New Canada–Ecuador routes

Ecuador is a small South American country that flies a bit under the radar for too many travelers. I loved my time in this underrated destination, which offers a lot of variety for its size. Especially my time on the famous Galápagos Islands! The country will now be accessible on 2 direct routes from Canada.

Air Canada has unveiled its full schedule for next winter, and these 2 brand-new routes to Ecuador complement the previously announced exciting new Canada–Sapporo route, as well as a few other changes I’ll also list below.

South America is a continent I really enjoy, and I’m glad that more and more travelers are discovering it. Ecuador is generally a good place for affordable trips, and Flytrippers helps you travel for less to anywhere through our 3 types of content, namely flight deals, travel rewards, and tips/inspiration/news.

Here are all the details of the new Canada–Ecuador routes, and the reasons to visit this destination.

What are the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

The new Canada–Ecuador airline routes are to Quito (UIO) from both Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL) on Air Canada. The airline just announced these routes on January 28, 2026; these will be the only routes between Canada and the South American country. 

Here’s the essential info about the new Canada–Ecuador routes:

• Offered by Canadian airline Air Canada
  • Global full-service airline
  • Star Alliance member
  • Fleet of 335 aircraft
  • Network of 192 destinations
• Between Quito (UIO) and Toronto (YYZ)/Montreal (YUL)
  • Montreal and Toronto are Air Canada’s largest hubs
  • Quito is the capital of Ecuador (not the largest city, though)
• Accessible from 50+ other cities in Canada
  • With a connecting flight on Air Canada
• Only routes between Canada and Ecuador
  • And there aren’t many US routes either
• Winter seasonal routes (not year-round)
  • From December 2026 to March 2027
• Distance of 3016 and 3151 miles 
  • About equivalent to Montreal–Edinburgh

Let’s now look at our brief analysis of the new routes, the prices (in cash and in points), the aircraft, the airport lounges, the schedules, the destination, the alternative routes, and Air Canada’s other winter schedule announcements.

Are these new Canada–Ecuador routes good?

As a reminder, it’s always excellent news for travelers when there are new routes on the market.

If you’re a traveler who prefers saving money, these new routes specifically won’t be that useful, as Air Canada usually charges a significant premium for its long-distance flights, compared to other airlines (at least most of the time; we sometimes spot Air Canada flights in our deals).

But new routes do tend to force all airlines to reduce the prices of their connecting flights to that destination! So these new Canada–Ecuador routes are good to get cheaper flights to this destination.

If you’re a traveler who prefers saving time and/or being loyal to Air Canada, these new routes are very convenient. Especially if you live in Toronto or Montreal, obviously. But the routing from other Canadian cities (with a stop in YYZ or YUL) could also often be a better option than what was previously available.

And it’s a new country reachable on Air Canada planes while taking advantage of Air Canada travel benefits (like free bags, lounge access; priority boarding, etc.; updated post about this coming soon)! So these new Canada–Ecuador routes are good to get a better routing and/or to fly on Air Canada.

What is the price (in cash) for the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

In cash (or in points of the more simple type), the price of these new routes, whether as direct flights from Toronto or Montreal or as connecting flights via Toronto or Montreal, seems higher than the current connecting flight options (as is almost always the case with long-distance flights on Air Canada).

But flight prices obviously always vary, and it’s obviously way too early to get the best price (as almost always).

Here are the prices (in cash) spotted for the new Canada–Ecuador routes:

• From Toronto (direct)
  • 833 CAD roundtrip
  • Or 83,300 points of the more simple type
• From Montreal (direct)
  • 833 CAD roundtrip
  • Or 83,300 points of the more simple type
• From Vancouver (connecting)
  • 904 CAD roundtrip
  • Or 90,400 points of the more simple type

However, on many dates, prices are 1000 CAD roundtrip (100,000 points of the more simple type).

To compare, Flytrippers spots flight deals to Quito relatively often, in the $400s roundtrip from Toronto, in the $500s roundtrip from Montreal and Vancouver, etc. 

What is the price (in points) for the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

In points of the more lucrative type, flights on Air Canada are rarely a good deal with Air Canada’s Aeroplan points.

They’re the best points… but it’s so much better to redeem them for flights on Aeroplan partner airlines, which have fixed pricing (guaranteed prices). Flights on Air Canada have dynamic pricing (variable prices), so you’ll rarely get an outsized value compared to the price in cash.

