First Air, Canadian North to codeshare flights starting this summer
Airlines will sell seats and cargo space on the other's flights on certain routes
First Air and Canadian North have announced they will now "codeshare" some routes, selling seats and cargo space on the other airline's flights.
This comes after an announcement last October that the two airlines were no longer planning to merge.
On its website, Canadian North says the Northern airlines' "extraordinarily high operating costs versus relatively low passenger and cargo volumes" meant the scheduled flights of both airlines were not sustainable.
The airlines say codeshares are less complex than mergers but carry many of the same benefits, including better flight schedules and improved connections for passengers.
Canadian North/First Air codeshare routes
- Edmonton - Yellowknife
- Yellowknife - Norman Wells - Inuvik
- Yellowknife - Kugluktuk - Cambridge Bay
- Yellowknife - Rankin Inlet - Iqaluit
- Ottawa - Iqaluit
- Iqaluit - Pangnirtung - Qikiqtarjuaq
- Iqaluit - Clyde River - Pond Inlet
The airlines will operate a new flight schedule between Iqaluit and Ottawa. From Ottawa, First Air will fly everyday at 9:15 a.m. and Canadian North will fly at 12:45 p.m. Flights to Ottawa will leave Iqaluit at 1:45 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Also as part of the partnership, new daily jet service will replace Dash 8 flights between Yellowknife and Cambridge Bay. Non-stop flights between Yellowknife and Inuvik will be added Mondays and Fridays, and a Monday morning flight southbound from Yellowknife will be introduced.
Shared flights between First Air and Canadian North are expected to start in August.