Air Canada Launches New Montreal–Seoul Route

Air Canada continues to ramp up its offerings in Asia with the upcoming launch of non-stop flights between Montreal (YUL) and Seoul (ICN).

Beginning June 18, 2024, the airline will offer the seasonal service four times weekly on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Air Canada’s New Montreal–Incheon Route

As of June 18, 2024, Air Canada will be commencing service between Montreal (YUL) and Seoul (ICN). The route is one of the only two transpacific routes out of Montreal, as Air Canada also flies to Tokyo (NRT).

Based on the preliminary schedule listing, this flight will be operated four times weekly, with the following planned schedule:

• AC67 Montreal (YUL) to Seoul (ICN), departing 12:35pm and arriving 4:25pm the following day
• AC68 Seoul (YUL) to Montreal (YUL), departing 6pm and arriving 6:30pm

The flight from Montreal is slated to run 14 hours 50 minutes, and it’s offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Meanwhile, the flight from Seoul clocks in at 13 hours 30 minutes, and it’ll operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

The seasonal route is set to end on October 24, 2024, towards the end of Air Canada’s summer timetable.

Air Canada will fly the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on this route, with economy, premium economy, and business class cabins available for booking.

The flights are already loaded into Air Canada’s schedule, and can be booked across various channels, including Aeroplan.

Booking Air Canada’s New Montreal–Seoul Route

If you’re looking to book the new Montreal–Seoul route, you can choose to book with cash or Aeroplan points, amongst other means.

The flight between Montreal and Seoul measures 6,586 miles, according to Great Circle Mapper.

We’d then need to reference the second distance band on the “Between North America and Pacific zones” section of the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart to get a sense of pricing using points.

A non-stop flight at the lowest dynamic level would cost 45,000 Aeroplan points in economy, 60,000 Aeroplan points in premium economy, or 75,000 Aeroplan points in business class.

However, keep in mind that Air Canada flights booked with Aeroplan points are subject to dynamic pricing. Therefore, you can expect to find a range of prices above this level, especially since the flights are offered during the peak summer period.

If you encounter Air Canada flights at or above the upper end of the dynamic spectrum, consider looking for alternative flights with partner airlines, since you’ll benefit from fixed pricing. Just keep in mind that demand for transpacific award flights in premium cabins remains very high.

As always, if you have Aeroplan Elite Status, you can possibly leverage eUpgrades to score a seat in business class at a lower price.

When it comes to cash fares, a quick search on Google Flights suggests that examples of round-trip flights might price out as follows:

• Economy: ~$2,000
• Premium economy: ~$3,000
• Business class: ~$6,000

As it stands, Air Canada also offers non-stop flights to Seoul from Vancouver and Toronto, and SkyTeam-member Korean Air also flies to Vancouver and Toronto.

Conclusion

Air Canada will offer seasonal non-stop service between Montreal (YUL) and Seoul (ICN) as of June 18, 2024. Canada’s flag carrier will operate the new route as its second transpacific flight out of Montreal, joining its existing service to Tokyo Narita (NRT).

Air Canada has been launching new routes to Asia in the recent past, including Osaka, Singapore, Mumbai, and Bangkok, amongst others. With Seoul being such a popular destination among tourists and the Korean diaspora in Canada alike, it’s not surprising for Air Canada to add a third link to the Korean capital.

If you have a summer trip to Korea planned, be sure to book soon, especially if you can find Aeroplan bookings at the lower end of the dynamic spectrum in any class of service.