If you want to maximize the value of your precious Aeroplan points, it’s vital to understand that some redemptions are great and others are not great. It’s usually much savvier to keep them for a better redemption: for business class flights in luxurious lie-flat seats or for economy class flights that are expensive in cash!

Here are the prices (in points) spotted for the new Canada–Ecuador routes:

• From Toronto (direct)
  • Economy: 56,500 points + $183 (roundtrip)
  • Business: 157,600 points + $183 (roundtrip)
• From Montreal (direct)
  • Economy: 56,200 points + $184 (roundtrip)
  • Business: 154,300 points + $184 (roundtrip)
• From Vancouver (connecting)
  • Economy: 73,600 points + $186 (roundtrip)
  • Business: 221,700 points + $186 (roundtrip)

To put that into perspective, the 13-hour flight to Asia in a luxurious lie-flat seat worth $4000+ booked by Andrew, Flytrippers’ other co-founder, cost him the guaranteed fixed price of 75,000 Aeroplan points! For Europe, he paid the guaranteed fixed price of 60,000 points! Much better deals.

For sure, South America isn’t as easily accessible in a lie-flat seat as Europe or Asia (there are fewer flights; we don’t spot nearly as many in our new business class deals section). But we can’t recommend spending that many points for flights that aren’t even that long, and aren’t even overnight.

Which aircraft will operate the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

The aircraft model greatly affects the flight experience, and the new Canada–Ecuador routes will both be operated by Air Canada’s great and recent Boeing 787 Dreamliner widebody aircraft (but it’s a different variant for each flight).

Here are the aircraft for the new Canada–Ecuador flights on Air Canada:

• YYZ: Operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (widebody aircraft)
  • 247 seats in economy class
    • 3-3-3 layout
    • 31″ pitch and 17″ width
  • 21 seats in premium economy class
    • 2-3-2 layout
    • 38″ pitch and 19″ width
  • 30 seats in business class (AC Signature Class)
    • 1-2-1 layout (direct aisle access for all)
    • Lie-flat pod seat (reverse herringbone)
• YUL: Operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (widebody aircraft)
  • 214 seats in economy class
    • 3-3-3 layout
    • 31″ pitch and 17″ width
  • 21 seats in premium economy class
    • 2-3-2 layout
    • 38″ pitch and 19″ width
  • 20 seats in business class (AC Signature Class)
    • 1-2-1 layout (direct aisle access for all)
    • Lie-flat pod seat (reverse herringbone)

To provide context, the new WestJet seats that caused quite the controversy offered 28″ of pitch (the space between rows). And 31″ is pretty standard for widebody planes.

We love the B787 Dreamliners, designed to make long-distance flights more comfortable. It’s the same plane as the new Canada–Sapporo route, and Andrew shared that he enjoyed his Air Canada B787 flights and liked both the soft product (the food and the service) and the hard product (the seat). He has more experience, but I was with him on the flight to Greece, and I agree.

Someday, I will also probably try the AC Signature business class when the price will be close to the guaranteed fixed price on Aeroplan partner airlines (it happens sometimes), but I haven’t done it yet either. It’s a lie-flat seat with direct aisle access, so it’s probably great, but the almost-always higher price is just not worth it to me (compared to flying business class on partner airlines).

What are the VIP airport lounges for the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

Lounges are amazing to make your airport experience way more enjoyable, and it’s easy for all Canadians to access them for free to be paid to access them. Whether it’s in Toronto/Montreal on the outbound or in Quito on the inbound, you have great options (and also in other Canadian cities if you’re departing from elsewhere).

Here are the lounge options for the new Canada–Ecuador flights (lounge networks):

• Toronto (YYZ)
  • Plaza Premium Lounge (T1 International)
• Montreal (YUL)
  • Aspire AMEX Lounge (International)
  • Air France Lounge
  • National Bank Lounge
• Quito (UIO)
  • Sala VIP Internacional Lounge
  • Layover Stay Lounge

Here are the lounge options for the new Canada–Ecuador flights (premium Aeroplan cards only):

• Toronto (YYZ)
  • Maple Leaf Lounge (International)
• Montreal (YUL)
  • Maple Leaf Lounge (International)

Here are the lounge options for the new Canada–Ecuador flights (Star Alliance access only):

• Toronto (YYZ)
  • Same as premium Aeroplan cards above
• Montreal (YUL)
  • Same as premium Aeroplan cards above
• Quito (UIO)
  • No lounges, unfortunately

I don’t fly through Canada often as a digital nomad, but Andrew has tried almost all these Canadian lounges and will share his impressions, along with all the ways you can access them.

