by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 11:40 AM ET, Mon March 23, 2026
Air Canada’s projected 737 MAX schedule for Q3 will be a big jump over the same quarter last year. According to aviation analytics organization Cirium, this year Air Canada’s third quarter will operate the aircraft 31 percent more than in 2025, with increased flights to Europe, mainly from Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
The narrowbody planes have been in use on the transatlantic flights for many years. They are also a hallmark of Air Canada’s expanding sun and leisure routes from Western Canada.
During Q3, the biggest jumps are on routes to secondary airports, places like Ponta Delgado, Edinburgh and Nantes, which may not have the traveller numbers as Lisbon, London or Paris, but nonetheless are seeing a surge in interest, although they will also fly to Heathrow, Reykjavik and Brussels.
According to Simple Flying, passengers should know that premium seats in the front of the cabin are large, (in a 2 by 2 configuration) but aren’t the lay-flat version found on other transatlantic flights.
Many of Air Canada’s 737 MAX aircraft are undergoing a reconfiguration as they ready to be transferred from mainline Air Canada operations to leisure-focused Rouge. Seat capacity will go from 169 to 177. The increased number of seats means the seating capacity on the 737 routes will also go up while the planes are still in use by Air Canada; a 34.2 percent jump from Q3 2025.
In addition to the seating change, the reconfiguration of the planes includes upgrades, such as to the in-flight entertainment system. When the planes go into service as Air Canada Rouge craft, service will include snacks and beverages (including beer and wine in economy.) The change is no doubt welcomed by passengers, but the flight attendants’ CUPE union points out that this works to blur the lines between standards of service between Air Canada and Rouge. They worry that this may lead to the airline downloading more flights to Rouge, where labour costs are less, reports Aviation A2Z.
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