Air Canada will offer two daily bus trips from Muskoka to Toronto Pearson International Airport starting June 15.
The expansion comes after Air Canada renewed its agreement with The Landline Company to extend bus service with 26 daily departures to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport across Niagara Falls, Sarnia, and Muskoka.
“There’s a revenue model here for the airport. So, we hope that will continue to build business here for our airport. I think the bigger economic impact is the amount of inbound tourism that can be possible here,” said District Chair Jeff Lehman. “I think it’s a very convenient service for Muskoka residents, but the economic impact primarily comes from the people who will come in from Pearson and be able to see us as a destination.”
He said the new service features two daily round-trips connecting Muskoka Airport and Toronto Pearson. The bus service schedule is designed to coordinate with the airline’s global flight network, allowing travelers to book their entire journey through the app and start or end their trip directly in Muskoka.
Lehman also said it will be a more affordable option for residents traveling out of Muskoka, as they will be able to park and leave their vehicles for free at Muskoka Airport and begin their journey abroad by boarding the Air Canada bus.
Val Hamilton, Executive Director of Muskoka Tourism, said this is “a huge milestone for tourism” as they are able to now connect travelers from around the world who have always been interested in Muskoka but are not sure how to get there.
“The great thing about this is it’s going to support our high season in the summer, but the fact that we’re going to be able to use this the other three seasons of the year to drive tourism, we have over 100 accommodators in Muskoka and we know they’re also eager to get the word out to potential customers that they can now use the service,” said Hamilton.
Maciej Habrych, CEO of Muskoka Airport Inc., said Air Canada passengers starting their trip at Muskoka Airport will check in as usual, receive boarding passes and baggage tags, and board a luxury bus to Toronto Pearson International Airport.
He also said travelers will receive the same benefits as air-only itineraries, including disruption protection and Aeroplan points, and those with existing bookings can add the Muskoka Airport segment at no extra cost by calling Air Canada.
“Air Canada has been very encouraged by the success of the Landline luxury motorcoach service, which leverages the convenience of intermodal transport to extend our network into local communities,” said Singh. “Customers greatly enjoy the comforts of Landline’s luxury motorcoaches, which make it easy for them to connect seamlessly between their regional airports and Air Canada’s Toronto Pearson global hub.”