Make sure to sign up for our separate free newsletter specifically about travel rewards to get our upcoming ultimate guide to airport lounge access (join 150,000+ savvy Canadian travelers who receive our tips, deals, and more).

What are the schedules for the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

I’m listing both routes separately.

Here are the detailed schedules for the new Toronto–Ecuador flights:

• Only 1x per week
  • Saturday to Ecuador
  • Sunday to Canada
• Scheduled with no overnight flight
  • AC960 YYZ-UIO (6h15): 17:55 to 00:10 (+1)
  • AC961 UIO-YYZ (6h10): 9:00 to 15:10
• Starts December 5, 2026
  • Ends March 21, 2027

Here are the detailed schedules for the new Montreal–Ecuador flights:

• Only 3x per week
  • Wednesday/Friday/Sunday to Ecuador
  • Monday/Thursday/Saturday to Canada
• Scheduled with no overnight flight
  • AC962 YUL-UIO (6h30): 17:40 to 00:10 (+1)
  • AC963 UIO-YUL (6h15): 9:00 to 15:15
• Starts December 4, 2026
  • Ends March 27, 2027

A frequency of just 3x or 1x per week is low, but it’s pretty common for an all-new long-distance route. It’s certainly always better than no flight at all. 

Why visit Ecuador with the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

I want to share a bit of my experience in Ecuador, as Flytrippers’ other co-founder Andrew did with the destinations for a few recent new route announcements (to Albania and to Senegal; 2 countries I also enjoyed).

I visited Ecuador in 2017, at the very beginning of my journey as a digital nomad. So it’s been a while, but I’ll still share recent info, along with my insights.

The highlight of my Ecuador trip was undoubtedly the stunning Galápagos Islands. I very much enjoyed the capital Quito, too. I also visited Guayaquil which was interesting, albeit a more acquired taste due to the safety issues (still today). I’ll cover the safety element at the end.

In the Galápagos, I got to experience 3 different islands:

• Santa Cruz to see mega turtles
• San Cristobal to see sea iguanas and seals
• Isabela to do amazing snorkeling

The Galápagos are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The volcanic islands host many endemic species, and they actually inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution.

The islands are far from the mainland (about 900 km), so you must fly from Quito for approximately 400 CAD roundtrip.

The islands are relatively close together, though. We took boats between the islands for approximately 35 USD (it still seems to be the same price).

Quito, where the new Air Canada route takes you, is the capital (but not the largest city).

It’s not well known, but the old town is considered the best-preserved in the entire Americas, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (it was even among the very first sites added to the list).

It’s definitely the best city to arrive in Ecuador.

I loved the old town and its colonial architecture, with its many beautiful churches. 

The other very popular city is Cuenca, which also has nice colonial architecture. Many actually prefer Cuenca over Quito.

I wish I had gone.

And there’s actually a nice hotel that’s an amazing deal with Marriott Bonvoy points: you can get the Four Points by Sheraton Cuenca hotel is a highly-rated full-service property that costs as little as 6,900 points per night (34,500 points for 5 nights), which is only 3,450 points per night per person with a travel companion!

(We’ll have A LOT of Marriott content VERY SOON!!!)

Guayaquil is the last place I visited. It’s actually the most populous city in Ecuador and the country’s economic hub.

I enjoyed exploring the downtown area, but it’s certainly not as safe as the more popular destinations.

As for the variety I mentioned, we already covered the amazing biodiversity on the Galápagos Islands as well as the beautiful cities of Quito and Cuenca. Well, Ecuador also has great Andes Mountains landscapes and a beautiful coastline.

For mountain lovers, the most popular destinations are Cotopaxi National Park with its volcanoes, Baños, the Laguna del Quilotao, the Amazon Rainforest, the Mindo Cloudforest, Papallacta Hot Springs, and the Vilcabamba Mountains.

For ocean lovers, the most popular destinations are Montañita and Puerto López with small-town beach vibes and Machalilla National Park. Manta is a more typical touristy beach resort town.

That said, the coast is actually far from most other attractions. So maybe the ocean views from the Galápagos will be enough to give you your coastal fix for this particular trip.

Ecuador is pretty affordable, especially outside of the more touristy Galápagos Islands.

