AIR CANADA NAMED CANADA'S PREFERRED AIRLINE BY FREQUENT BUSINESS TRAVELLERS

MONTREAL, Oct. 7 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been named Canada's favourite airline for business travel in the Ipsos Reid Business Traveller Survey. Air Canada was preferred by 71 per cent of Canadian business travellers surveyed for 2010, the third consecutive year of improvement in Air Canada's ratings in the national survey.

"Air Canada is proud to be named Canada's preferred airline by the most frequent and influential customers we serve - the business traveller. It is gratifying because we have focused on making significant improvements to our products, including new and refurbished aircraft and Maple Leaf Lounges, improved priority ground and airport services, on-board service enhancements and other new amenities to increase comfort and convenience for our customers. This recognition, combined with the SkyTrax World Airline Award earlier this year for Best Airline North America, confirms we are succeeding and customers are responding," said Craig Landry, Vice President of Marketing at Air Canada. "On behalf of our 26,000 employees worldwide, we would like to thank our loyal customers and assure them we remain committed to providing best in class service throughout our world wide network."

The survey showed consistent and strong increases in customer ratings for overall satisfaction, airline flown most often, as well as improvements in quality of Air Canada's on-board products and service offerings. Among other things, the survey found

    
    - Business travellers' overall satisfaction with Air Canada's service
      climbed 10 percentage points over last year.

    - Air Canada is the preferred carrier from Canada to the U.S. for 68 per
      cent of business travellers, an improvement of 9 per cent over last
      year. In addition, business travelers to the U.S. are using Air Canada
      five per cent more than last year (including Jazz).

    - Overall, business travel is rebounding, with travellers having made -
      on average - 17 business trips in 2010, as compared to 16.1 business
      trips in 2009.

    - Small business travellers from companies with fewer than 2,000
      employees have been growing in numbers, now comprising up to 80% of
      business travel.
    

About the Survey

The 18th annual Canadian Business Travel Study is an online survey conducted independently by IPSOS Reid. The survey includes business travellers who travel a minimum of 6 round trip flights for business in the past 12 months and the sample size for this year's study was 1,440.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international full-service airline providing scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 31 million customers annually. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 destinations in Canada, 59 in the United States and 60 in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,172 destinations in 181 countries. Air Canada customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through Canada's leading loyalty program, and Top Tier members enjoy reciprocal frequent flyer benefits including lounge and priority services. For more information on Air Canada visit aircanada.com and follow @AirCanada on Twitter and Facebook.

About IPSOS Reid

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.

Visit www.ipsos.ca to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.

For further information: Isabelle Arthur (Montréal), 514 422-5788; Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), 416 263-5576; Angela Mah (Vancouver), 604 270-5741; Internet: aircanada.com