It’s July 1st – which can only mean one thing – it’s Canada Day. And the annual celebration of Canada’s confederation is extra special this year as the country marks its 150th anniversary. Back in 1867 the three British Empire colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick joined together and declared their independence from British rule.
But that’s not the only birthday being celebrated today. Air Canada’s vacation airline, Air Canada Rouge has turned four years old. The airline was only established in 2013 to provide leisure air travel as an offshoot of Canada’s flag carrier. Since then, Rouge has already grown from a fleet of just 4 to 48 aircraft, flying to over 100 destinations across five continents. A big step up from the 14 original destinations in the fledgeling airline’s route network.
The airline has a mix of Airbus A319, Airbus A321 and Boeing 767 aircraft, with an additional widebody still to be delivered. The A319’s and 767’s are reasonably old with an average age of 19 years, although the A319’s have all had high-speed wi-fi installed. The A321’s and 767’s are set to have the same service fitted by the end of 2018.
As an explainer, Air Canada Rouge is 100% owned by Air Canada but it does have its own Air Operators Certificate (AOC) and management team. It was set up to act as a budget leisure airline, offering travellers a cheaper way to get to their favourite vacation spots. At the time of its launch, destinations included Toronto to Venice and Edinburgh.
To say, Canadians embraced their new airline would be an understatement. In its short existence, the carrier has already flown 16 million customers. So far this year, Air Canada Rouge has added the following routes to its network this year:
- Montreal to Algiers / Marseilles / Reykjavik
- Toronto to Berlin / Reykjavik
- Vancouver to Nagoya / London–Gatwick
On top of those new routes, the carrier will be adding a slew of new destinations this fall:
- Montreal to Lima / Phoenix
- Toronto to Cartagena / Belize City / St. Vincent
- Vancouver to Orlando.
The airline’s rapid expansion has seen it add 33 new routes not previously operated by Air Canada. It even added the airline’s first route to Africa – meaning the Air Canada group now flies to all six continents on earth.
Speaking about Air Canada Rouge’s success, the parent company’s president Benjamin Smith commented: “It has also been a key driver of Air Canada’s strategy, enabling us to increase capacity, add frequencies and compete effectively in leisure markets to give our customers an ever-expanding choice of destinations and travel options.”
Air Canada Rouge Hiring Flight Attendants Now
And that success means more jobs. So far, Air Canada Rouge employs 1,800 staff – 1,260 of those are the so-called Rouge Crew or flight attendants to you or me. But that number will be outdated very soon.
Air Canada Rouge is currently hiring flight attendants to join their team in Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto. Candidates interested in the positions in Montreal or Toronto will need to be bilingual in English and French. You’ll have to be at least 18 years of age and hold a valid Canadian passport. You can find more details on the Air Canada Rouge careers website.
