Air Canada bids adieu to first class for Sarasota

Canadians jetting down to the Sarasota-Bradenton area this travel season on Air Canada will lose a class, but gain about 20 seats.

That's because nonstop flights from Toronto to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will be on Air Canada rouge, the airline's new brand that eliminates first class. In its place on the airline's Airbus A319 jets will be another 20 seats, according to Mark Stuckey, vice president of special projects at the Sarasota-Bradenton airport, which goes by the call letters SRQ. Air Canada flies one nonstop flight a day into SRQ in the winter and spring.

Air Canada's rouge has other amenities, including different food and entertainment options. The extra seats, meanwhile, provides the opportunity to bring more snowbirds and vacationers to the region, says Stuckey. The Canadian market has long been a top draw for local tourism officials.