Air Canada expands service to seven more American cities; pursues growth strategy for Toronto hub

New flights fortify airline's position as the leading transborder carrier

MONTREAL, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Air Canada today announced new services for seven more American cities, fortifying its Toronto hub and strengthening its position as the leading transborder carrier with the most daily flights between Canada and the U.S. of any airline.

"This additional service to seven more U.S. cities further solidifies Air Canada's position as the leading transborder carrier between Canada and the U.S. and the Number One foreign carrier flying to the United States -- offering the most flights per day to more destinations in the U.S. than any other international airline," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "It also demonstrates our commitment to drive Toronto's growth as a hub. Air Canada is already the leading carrier at Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport. Centralized in a single terminal, Air Canada's Toronto hub is the most convenient gateway to and from the U.S., offering multiple connection options for passengers travelling anywhere in our global network. Our strategy is to leverage our hub to make it a global transfer point for domestic, transborder and international travellers."

This spring, Air Canada will offer new daily service between Toronto and seven more American cities including: Orange County (Santa Ana) and San Diego, California; Portland, Oregon; Memphis, Tennessee; Cincinnati, Ohio; Portland, Maine; and Syracuse, New York. Flights will be non-stop and conveniently timed for connections with flights on Air Canada's extensive domestic and international network. Customers can earn and redeem Aeroplan miles on each route.

Air Canada is also adding four new international destinations from Toronto this summer. The airline has announced it will begin flying to Athens, Barcelona, and Copenhagen, and offer same-plane, direct service to Brussels through Montreal.

"Today's route announcement is great news for passengers flying between Canada and the US," according to Pamela Griffith-Jones, Vice President, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). "We have worked with our airline customers' needs in mind to create opportunities for route expansion. We are very pleased with Air Canada's continued commitment to using Pearson as a connection point with the US, and as a gateway to connect passengers to destinations around the world."

    The seven new U.S. transborder routes are:

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    Destination            Launching   Frequency     Service Provided By
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    Orange County, Calif   April 6,    Daily,        Air Canada A319
                           2010        year round
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    San Diego, Calif       June 17,    Daily,        Air Canada A319
                           2010        year round
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Portland, Ore          June 17,    Daily,        Air Canada E90
                           2010        year round
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Memphis, Tenn          May 17,     Twice Daily,  Air Canada Jazz CRJ
                           2010        year round
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Cincinnati, Ohio       May 17,     Twice Daily   Air Canada Jazz CRJ
                           2010
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Portland, Maine        May 17,     Twice Daily   Air Georgian Beech1900D
                           2010
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Syracuse, N.Y.         May 17,     Twice Daily   Air Georgian Beech1900D
                           2010
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the launch of these seven routes, Air Canada, along with Air Canada Jazz and its Tier Three partners, offers up to 142 scheduled flights each day to 51 U.S. destinations from its hub in Toronto. In total, this summer Air Canada will operate up to 232 flights per day between six points in Canada and 55 destinations in the U.S. In addition, this summer Air Canada will also serve 30 domestic and 45 international destinations from Toronto.

Montréal-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 13th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 33 million customers annually. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, providing the world's most comprehensive air transportation network for Canadian domestic, transborder and international travel. As well, customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through Canada's leading loyalty program.

SOURCE AIR CANADA