Air Canada is bringing back its daytime flight from Toronto to London Heathrow, giving passengers an unusual alternative to the traditional overnight journey across the Atlantic.

Flight AC862 will depart Toronto Pearson International Airport at 08:30 and arrive at Heathrow at 21:00 on the same calendar day. The daily service will begin on the 1st May 2027 and is scheduled to operate throughout the year.

Air Canada is calling it the Heathrow “Day-tripper”. It will become the airline’s fifth daily flight between Toronto and London, adding extra capacity to one of its most important international routes.

What makes it particularly interesting is not simply the additional frequency. Most eastbound transatlantic flights leave North America during the afternoon or evening and arrive in Europe the following morning. AC862 will complete almost the entire journey during daylight hours.

Air Canada’s daytime Heathrow service will operate to the following schedule:

Both flights will operate daily from the 1st May 2027, subject to government approval and possible schedule changes.

The service will use an Airbus A321XLR featuring Air Canada Signature Class and Economy. Unlike the wide-body aircraft commonly associated with transatlantic routes, the A321XLR is a single-aisle aircraft designed to fly longer distances while making thinner routes and additional frequencies more commercially viable.

Air Canada confirmed the schedule as part of its summer 2027 network expansion.

Toronto is five hours behind London for much of the year. A flight leaving Canada at 08:30 therefore departs when it is already early afternoon in the UK.

After approximately seven and a half hours in the air, passengers arrive at Heathrow at 21:00 local time.

That makes AC862 feel more like a long daytime journey than an overnight flight. Passengers can have breakfast before departure, remain awake during the flight and arrive in Britain close to their normal bedtime.

By comparison, a conventional overnight service might leave Toronto at around 18:00 or 19:00 and arrive in London the following morning. The time difference means the available sleeping period is relatively short, particularly once the meal service, cabin lighting and preparations for landing are taken into account.

For Economy passengers, attempting to sleep in an upright seat for only a few hours can be difficult. The daytime flight removes that expectation completely.

The flight could be particularly attractive to passengers who struggle to sleep on aircraft.

Rather than arriving in London early in the morning after a poor night’s rest, travellers can remain awake during the flight, reach their hotel late in the evening and sleep in a proper bed.

It may also suit:

Business travellers may also appreciate being able to work during the flight and sleep normally after arriving. However, the late arrival means the service is unlikely to be useful for anyone expecting to attend a meeting or event in London that evening.

A daytime flight may make the transition to UK time easier for some passengers.

Travellers can remain awake during the journey, arrive in the evening and go to bed soon afterwards. If they sleep through the night, they may begin their first full day in Britain feeling more rested than they would after a short and disrupted night onboard.

However, this will depend on the individual. Passengers beginning their journey elsewhere in North America may have already been awake for many hours before reaching Toronto. A very early connecting flight could undermine the benefit of taking the daytime transatlantic service.

It will also be important to avoid sleeping for too long during the flight. Arriving at 21:00 after a substantial onboard nap could make it harder to fall asleep once in London.

A scheduled arrival at 21:00 sounds convenient, but passengers are unlikely to leave Heathrow at exactly that time.

The aircraft must taxi to its stand, passengers need to disembark and most international arrivals must pass through immigration. Anyone with checked luggage will then need to wait at baggage reclaim.

Even if the flight arrives punctually, some passengers may not reach the arrivals hall until 22:00 or later.

The Heathrow Express takes around 15 minutes to reach London Paddington, while the Elizabeth line and London Underground take longer. Travellers continuing elsewhere in Britain could find that the last practical train of the evening has already departed.

A delay of one or two hours would make the journey more difficult. Public transport options become less frequent late at night, and passengers may need to use a taxi or book a hotel close to Heathrow.

Anyone considering AC862 should therefore check how they will travel from the airport before booking. The daytime flight works best when the final destination is London or when an airport hotel has been arranged.

The Day-tripper will be operated by Air Canada’s new Airbus A321XLR, rather than a traditional twin-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 787 or Airbus A330.

The aircraft will offer two cabins: Air Canada Signature Class and Economy.

For some passengers, spending more than seven hours on a single-aisle aircraft may be less appealing than travelling on a wide-body. There is only one aisle, boarding can feel slower and passengers may have fewer opportunities to move around the cabin.

The smaller aircraft also makes the unusual frequency possible. Its range and operating economics allow Air Canada to add another daily Toronto to Heathrow service without needing to fill a much larger wide-body aircraft.

Passengers choosing between Air Canada’s five daily flights should therefore compare both the schedule and aircraft type.

Air Canada’s daytime Toronto to Heathrow flight offers a genuinely useful alternative for passengers who cannot sleep comfortably onboard. Remaining awake during the journey, arriving in Britain in the evening and sleeping in a proper bed could make the transatlantic experience far less exhausting.

The compromise is a 21:00 arrival at Heathrow, which leaves little room for delays and may make onward travel beyond London difficult. For passengers starting in Toronto with a hotel waiting in London, AC862 could be an excellent option. For those connecting at either end, a conventional overnight flight may still be more practical.