Air Canada strengthens position as leading Toronto-California carrier by boosting capacity more than 50 per cent this summer

Lie flat suites on select Los Angeles flights will make California dreaming easy

MONTREAL, April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Air Canada today launched its California expansion with the inaugural flight of a new service between Toronto and Orange County. The new route is part of a major increase in capacity this summer between Toronto and California that also includes a new route to San Diego, more service to San Francisco and the introduction of a wide-body aircraft, featuring Air Canada's industry leading Executive First service with lie flat suites, on select flights to Los Angeles.

"Air Canada is solidifying its position as the airline offering the most frequencies and capacity between Toronto and California. As a tourist, business and entertainment hotspot, Toronto has a natural affinity with California and that is why we are increasing capacity 51 per cent over last year and operating 77 weekly flights between Toronto and California this summer. Today's launch of service to Orange County, plus additional service to Los Angeles and San Francisco and our new flight to San Diego mean Air Canada will offer customers the widest choice of flights of any carrier between Toronto and California," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada. "In addition, on select flights to Los Angeles we will deploy a Boeing 767-300ER with our international Executive First service, featuring lie-flat suites in business class. All flights will be operated using aircraft equipped with seat-back, personal in-flight entertainment systems at every seat. Eligible customers can enjoy our concierge service and our Toronto and Los Angeles Maple Leaf Lounges or, in San Francisco and Orange County, our partner United Airlines' Red Carpet Clubs. Customers can also accumulate Air Canada Aeroplan miles or other reward miles from United, US Airways and Continental Airlines."

Customers who experience Air Canada will understand why it was named the top airline in North America for its services in reader surveys by the influential Global Traveler and Business Traveler magazines. With the introduction of the Boeing 767-300ER, with its 180 degree lie flat suites, Air Canada will be the only carrier offering international premium class standards on the Toronto-Los Angeles route. All aircraft will offer all customers free seatback digital in-flight entertainment systems with hundreds of hours of audio-visual entertainment and power plugs and USB ports accessible at each seat. All flights between Toronto and California are timed to make convenient connections with other flights in Air Canada's extensive domestic and international network.

Today, flight AC787 will depart from Toronto at 17:50 and arrive at John Wayne International Airport in Santa Ana, Orange County, at 20:01. Tomorrow, AC786 will depart from Orange County at 8:00 and arrive in Toronto at 15:41. The daily, year-round service will operate with a 120-seat Airbus A319.

Beginning June 1, Air Canada will increase service to Los Angeles by introducing a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with Executive First, lie flat suites. It will operate Flight AC791, which will depart Toronto at 9:10 and arrive in Los Angeles at 11:28. AC792 using the same aircraft will depart Los Angeles at 12:40 and return to Toronto at 20:09. With four flights a day in the morning, afternoon and evening, Air Canada offers customers the widest range of choice of flight times of any carrier serving Toronto-Los Angeles.

Also on June 1, Air Canada will add a fifth daily frequency between Toronto and San Francisco using an Airbus A319. AC737 will depart Toronto at 8:00 and arrive in San Francisco at 10:26. AC738 will depart San Francisco at 11:15 and arrive in Toronto at 19:05. With five flights a day in the morning, afternoon and evening, Air Canada offers customers the widest range of choice of flight times of any carrier serving Toronto-San Francisco.

Air Canada will commence service between Toronto and San Diego beginning June 17. AC779 will depart Toronto at 17:25 and arrive at San Diego at 19:25. AC780 will depart San Diego at 7:25 and arrive in Toronto at 15:07. Service will be provided using an Airbus A319.

Air Canada, along with Air Canada Jazz and its Tier III partners, will offer up to 144 scheduled flights each day to 51 U.S. destinations from its hub in Toronto, including 22 flights daily to and from California. In total, this summer Air Canada will operate up to 233 flights per day between six points in Canada and 55 destinations in the U.S. Between Canada and California alone, Air Canada will offer this summer 193 flights a week. In addition, this summer Air Canada will also serve 29 domestic and 41 international destinations from Toronto.

Air Canada has an extensive global network, with hubs in four major Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary), providing scheduled passenger service directly to 59 Canadian cities, 55 destinations in the United States and 53 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada and its regional affiliate Jazz operate approximately 1,670 scheduled flights each day on average. Through its strategic and commercial arrangements with Star Alliance(TM) partner airlines (www.staralliance.com), Air Canada offers service to 916 destinations in 160 countries and provides reciprocal top tier frequent flyer benefits.

SOURCE AIR CANADA