Air Canada and ITA Airways Launch New Codeshare Agreement Ahead of Star Alliance Entry

With Lufthansa acquiring a significant stake in Italian flag carrier ITA Airways, harmonization of operations is still ongoing. ITA Airways, prior to Lufthansa’s investment was part of the SkyTeam alliance and is now aligning all of its operations to a which Lufthansa is a part of. While still awaiting to officially enter the new alliance the Italian carrier is making new ties with airlines in the new soon to join alliance, such as Air Canada.

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What the Air Canada-ITA Airways Codeshare Agreement Includes

North America is a strong focus geographical area for ITA Airways. There are huge Italian heritage communities in Canada and the US which regularly travel to Italy to visit family and friends. Also economic and business ties are strong among the regions.

Therefore a new codeshare agreement between Air Canada and ITA Airways will greatly enhance travel options for passengers across the Atlantic between Italy and Canada.

In practical terms what the new Air Canada ITA Airways codeshare deal involves is that the airlines will apply each other’s flight number to a selection of destinations, effectively enhancing each other’s route network.

10 New ITA Airways Destinations from Toronto Hub

ITA Airways since its launch in 2020 has been focusing heavily on serving transatlantic routes, but some destinations are just not viable to be served with direct flights from Rome Fiumicino.

The new codeshare agreement with Air Canada allows ITA airways passengers to access 10 new destinations from its sole Canadian destination: Toronto (YYZ).

Specifically ITA Airways will be applying its own flight number starting with AZ on Air Canada flights from Toronto to:

• Montreal
• Ottawa
• Vancouver
• Edmonton
• Calgary
• St. John’s
• Boston
• Orlando
• Dallas
• Fort Lauderdale

The last four destinations are in the US, and add another travel option, despite it not being the fastest travel option for some of them.

Air Canada Routes Available from Rome Fiumicino

Air Canada will likewise add its own AC flight number on 10 ITA Airways services from its main hub in Rome Fiumicino airport allowing convenient onwards travel to some of the most sought after tourist destinations in Italy and the Mediterranean, namely:

• Lamezia Terme
• Palermo
• Catania
• Florence
• Bari
• Cairo
• Tunis
• Algiers
• Tirana
• Tel Aviv

How the Hub-to-Hub Connection System Works

The new codeshare Air Canada-ITA Airways codeshare agreement effectively allows both airlines to add a significant number of spokes from each other’s hub. That is simple terms translates to more travel options for anyone traveling between Canada and Italy. You’ll be able to hop on an Air Canada plane in Edmonton and with two simple stops be by the beautiful beaches in southern Italy on a single ticket and check-in.

How This Codeshare Prepares ITA Airways for Star Alliance Entry

ITA Airways is currently not part of any airline alliance. The Italian carrier is, however, working with agreements as the codeshare one just announced with Air Canada on integrating with Star Alliance. ITA Airways is expected soon to enter this alliance as a step towards aligning operations with Lufthansa.

Expected Full Star Alliance Membership by Early 2026

The expected timeframe for ITA Airways to enter Star Alliance is early 2026. We still don’t have an exact date when this is supposed to happen, but the entrance procedures have been already ongoing for a few months. Also, as something that can be seen as a further step towards integrating further with Star Alliance, ITA Airways is likely to enter the Lufthansa loyalty program Miles&More.

What Passengers Can Expect from the New Partnership

Seamless Booking and Connection Process

Codeshare agreements such as this one between Air Canada and ITA Airways are massively useful. They allow to travel seamlessly from and to secondary destinations on a single ticket and reservation. You check in your l luggage and pick it up at destination traveling on both airlines without having to self transfer at any point.

Loyalty Program Integration Coming Soon

This agreement is somehow still incomplete though. Air Canada and ITA Airways will allow seamless travel across their networks to the destinations I’ve covered above. However, there still isn’t any reciprocal loyalty program recognition agreement. What that means is that it’s still not possibile to earn ITA Airways Volare points flying Air Canada and viceversa for Aeroplan points.

However, that is a void the two airlines will soon be filling. Air Canada and ITA Airways are already working on a new agreement which will include such benefits.

Air Canada’s Growing Italian Network Strategy

As for many North American carriers, also for Air Canada Italy has become more and more a strategic destination. Many Americans and Canadians alike have been choosing Italy as the destination for their holidays. That has driven Air Canada to gradually grow its network to include more cities with non-stop flights in Italy.

39 Weekly Flights and 13,000+ Weekly Seats to Italy

So much so that the airline now operates 39 weekly flights across the Atlantic to Italy from Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. That stacks up to a total of over 13,000 weekly seats for the peak summer seasonality.

Four Non-Stop Routes: Rome, Milan, Venice, and Naples

Air Canada now offers flights with non-stop services to three cities in Italy:

• Rome
• Milan
• Venice
• Naples

Rome, Milan and Venice are clearly heavy traffic destinations, while Naples is more of a niche destination for those looking to explore southern Italy. Additionally, Air Canada can now fly to Naples thanks to the long range capabilities of smaller wide bodies such as the 787-8.

Timeline: When Codeshare Flights Begin and Star Alliance Membership Expected

Codeshare Sales Available Now for July 21st Travel

The agreement is live starting July 21st 2025, however codeshare tickets are already on sale (post written on July 17th 2025).

The wait for the the Star Alliance membership will be longer, as mentioned before that won’t happen anytime before early 2026.