Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada’s largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. transborder market and in the international market to and from Canada. In 2007, Air Canada together with its regional affiliate Jazz, operated an average of 1,370 scheduled flights per day and carried over 33 million passengers, providing direct passenger service to over 170 destinations on 5 continents. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance™, providing the world’s most comprehensive air transportation network.
Air Canada’s predecessor, Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) inaugurated its first flight on September 1, 1937. The 50-minute flight aboard a Lockheed L-10A carried two passengers and mail between Vancouver and Seattle. By 1964, TCA had grown to become Canada’s national airline; it changed its name to Air Canada. The airline became fully privatized in 1989.
In 2000, Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines International. Today, Air Canada is the 14th largest commercial airline in the world, with approximately 23,900 full-time equivalent employees. Air Canada shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol “AC-B.TO”.
WHAT’S NEW
A la carte pricing
Air Canada’s redesigned website, aircanada.com, offers innovative à la carte pricing that allows customers on flights within Canada and to or from the United States to customize their travel experience by choosing the options they wish to pay for. A la carte pricing couples Air Canada’s branded fares with optional features, including lounge access, travel assistance, in-flight meal vouchers, checked baggage and Aeroplan miles. Customers build individualized tickets online, paying for perks where desired, and saving on unwanted services.
World-wide aircanada.com websites are available in 15 countries, and four languages, offering Air Canada products plus access to localized services in local currencies. In addition, Air Canada continues to expand its growing array of mobile services at http://mobile.aircanada.com, including mobile check in and mobile boarding passes.
Flight passes
Air Canada is the only airline that offers customers Flight Passes providing the convenience to self-manage travel online, either in the form of pre-purchased banks of one-way flight credits or fixed monthly subscription rates that provide for unlimited flights within chosen geographical zones.
New Fleet and On-Board Features
In 2007, Air Canada began introducing ultra-modern, fuel-efficient Boeing 777 jets on international routes, including the only non-stop service between Vancouver and Sydney, Australia. The carrier will have 18 by early 2009. In 2008, Air Canada will have concluded most of its major fleet-wide refurbishment, consisting of all new seats, seat-back personal entertainment systems with 80 hours of video and 50 hours of audio on demand, as well as standard 110V electrical outlets at arm’s reach for all customers. Concurrently, Air Canada is progressively introducing the first lie-flat beds of any North American carrier in business class across its international fleet. In 2008, Air Canada received its 60th and final new Embraer aircraft for its North American fleet, offering a consistent onboard product fleetwide.
Awards
Air Canada was ranked ‘Best Airline in North America’ in the world’s largest survey of air travelers conducted by the independent UK-based research firm Skytrax between August 2006 and June 2007. Air Transport World magazine awarded Air Canada the prestigious Airline Industry Achievement Award in 2007 for Market Leadership. Air Canada was voted ‘Best Airline in North America’ and ‘Best Airline in Canada’ by readers of the U.S. magazine, Global Traveler, and was voted ‘Best Business Class to Canada’ by readers of the U.S magazine, Business Traveler. EnRoute magazine received the award for Best Travel Magazine at the 2007 North American Travel Journalists’ Association Awards.
GLOBAL NETWORK
Air Canada has an extensive global network, with hubs in four major Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary), providing scheduled passenger jet service directly to 65 Canadian cities, 55 destinations in the United States and 54 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada and its regional affiliate Jazz operate approximately 1,370 scheduled flights each day on average. Through its strategic and commercial arrangements with Star Alliance™ (www.staralliance.com), Air Canada offers service to 965 airports in 162 countries and provides top tier frequent flyer benefits.
A number of new non-stop services were launched in 2007, including Calgary-Seattle, Vancouver-Sacramento, Ottawa – Las Vegas, and Vancouver-Sydney, Australia. In 2008, Air Canada will launch, amongst other new routes, Calgary-Newark, Calgary-Chicago, Ottawa-Washington National, Ottawa-Frankfurt, Toronto–Madrid and Toronto-Austin non-stop service.