For example, the Hotel + Arte (rated 9.0/10) with a great city center location in Quito is just 34 CAD per night (17 CAD per night per person with a travel companion).

If you want to splurge on a nicer property, there’s no great option to redeem you Marriott free night certificates because luxury hotels aren’t so expensive. For example, the JW Marriott Quito is just 246 CAD per night.

JW Marriott is a 5-star high-end luxury brand. And remember that luxury is so much better outside of North America (just like everything in travel is better outside of North America, in case you sadly didn’t know).

As for safety, I think it’s important to read what Andrew said in the Senegal post. We don’t agree on everything, but we certainly do about this. I’m arguably even more convinced (I just visited Mogadishu, one of the world’s “most dangerous cities”).

So, by all actual accounts, most of Ecuador is safe. Even the very alarmist Canadian Government travel advisories rank most of the country at the same level as France, with the Galápagos Islands being even ranked as the safest classification.

There has been unrest in some parts of the country, which is very geographically constrained, as are almost all the “risks” that everyone is way too scared about as inexperienced travelers. You can simply avoid these specific areas, including parts of the city of Guayaquil (that’s not that great to visit anyway).

What are the alternatives to the new Canada–Ecuador routes?

Ecuador is a badly served destination with not that many flights. And as mentioned, there are no other Canada–Ecuador routes.

That said, getting to Ecuador from Canada was already relatively efficient with a variety of 1-stop routings, via the US, Colombia, or Panama.

Here are the alternative routings for Canada–Ecuador flights:

• United Airlines (Star Alliance)
  • Via Houston (IAH)
• American Airlines (oneworld)
  • Via Miami (MIA)
• Delta Air Lines (SkyTeam)
  • Via Atlanta (ATL)
• avianca (Star Alliance)
  • Via Bogotá (BOG)
• Copa Airlines (Star Alliance)
  • Via Panama City (PTY)

The cheapest or the fastest flights will depend on your specific dates, obviously. If you’re flexible, make sure to search for the cheapest dates.

What else is new in Air Canada’s winter schedule?

Completely new destinations are obviously always the most interesting announcement, but in addition to these 2 Ecuador routes and the new Sapporo route, Air Canada also increased services on 5 existing South American routes, made 2 existing seasonal routes year-round, and added 2 other new seasonal routes.

Here are the increased services on 5 routes:

• Toronto (YYZ) – Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
  • Seasonal flights resuming 6 weeks earlier
• Toronto (YYZ) – Lima (LIM)
  • Seasonal flights resuming 6 weeks earlier
  • 3x weekly flights instead of 2x
• Montreal (YUL) – Lima (LIM)
  • Seasonal flights resuming 6 weeks earlier
  • 3x weekly flights instead of 2x
• Montreal (YUL) – Santiago (SCL)
  • Seasonal flights resuming 3 weeks earlier
  • 4x weekly flights instead of 3x
• Montreal (YUL) – Bogotá (BOG)
  • 4x weekly flights instead of 3x

This is quite the impressive boost to Air Canada’s South American network. It’s certainly at least somewhat related to many Canadians not wanting to visit the usual US sun destinations (even though 50,000+ Canadians go to the US every single day).

Here are the 2 newly-extended routes:

• Toronto (YYZ) – Copenhagen (CPH)
  • Now year-round
• Toronto (YYZ) – Manchester (MAN)
  • Now year-round

These were summer seasonal routes, but they will be extended to year-round thanks to the brand-new Airbus A321XLR we mentioned when we talked about another new destination, Mallorca.

Here are the other 2 new seasonal routes:

• Calgary (YYC) – Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
  • December 10 to April 10
  • 3x weekly
• Calgary (YYC) – Cancún (CUN)
  • December 11 to April 11
  • 4x weekly

This will make Calgary sun-lovers very happy, as Air Canada has a very limited network at WestJet’s main hub.

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Summary

Air Canada is launching 2 new Canada–Ecuador routes, and these are actually the only airline routes between the great South American country and all of Canada! Ecuador is a fascinating destination that offers quite a bit of variety and is certainly too underrated. These new winter seasonal routes are therefore great news for travelers.

What would you like to know about these new Canada–Ecuador routes? Tell us in the comments below.

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Featured image: Galápagos Islands and Quito, Ecuador (photo credit: Nathalie Marquis & Andres Medina, edited by Flytrippers)