Air Canada, United and Aeromexico Restarted Chile Flights the Same Day — Here's the Breakdown

Three nonstop North American options went from zero to active within the same 24-hour window on Saturday, October 25 — the opening day of the IATA northern winter schedule. Air Canada reactivated its Toronto Pearson–Santiago de Chile link with four weekly departures aboard a 298-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, while United Airlines and Aeromexico simultaneously lifted their seasonal suspensions on the Houston–Santiago and Mexico City–Santiago routes respectively. For Chilean travelers and for Latin Americans routing through Toronto's Pearson hub toward Europe or smaller Canadian markets via Star Alliance partners, the shift was immediate and substantial.

A Seasonal Shutdown Ends Right on Schedule

Air Canada's Chilean operation follows a reliable annual arc: flights open when South America's summer demand builds in late October, then pause through the austral winter while the airline's widebody fleet chases Northern Hemisphere traffic. The 2026–2027 cycle keeps that rhythm but adds density on both gateway ends.

Flight tracking data at Roame.travel confirms nonstop YYZ–SCL service active through March 27, 2027. Outbound flight AC92 departs Toronto at 11:35 p.m. and lands in Santiago at 12:15 p.m. the following day; return flight AC93 lifts off from Santiago at 9:55 p.m. and arrives in Toronto at 6:40 a.m. — a sector running roughly 10 hours and 45 minutes in each direction.

Toronto departures operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays; Santiago-originating returns depart Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, per schedule data from Pontos pra Voar. That is one fewer weekly departure from Toronto than the five the airline ran during the 2025–2026 season — a modest step back that the Montreal corridor helps offset.

Montreal Returns Earlier — and at Greater Frequency

If the Toronto route is an annual reset, the Montreal–Santiago leg represents a real upgrade for the 2026–27 season. The service launches November 27, roughly three weeks ahead of last season's December 17 debut, and now operates at four weekly frequencies — one more than the three it carried when the route first launched. The service runs through March 26, 2027, aboard a 255-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Flight AC52 departs Montreal at 5:45 p.m. and touches down in Santiago the following morning at 6:30 a.m. The return AC53 lifts off at 8:25 a.m. from Santiago and lands in Montreal at 5:30 p.m. Together, both Canadian gateways inject more than 5,000 seats into the Chile–Canada market between now and late March, with Air Canada operating as the only airline running nonstop service between the two countries this season.

Three Carriers, One Weekend — Industry Logic in Action

The synchronized October 25 reactivation of multiple North American operators was not a coincidence. The Santiago Airport operator confirmed that Aeromexico and United also resumed service that Saturday — Aeromexico with six weekly Mexico City flights and United with a daily Houston service — with American Airlines set to follow on December 3 with Dallas/Fort Worth flights. All four carriers have followed near-identical seasonal calendars in Chile for several years, suspending in late March and reactivating at the start of the austral summer.

The immediate result: a traveler booking from Santiago went from zero nonstop North American options to three distinct hubs — Toronto, Houston, and Mexico City — within a single weekend. For anyone connecting onward through Pearson International, Star Alliance's YYZ infrastructure opens access to dozens of Canadian secondary markets and transatlantic routes without a second airline change.

What It Means for Chileans and Latin Travelers With Canada Connections

The demand sustaining these routes is measurable. Chile's Civil Aeronautics Board (JAC) recorded 53,099 passengers on the Toronto–Santiago route in 2024 alone — and the Montreal service did not yet exist that calendar year. A substantial share of that traffic represents Chile's diaspora community in Canada and Latin Americans using Toronto as a transit node to reach Europe and Asia.

The seasonal gap still imposes a hard ceiling: from late March through late October, no direct Canada–Chile service operates, forcing travelers onto U.S. connections. But with Montreal now starting three weeks ahead of last year and both Canadian gateways running four weekly flights, the active window stretches across five consecutive months from late October through late March.

Booking is open now. Air Canada's current pricing shows Economy round-trip fares from Santiago starting at USD 709 for the season, with November departures to Toronto from USD 722. Business Class Signature seats — lie-flat beds in a 1-2-1 direct-aisle configuration — are available at premium fares on both the 787-9 (Toronto) and 787-8 (Montreal). Wi-Fi and individual in-seat entertainment are standard across all cabins.

Chile is not Air Canada's only South American priority this winter. The airline also serves Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Bogotá, and Cartagena. And in December 2026, Air Canada is returning to Quito, Ecuador — resuming the Toronto connection that COVID forced offline in 2020, while adding a new Montreal–Quito leg for the first time, further cementing its position as the leading Canadian carrier in South America.

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