Air Canada Is Adding Five New Winter Destinations From Canada, Including Roatán, Santo Domingo, and Two Destinations in Mexico

The reef begins just offshore in Roatán. Colonial plazas and rooftop restaurants fill the center of Mérida. Santo Domingo brings cobblestone streets, centuries-old architecture and a Caribbean capital built for dining, music and long weekends.

This winter, Air Canada is adding five new destinations from Canada, creating new nonstop options from Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.

The expansion includes new flights from Toronto and Montréal to Roatán, new service from Montréal to Santo Domingo, a new Toronto-Mérida route and new flights from Vancouver to Mazatlán.

The seasonal services will begin between November and December and continue through April, giving Canadian travelers a new collection of warm-weather options during the heart of winter.

Two New Nonstop Routes to Roatán

Air Canada will launch its first flights to Roatán, Honduras, one of the Caribbean’s leading diving and snorkeling destinations.

The airline will operate nonstop service from Montréal on Saturdays, beginning Dec. 12 and continuing through April 10.

A second route will connect Toronto and Roatán on Sundays from Dec. 13 through April 11.

The two flights place the Honduran island within a single nonstop trip of Canada’s two largest air hubs, removing the connection traditionally required for many Canadian visitors.

Roatán is part of Honduras’ Bay Islands, set alongside the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world.

The island is known for diving, snorkeling, mangrove tours and beaches including West Bay, where hotels and restaurants line a broad curve of sand.

The reef is close enough to shore in many parts of Roatán that you can spend the day snorkeling directly from the beach, then move between small restaurants, beach bars and waterfront hotels.

The island has also added several higher-end resorts in recent years, including the Kimpton Grand Roatán Resort and Spa, which opened on West Bay Beach with rooms, suites, bungalows and a large oceanfront pool.

Other options include Ibagari Boutique Hotel, Mayan Princess Beach and Dive Resort and Anthony’s Key Resort, one of the island’s best-known dive properties.

The new Air Canada routes give Canadian travelers a direct link to a Caribbean island that feels very different from the region’s larger resort destinations.

Montréal Is Getting New Flights to Santo Domingo

Air Canada is also launching new nonstop flights between Montréal and Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

The service will operate four times each week, with flights scheduled on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays.

The seasonal route begins Dec. 10 and continues through April 18, making Santo Domingo one of the most frequently served destinations among Air Canada’s new winter additions.

Santo Domingo offers a different type of Dominican Republic vacation from Punta Cana or Puerto Plata.

The experience begins in the Colonial Zone, the historic district where restored buildings, churches, plazas, museums, restaurants and boutique hotels fill a walkable section of the capital.

You can stay in a converted historic house, spend the afternoon around Plaza de España and dine inside buildings dating back hundreds of years.

Hotels in the district include Casas del XVI, a collection of restored residences spread across the Colonial Zone, along with properties such as Billini Hotel and Kimpton Las Mercedes.

The city also has a growing dining scene beyond the historic center, particularly in neighborhoods including Piantini and Naco.

Santo Domingo can work as a stand-alone city trip, but the new route also creates options for combining the capital with beaches elsewhere in the Dominican Republic.

Boca Chica and Juan Dolio are within driving distance, while the resorts of La Romana and Casa de Campo can be reached by car from the capital.

Toronto Is Getting a New Way to Reach Mérida

Air Canada will begin nonstop flights between Toronto and Mérida, Mexico, on Nov. 21.

The route will operate twice each week on Mondays and Saturdays through April 17.

Mérida is the capital of Yucatán and one of Mexico’s strongest destinations for food, architecture and cultural travel.

The historic center is filled with white limestone buildings, courtyards, churches and public squares. Paseo de Montejo, the city’s grand boulevard, is lined with former mansions that now house museums, restaurants, cafés and boutique hotels.

Yucatecan cuisine is central to the experience.

Menus includ dishes like cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, panuchos, papadzules and seafood brought in from the nearby Gulf Coast.

Mérida also serves as a base for exploring the wider Yucatán Peninsula.

The Maya site of Uxmal is reachable on a day trip, while cenotes, haciendas and smaller archaeological sites are spread throughout the region.

The coastal town of Progreso is about 30 minutes from the city, giving travelers the option of adding a beach day to a cultural itinerary.

Hotels range from restored historic properties to modern urban resorts, including Chablé Yucatán outside the city, Casa Lecanda, Rosas & Xocolate and Wayam Mundo Imperial.

The Toronto flight gives Canadian travelers a new alternative to Mexico’s larger beach destinations, with a vacation built around restaurants, architecture, markets and regional history.

Vancouver Is Getting New Mazatlán Flights

Air Canada will add nonstop service between Vancouver and Mazatlán beginning Dec. 15.

The flights will operate twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays through April 9.

Mazatlán combines a long Pacific beach district with one of Mexico’s most compelling historic centers.

The Centro Histórico is filled with restored buildings, plazas, galleries and restaurants, while the Malecón follows the water for miles through the city.

Travelers can divide a stay between the beach resort district and the old city, moving between seafood restaurants, historic streets and waterfront hotels.

Mazatlán is particularly well known for shrimp, ceviche and Pacific seafood, along with a lively local music culture.

The destination offers a more urban Mexican beach experience than smaller resort towns, with a working city beyond the hotel district.

The new Vancouver route will operate during the peak Canadian winter season, giving travelers in British Columbia another direct option on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

A Broader Air Canada Winter Expansion

The five new destinations are part of a much larger Air Canada winter program.

The airline is also adding new nonstop routes from Canadian cities to Aruba, Jamaica, Punta Cana, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Costa Rica and several Mexican destinations.

New Caribbean service includes Montréal-Aruba, Edmonton-Montego Bay, Winnipeg-Montego Bay, Winnipeg-Punta Cana, Quebec City-Pointe-à-Pitre and Halifax-Bridgetown.

Air Canada is also launching new flights from Vancouver to Liberia in Costa Rica, Monterrey and Puerto Escondido, along with additional Mexico service from Calgary.

The expansion gives Canadian travelers more ways to reach the Caribbean and nearby warm-weather destinations without connecting through Toronto or Montréal.

Air Canada said the new routes are part of a wider effort to grow its leisure network from cities across the country, supported by expanding Air Canada Rouge and Airbus A220 operations.

Why the New Routes Stand Out

The new destinations are notable because they extend beyond the traditional Canadian winter vacation map.

Roatán brings direct flights to a smaller Caribbean island built around the reef.

Santo Domingo offers a Dominican Republic trip centered on culture, food and history rather than an all-inclusive beach resort.

Mérida gives Toronto travelers a direct route into the Yucatán Peninsula’s culinary and archaeological heart.

Mazatlán adds another Pacific option from Vancouver, combining beaches with a historic Mexican city.

Each route is seasonal, with service concentrated between late fall and spring.

If you’re traveling from Canada, this means you have more opportunities for escaping winter — including destinations where the vacation begins far beyond the resort pool.

The post Air Canada Is Adding Five New Winter Destinations From Canada, Including Roatán, Santo Domingo, and Two Destinations in Mexico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.