OTHER SERVICES
Air Canada’s specialty charter service, Air Canada Jetz, provides air travel and personalized service to professional sports teams, corporate incentive travellers and executive groups, offering a premium business service featuring all-business class seating comfort. Air Canada Vacations (www.aircanadavacations.com) is a leading Canadian tour operator offering a wide assortment of leisure travel package options including cruises, tours and excursions. All packages include accommodation, Aeroplan Miles and roundtrip airfare aboard Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners. Repeat recipient of the Consumer’s Choice Award for Best Travel Wholesaler, Air Canada Vacations services over 100 destinations in the Caribbean, Central & South America, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Air Canada Cargo (www.aircanadacargo.com) provides direct cargo service world wide. In addition to a freighter network extending to Asia and Europe, customers have a choice of various airport-to-airport services for everything from fresh flowers and fine art to seafood and seasonal produce.
| Air Canada Innovations |
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- Oxygen Systems (1930s)
Air Canada was one of the first airlines to have its entire fleet of unpressurized aircraft equipped with fixed oxygen systems for use by flight crew and passengers, using the rebreathing bag principle. - Numbering Control (Beginning in 1940)
Air Canada developed and used a standard format and numbering control for the preparation of technical instructions which was adopted in principle by the Air Transport Association of America and issued on June 1, 1956 - Black Box (1958)
Air Canada pioneered the development of the multi-channel flight recorder to be installed on DC-8/Vanguard aircraft. The multi-channel recording system of greater capability which was eventually widely adopted by the industry - as the “black box”. - By-pass engine (April 1, 1960)
Air Canada was the first airline to recognize the validity of efficiency claims for the by-pass engine principle and the first airline to use the by-pass engine in civil operation - De-icing - Electric de-icing (1961)
Air Canada introduced in Canada of aerodynamic surfaces with the introduction of the Vanguard aircraft in 1961. - Reservations Automation (1961)
Air Canada implemented in 1961 the first stage in automation of reservation inventory which was a world first as well as a Canadian original, fostering tremendous growth in computer/communications airlines processes. - Jet Freighter (October 1963)
Air Canada was the first airline to operate a jet freighter with the introduction of the DC-8. - All-turbine fleet (April 12, 1963)
Air Canada became the first major airline with an all turbine fleet which allowed an increase in productivity and reduction in maintenance costs. - Non-Smoking Airline (December 7, 1987)
Air Canada became the first airline in the world to introduce a system-wide Non-Smoking policy - Airbus A320 (January 1990)
Air Canada was the first airline in Canada to operate the Airbus A320. - Telephones at arm’s reach (1992)
Air Canada became the first airline in the world to offer all its customers telephones at arm’s reach on all of its aircraft. - Electronic ticket (December 1995)
The Electronic ticket made its debut in Canada when Air Canada began testing the service on selected Canadian routes. It was phased in across Canada and on transborder routes during 1996. - Airbus A319 (December 1996)
Air Canada was the first North American carrier to operate the Airbus A319, the first of which was introduced on the Toronto-Boston route. - E-mail sell-offs (February 12, 1997)
Air Canada became the first major airline in Canada to offer E-mail sell-offs with AC WEBSAVER. - Electronic ticket (January 23, 1997)
Air Canada led the way in bringing electronic ticketing to travel agents. - Express Check-in (August 30, 1999)
Air Canada became the first airline to introduce self-service Express Check-in Kiosks in Canada. - Interline electronic ticket (June 14, 2000)
Air Canada and United Airlines introduced the world’s first interline electronic ticket. - In-flight E-mail (December 2000)
Air Canada became the first commercial airline to enable passengers to send and receive e-mail on their laptops while in flight, as well as surf websites. - Simplified fare structure (May 2003)
Air Canada is the first North American carrier to simplify its fare structure for bookings made online across its entire domestic network. - Multi-trip Flight Passes (April 2004)
Air Canada’s self-managed online multi-trip Flight Passes are an industry first, leading to the creation of fixed monthly payment subscription passes for unlimited travel. - Personal Seatback Entertainment Systems (June 2005)
Air Canada is the first carrier to introduce personal seatback entertainment systems in smaller jet aircraft for short-haul flights. - A la carte faire options (October 27, 2006)
Air Canada’s innovative à la carte fare options, available at aircanada.com™, allow customers to pay for perks they want and get discounts for those they don’t want.