jetlines, a startup airline, will offer two nonstop flights per week between Melbourne and Toronto Pearson International Airport starting Jan. 19, flying single-class, all-economy, 174-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
Canada Jetlines will join Sunwing Airlines, which will offer nonstop flights at MLB connecting Toronto; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, from Dec. 10 to April 28.
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“Adding Canada Jetlines to our ever-growing roster of air service partners is an incredible win for MLB and the community we proudly serve," Greg Donovan, executive director of the Melbourne airport, said in a press release.
"We are thrilled to offer this new service for visiting Canadians, making it easy for our guests to enjoy all that the Space Coast and Central Florida have to offer," Donovan said.
Sunwing is based in Toronto, while Canada Jetlines is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.
When the Sunwing service was announced, Donovan said those planes will be "almost entirely coming down one-way — bringing tourists here" from Canada to Melbourne. He said the average Canadian visitor spends $2,728 per trip.
Melbourne will join Las Vegas as Canada Jetlines' inaugural U.S. routes on Jan. 19. The airline's first revenue-generating flight took place on Sept. 22, taking passengers from Toronto to Calgary, Alberta.
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TUI started started flying United Kingdom tourists to MLB aboard Boeing 787 Dreamliners in March. Each plane typically carries 300 to 345 passengers.
As of the end of September, 546,212 total passengers had flown at MLB this year, said Keely Leggett, airport spokesperson. That represents a 113% increase compared with that same span last year, when the industry was recovering amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The addition of Canada Jetlines is an exciting development for MLB. We are proud to be the second destination for the new airline and look forward to the partnership," Leggett said via email.
"Central Florida and the Space Coast have always been among the top travel destinations for Canadians, and we are thrilled to offer direct Canadian service onboard Jetlines," Leggett said.
Canada Jetlines officials hope to receive their second Airbus A320 next month, with plans to build a fleet of 15 planes by 2025.
“Our Canada Jetlines family is thrilled to launch service to another exciting U.S. destination this winter — continuing expansion of our international network of convenient leisure and business travel,” CEO Eddy Doyle said in the press release.
“Canada is one of the top countries for international tourists to Central Florida, and we are pleased to connect Canadians to their favorite sun-destinations as they begin to plan winter vacations,” Doyle said.
Last month, Sun Country Airlines announced it will launch seasonal service between MLB and Minneapolis-St. Paul beginning Feb. 3.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Canada Jetlines joins Sunwing in service between Melbourne and Toronto
