Gallery Update: FINALLY Catching an Air Canada A220!

I never expected Air Canada to give me so much grief in my attempts at spotting one of their Airbus A220-300s at PDX!

Two months ago, I tried to catch their inaugural arrival into PDX, which I never got to see because the inbound flight was late. I hoped it would be a one-time occurrence, but much to my disappointment, Air Canada's inbound flight from Toronto has been chronically late ever since (trends on FlightAware and FlightRadar24 confirms that!). I decided to switch it up and look at their morning departures instead. While not flying daily like before COVID times, they are still keeping the plane and crew overnight at PDX before returning to Toronto until the following morning. And thankfully, the trends showed that the return trips to their Toronto hub have been relatively on time, so I decided to make a quick spotting trip just to catch Air Canada's Airbus A220-300.

I didn't stick around too long because my preferred spotting area on the top level of the short-term parking garage was inaccessible due to construction activity that's revamping Portland International Airport, so I spotted one floor below from my usual spot. I have a feeling I won't be spotting at PDX for a little while after this...

Portland (PDX)

Preview:

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N278WN) airborne off 28R as SWA3957 for Denver.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N69819) taxiing for departure as UAL2151 for Denver.

UAL215 departing on 28R for Denver.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N388DA) arriving on 28R as DAL1440 from Los Angeles.

Air Canada Airbus A220-300 (C-GNGV) taxiing for departure as ACA508 for Toronto-Pearson. Finally, my first time photographing Air Canada's A220!

Arrived over two hours late last night from Toronto as ACA513.

Air Canada officially resumed seasonal mainline flights between Toronto and Portland on June 7 last month. However, unlike previous years, the flights aren't daily but rather thrice-weekly.

It has not been a good year for this route in particular and for Air Canada as a whole. The arriving flight has been chronically late (hence the reason why I've struggled to catch the arriving flights!), air travel on Canadian carriers has been expensive overall, and Air Canada has been struggling with staffing issues, which has resulted in poor customer service and numerous complaints and bad PR!

Air Canada took delivery of their first A220-300 in late-2019.

ACA508 departing on 28R for Toronto-Pearson.

This occasion also marks the first time I've photographed the new Air Canada livery on a mainline aircraft.

The A220 definitely complements the Air Canada fleet well in terms of fuel efficiency on short-haul domestic, transcontinental, and even some international flights. And it's the ideal fit for thinner routes like the one between Portland and Toronto. Plus, it's Canadian-made and designed, so it only makes sense that Canada's flag carrier adopt an aircraft type that was designed and manufactured in their home country. 

While nothing is confirmed, there are rumors going around that Air Canada is considering adding seasonal flights between Portland and Montréal–Trudeau.

Hopefully, Air Canada can get over their current troubles and restore their reputation.