Rouge trans-Atlantic expansion creates new competitive dynamics in long-haul leisure markets

Air Canada's low-cost carrier Rouge is ratcheting up service to leisure destinations in Europe during the 2014 summer high season, which should prove a definitive test for the carrier's theory that a low cost operation on routes producing softer yields is the correct equation to turn profits.

The growth and operation of Air Canada Rouge to a possible fleet of 50 aircraft is a strategic pillar of the company's efforts to cut its unit costs by 15% - quite a formidable goal. Similar to Rouge's initial roll-out of service from Toronto to Athens, Edinburgh and Venice and from Montreal to Athens, most of Rouge's planned route expansion during 2014 is into markets that have been served by Air Transat during the high season. With just a few months of operations under its belt, no clear-cut conclusions can be made about Rouge's future or the total effects on Air Transat, but Air Canada appears to be throwing down the competitive gauntlet, noting that it is now in a much better position to compete on those routes.