Air Canada Adds a New Option for Getting to the Philippines on Points

Air Canada has announced its newest destination: Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.

This new nonstop service from Vancouver (YVR) will launch in April 2025, just ahead of the busy summer travel period.

“With an extensive domestic and transborder network in Vancouver designed to connect seamlessly to our international flights, we are making travel between North America and the Philippines even more convenient for leisure and business travelers alike,” said Mark Galardo, executive vice president of revenue, network and planning and Air Canada.

Here are the details about Air Canada’s new route.

Air Canada Adding Nonstop Flights to Manila

Air Canada’s new route to Manila offers a much-needed new points-and-miles option for traveling to the Philippine archipelago.

When the route launches on April 2, 2025, it will operate 3 times per week until May 1, when an additional weekly frequency will be added, bringing the total to 4 weekly flights.

The route will be operated by Air Canada’s fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners which feature economy, premium, and business class cabins.

Flights will operate according to the schedule below:

• Depart Vancouver (YVR) 1:55 a.m. — Arrive Manila (MNL) 6:20 a.m. (+1)
• Depart Manila (MNL) 9:25 a.m. — Arrive Vancouver 6:20 a.m.

Air Canada’s new route will become just the second operated by a North American carrier between the continent and Manila, joining Star Alliance partner United Airlines and its nonstop service from San Francisco (SFO).

This is important news for flyers. While Philippine Airlines, the nation’s flag carrier, operates a fairly robust network of flights to North America — serving Toronto (YYZ) and Vancouver (YVR) in Canada in addition to Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA) in the U.S. — it’s very difficult to use points and miles to book Philippine Airlines flights, which doesn’t have any transfer partners from U.S. credit card rewards to its Mabuhay Miles loyalty program.

Air Canada’s addition of nonstop flights to Manila opens up a new avenue for redeeming points and miles to the Philippines, as you’ll see below.

How To Book

Tickets are readily available for purchase online at aircanada.com. However, if you prefer to use points and miles to book your flights, you have a variety of options to book with programs that are transfer partners of major rewards programs such as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

For example, Air Canada’s loyalty program, Aeroplan, has transfer partnerships with both American Express and Chase. And United MileagePlus, another option for booking Air Canada flights, is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards.

For a deeper look at the best ways to book Air Canada business class with points, read our in-depth guide.

Final Thoughts

Air Canada’s new route from Vancouver to Manila will provide more connectivity from destinations across North America to the Philippines. Air Canada has been bolstering its Vancouver hub recently, so if you’re looking for another points option for getting to and from the Philippines in addition to United’s flights from San Francisco, this is great news.

Here’s to the success of Air Canada’s newest route and the continued growth of its network from Vancouver.