MONTREAL, June 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Following a meeting today
of senior Air Canada representatives and other key participants in
the Canadian aviation industry with Canada's Federal Transport Minister, the
airline has issued the following statement.
"At Air Canada, we know every trip is important, even more so
today as many are flying for the first time in years to see loved
ones or take an eagerly anticipated holiday. We are determined not
to disappoint and have been long preparing for a travel surge this
summer, including coordinating with our industry partners. As all
businesses worldwide are finding, restarting after COVID is an
extremely complex task and we deeply appreciate our customers'
understanding and patience during these often-frustrating times. I
also thank our dedicated employees who are working hard to serve
our customers and transport them safely," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Air Canada.
Each day, Air Canada currently operates more than 1,000 flights
and regularly carries more than 120,000 people, with the vast
majority of scheduled flights successfully completed. In
recognition of the high importance Canadians place on travel and
its value to the Canadian economy, Air Canada has recommitted to
keep working alongside its industry partners and with the Federal
government to ensure Canadians continue to benefit from a safe,
efficient and reliable air transportation system.
Air Canada has been prudently
restoring its schedule as it recovers from the effects of COVID-19
and this summer it plans to operate below its pre-pandemic capacity
as the industry stabilizes. In support of this, the carrier has
recalled employees laid off during the pandemic and continues to
hire additional workers. It currently has 32,000 employees, versus
approximately 33,000 prior to the pandemic while operating
approximately 80 per cent of its June
2019 schedule. To assist customers and better support
Canada's air transport
infrastructure, Air Canada is taking a series of steps
including:
Customer Initiatives:
- New Self-Service Re-accommodation tools will allow customers
who have schedule changes, delays, or cancellations to request a
refund if eligible or rebook their itineraries in a few minutes
through its mobile app or website. This includes getting up to 20
alternative flight options (based on availability), choosing to fly
to nearby airports instead, and the ability to search for flights
in a three-day window. It will be available for customers
regardless of how and where they booked their tickets;
- A goodwill policy has been implemented for passengers traveling
via Toronto-Pearson to allow them
to voluntarily increase their connection time at no cost for more
flexibility when travelling. This policy can be applied within 48
hours of the original travel time;
- A second new policy will allow customers free, same-day
stand-by options for earlier flights within Canada/Transborder regardless of fare brand or
booking class;
- The airline maintains an updated travel readiness page on
aircanada.com with the latest information and advice for those
preparing to travel, including information about COVID-19
requirements. Customers are advised to consult this page before
travelling.
In Airports:
- In addition to the recall of virtually all available employees,
more than 2,000 front-line airport employees (and 774 more people
to work in call centres) have been hired and extensively trained
over the last six months, with additional overtime and ongoing
hiring, including drawing upon recently retired employees with
special expertise;
- Employees have been reassigned from other bases to augment
specific airports, including the cross-utilization of cargo
employees to assist with airport passenger operations;
- The airline has redeployed aircraft from its Jetz charter fleet
to move delayed baggage, which has increased in large part due to
air transport processing and infrastructure issues outside its
control;
- The airline is working closely with airport authorities,
government and third-party agencies to enhance and expedite the
processing of customers throughout their journey;
- Additional ground equipment has been acquired to improve
airport operations.
Network/Schedule:
- Minimum Connection Times for flights from international and
transborder destinations connecting to domestic destinations have
been increased by 30 minutes for new bookings in Toronto and Montreal, giving customers (and their baggage)
additional time to connect;
- The schedule has been refined to reduce peak times at the
Toronto-Pearson and
Montreal-Trudeau airports by retiming and cancelling certain
flights, or reducing frequencies, where protection is available to
customers the same day. This will conserve resources and reduce
stress on third-party service providers by smoothing passenger
flows and be more convenient for customers;
- Aircraft gating at airports has been reconfigured. For example,
widebody aircraft in Montreal
travelling internationally and to the U.S. are being more
conveniently located to achieve efficiencies during peak hours for
added operational flexibility.
The airline continues to evaluate other measures to enhance the
functioning and stability of the air transport system and it is
committed to working with its partners on further improvements.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag
carrier and a founding member of Star
Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation
network celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022. Air
Canada provides scheduled
passenger service directly to 51 airports in Canada, 51 in the
United States and 86 internationally. It is the only
international network carrier in North
America to receive a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax, which
in 2021 gave Air Canada awards for the Best Airline Staff in
North America, Best Airline Staff
in Canada, Best Business Class
Lounge in North America, and an
excellence award for managing COVID-19. Through its leading
travel loyalty Aeroplan program, Air Canada offers the ability to
earn or redeem points on the world's largest airline partner
network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of
merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division,
Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to
hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada's
passenger flights and cargo-only flights with its fleet of Boeing
767-300 freighters. Air Canada has
committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations
by 2050.
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