Air Canada Named Canada's Preferred Airline by Frequent Canadian Business Travellers in Ipsos Reid Study

Air Canada's Margin Relative to Domestic Competitors Continues to Widen

MONTREAL, Sept. 22, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been named Canada's favourite airline for business travel in the Ipsos Reid Canadian Business Traveller Study.  Air Canada was the preferred airline of 83 per cent of Canadian frequent business travellers surveyed for 2014, an improvement of 14 percentage points in Air Canada's ratings in the national survey over the past six years.

"Air Canada is very pleased to be the preferred airline of 83 per cent of those customers who fly most often and have the widest experience of air travel – namely frequent business travellers.  Our rating has now improved 14 percentage points since 2008 according to the Ipsos Reid Canadian Business Travel Study, the most extensive survey of its kind in Canada. We are especially gratified that the trend is positive across the country, with a significant increase in our preferred rating among Western Canadian business travellers in 2014," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "The margin between Air Canada and its major domestic competitors continues to grow, reflecting customer appreciation of the continued improvements we have made to our products, including new and refurbished aircraft and Maple Leaf Lounges, improved priority airport services and on-board service enhancements for the comfort and convenience of our customers. Business travellers also prize our superior schedule, with more than 1,500 daily departures system-wide to provide the most frequencies of any Canadian carrier, and the widest choice of routings, as Air Canada serves more than 180 destinations on five continents. On behalf of our 27,000 employees worldwide, we thank our customers for their continued support, including also for having voted Air Canada Best Airline in North America for the past five years, and we remain focused on earning their loyalty as North America's only international Four-Star airline."

The survey showed consistently strong ratings in customer preference for Air Canada's frequent flyer reward program, flight schedule, business class service, Maple Leaf Lounges and complimentary in-flight entertainment. Among other things, the survey found:

• Air Canada is the domestic airline used most often by Canadian business travellers, at 86 per cent.

• In terms of domestic travel, significantly more Western Canadians, 87 per cent, said they used Air Canada most often in the past 12 months – an increase of seven percentage points from 2013. Air Canada was the airline also used by most often by Eastern Canadian business travellers, 85 per cent, in the past 12 months.

• Air Canada is the preferred airline from Canada to the U.S. for 68 per cent of respondents, an improvement of 19 percentage points since 2007. In addition, Air Canada was the airline flown most often among all carriers operating transborder when going to the United States, having been chosen by 57 per cent of respondents. 

• 92 per cent of respondents intend to use Air Canada for business travel in 2014.

About the Survey

The 22nd annual Canadian Business Travel Study is an online survey conducted independently by Ipsos Reid.  The survey includes business travellers who travel a minimum of six round trip flights for business in the past 12 months.

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada—all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 180 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2013 served more than 35 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 73 cities 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 1,316 airports in 192 countries.  Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best Airline in North America in 2014 for the fifth consecutive year.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com.

SOURCE: Air Canada

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