Air Canada expanding service to Palm Springs International Airport

Air Canada is adding a daily flight between Calgary and Palm Springs starting in October with tickets available for purchase now.

The airline is Canada’s largest domestic and international carrier, serving more than 200 airports and six continents.

“We are pleased to offer additional convenient travel options to Albertans between Calgary and Palm Springs,” said Benjamin Smith, president of passenger airlines at Air Canada.

Air Canada currently offers seasonal flights between Palm Springs and Vancouver and Toronto.

Smith noted in a press release that the airline is strategically adding the new route to meet expected demand locally and from customers connecting to international flights. The airline will also be increasing the frequency of its flights from Vancouver to Phoenix and Palm Springs, he said.

“Air Canada’s decision to add a daily flight during our 2018 season is outstanding news that will surely bring a boost to our local economy,” said Palm Springs City Manager David Ready.

It was also good news to the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau which has made expanded air service into PSP, which served more than 2.1 million passengers in 2017, a primary goal. 

“Canada is our number one international market and Calgary is very important for both leisure and group business,” said Scott White, president/CEO of the Greater Palm Springs Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We are excited that Air Canada continues to invest in our destination.  As we continue to add more hotels, the additional air capacity is needed to meet our long-term goals of 16 million visitors by 2026.” 

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Even with the addition of JetBlue from New York, CVB continues to work on expanding air service in and out of Palm Springs International, including the Northeast –Boston/Philadelphia; the mid- Atlantic – Baltimore/Dulles; and Atlanta, White said. 

“In California we have Sacramento, Oakland and San Jose on our list and will continue to work toward adding future service,” White said.

What about bringing Southwest to PSP?

“I receive more calls about adding Southwest Airlines than any other airline,” White said. “We recently provided Southwest Airlines with an update on our destination and will keep Southwest a top priority for PSP.  Air service is a very complex process and many variables are involved.”

CVB is talking with other existing carriers to extend their service into the summer with a goal of more year-round service, White said.

American Airlines has answered that request, announcing in February that it is adding a nonstop red-eye flight between Palm Springs and Dallas Fort Worth during the off-season, June through August.

Expanding international service is also a goal.

“Since the airport does not have a customs and immigration facility, we are limited to international cities with pre-clearance,” White said.  “Clearly this has been incredibly successful in Canada. We have Dublin on our list as it has pre-clearance into the United States.  We would love to add seasonal nonstop service from Ireland, which has great connectivity throughout Europe.”

In May 2015, 10 priority locations were announced in nine separate countries for preclearance expansion:  Brussels International Airport (Belgium); Punta Cana International Airport (Dominican Republic); Narita International Airport (Japan); Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Netherlands); Oslo Gardermoen Airport (Norway); Madrid-Barajas Airport (Spain), Stockholm Arlanda Airport (Sweden); Istanbul Ataturk Airport (Turkey); and London Heathrow Airport and Manchester Airport (United Kingdom).

“We do not know the timing of these cities, but with major airports in Southern California reaching gate capacity, we view this as an opportunity,” White said. “It is our goal to have conversations with as many international carriers as possible to ensure PSP is considered for service as more pre-clearance cities are added.”

The new Calgary to Palm Springs flight will be onboard Air Canada A320, which offers premium and economy cabins. Tickets are available now and can be purchased through Air Canada’s app, at aircanada.com, and through travel agents.

Desert Sun reporter Sherry Barkas covers Tourism and Families. She can be reached at sherry.barkas@thedesertsun.com or (760) 778-4694. Follow her on Twitter @TDSsherry