Air Canada 2014 Annual Report Download - page 14

14 2014 Annual Report
In 2015, Air Canada plans on continuing to
selectively and profitably expand its international
services by leveraging its new aircraft, improved
cost structure, as well as the following additional
competitive advantages:
• A widely recognized brand and a strong position
in the market for transatlantic and transpacific
travel to and from Canada and to and from
South America via Canada
• An extensive and expanding global network,
enhanced by the airline’s membership in
Star Alliance®, numerous codeshare agreements
and participation in a revenue sharing transatlantic
joint venture with United Airlines and Lufthansa
• A flexible fleet mix with low-cost swing capacity,
which helps the airline redeploy or otherwise
manage capacity to match changes in demand
• Air Canada AltitudeTM, Air Canada’s frequent
flyer program, which recognizes the airline’s
most frequent flyers by offering them a range of
exclusive travel privileges, including the benefits
derived from Air Canada’s partnership with the
Aeroplan program, which allows all customers to
earn and redeem Aeroplan® Miles with Canada’s
leading coalition loyalty program
• Competitive products and services, including
lie-flat beds in the International Business Class
cabin, concierge services and Maple Leaf® lounges
• Geographically well-positioned hubs (Toronto,
Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary) with excellent
in-transit facilities, accentuating the advantages
of flying Air Canada through an improved travel
experience for customers travelling to or from the
U.S. to Asia and Europe
• The only non-U.S. carrier to offer TSA Pre-check,
allowing eligible customers to experience
expedited and more efficient security screening
for flights out of the U.S.
• Favourable slot times at busy airports, including
Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Narita,
Tokyo-Haneda, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt,
London-Heathrow, New York-LaGuardia, and
Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport
Air Canada is enhancing its 2015 international
offerings, including through:
• Year-round Air Canada service between Toronto
Pearson and Amsterdam. Flights are scheduled
to begin June 4, 2015 and will be operated up to
six times weekly
• Double-daily Air Canada service from both
Toronto Pearson and Montreal to Paris-
Charles de Gaulle. The additional flights will be
offered from June to September 2015
• New Air Canada rouge twice-weekly service
between Montreal and Venice beginning
May 14, 2015 and up to five flights per week
between Vancouver and Osaka-Kansai
beginning May 1, 2015
• An increase to daily from five times a week on
Air Canada rouge service from Toronto Pearson
to Athens and Barcelona, and an increase to
four times from three weekly on service from
Toronto Pearson to Venice. From Montreal,
Air Canada rouge service to Athens will double to
four-times-weekly and service to Barcelona will
increase to three-times-weekly from twice-weekly
in summer 2014. Overall, Air Canada rouge service
to Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Manchester and Nice
will operate a longer season during the summer of
2015 compared to the summer 2014
• The transfer from mainline to Air Canada rouge
of year-round service between Toronto Pearson
and Lima, Peru, beginning May 2, 2015, subject to
government approval
• Air Canada four-times-weekly service between
Toronto Pearson and Delhi, the only non-stop
flight from Canada to India. This new route, which
will be inaugurated on November 1, 2015, is the
first to be dedicated for Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9
series aircraft and will open new opportunities
in the Indian subcontinent, currently the largest
international market not served by Air Canada
• Air Canada three-times-weekly service between
Toronto Pearson and Dubai, the airline’s first non-
stop flight to the UAE at a time when air travel
between North America and the region is growing.
Flights will be operated beginning November 3,
2015 with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. This new route
will increase Air Canada’s presence in the Middle
East by providing its customers with direct, non-
stop access to Dubai, complementing its other
services in the region. Air Canada currently serves
the region primarily through its transatlantic joint
venture with Lufthansa over Frankfurt and Munich.
This new route will also build on Air Canada’s
existing codeshare relationship with Etihad
Airways, with whom it codeshares on three flights
a week between Toronto Pearson and Abu Dhabi,
in the UAE