Air Canada reports February traffic

MONTREAL, March 3 /CNW Telbec/ - For the month of February, Air Canada reported a system load factor of 78.4 per cent on a consolidated basis with Jazz (from which Air Canada purchases regional capacity), versus 79.6 per cent in February 2009, a decrease of 1.2 percentage points. System traffic increased 5.5 per cent on a capacity increase of 7.1 per cent system wide.

"I am pleased with our results for the month of February in which Air Canada recorded a system wide load factor of 78.4 per cent on a consolidated basis with Jazz, compared to the previous two years' record load factors for the same month," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we expected and planned for, domestic load factor for the month reflects the 7.1 per cent increase in capacity as well as the impact of uni-directional traffic generated in the latter part of February by the opening of the Olympic Games in Vancouver, our second largest hub after Toronto in terms of traffic. Transpacific traffic has rebounded from the previous year and our reinstated non-stop Toronto-Tokyo service is performing well.

"Once again, employees throughout the company came together and, through their dedication and professionalism, demonstrated what makes Air Canada a great airline. I am incredibly proud of everyone on our team, including those who volunteered to work on humanitarian flights for relief efforts in Haiti, and others who rose to the challenge to bring the world to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games as Official Airline. The countless hours spent by our Olympic planning teams have paid off, in preparing for the Games and efficiently managing record-breaking departures on March 1st. I commend our employees for having once again exceeded both Customer Satisfaction and On-Time Performance objectives for the month."

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Air Canada's public communications may include written or oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Any forecasts or forward-looking predictions or statements cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, industry, market, credit and economic conditions, the ability to reduce operating costs and secure financing, pension issues, energy prices, currency exchange and interest rates, employee and labour relations, competition, war, terrorist acts, epidemic diseases, insurance issues and costs, changes in demand due to the seasonal nature of the business, supply issues, changes in laws, regulatory developments or proceedings, pending and future litigation and actions by third parties as well as the factors identified throughout Air Canada's public disclosure file available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Air Canada's expectations as of the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. However, Air Canada disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

    
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                                 CONSOLIDATED
                       (AIR CANADA MAINLINE AND JAZZ)
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                             February                   Year-To-Date
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                       2010    2009  Change         2010    2009  Change
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    Traffic
     (RPMs mln)       3,595   3,409    +5.5%       7,458   7,122    +4.7%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Capacity
     (ASMs mln)       4,586   4,280    +7.1%       9,572   9,034    +6.0%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Load Factor        78.4%   79.6%   -1.2 pts     77.9%   78.8%   -0.9 pts
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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              RPMs    1,083   1,084    -0.1%       2,197   2,210    -0.6%
              ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Canada    ASMs    1,390   1,325    +4.9%       2,868   2,790    +2.8%
              ---------------------------------------------------------------
              LF       77.9%   81.8%   -3.9 pts     76.6%   79.2%   -2.6 pts
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
              RPMs      661     653    +1.2%       1,343   1,324    +1.4%
    US        ---------------------------------------------------------------
     Trans-   ASMs      846     836    +1.2%       1,774   1,740    +2.0%
     border   ---------------------------------------------------------------
              LF       78.1%   78.1%      0 pts     75.7%   76.1%   -0.4 pts
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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              RPMs      666     628    +6.1%       1,424   1,359    +4.8%
              ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Atlantic  ASMs      937     870    +7.7%       1,958   1,834    +6.8%
              ---------------------------------------------------------------
              LF       71.1%   72.2%   -1.1 pts     72.7%   74.1%   -1.4 pts
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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              RPMs      582     463   +25.7%       1,201   1,001   +20.0%
    	          --------------------------------------------------------------
    Pacific   ASMs      679     535   +26.9%       1,404   1,142   +22.9%
              ---------------------------------------------------------------
              LF       85.7%   86.5%   -0.8 pts     85.5%   87.7%   -2.2 pts
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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              RPMs      603     581    +3.8%       1,293   1,228    +5.3%
    Latin     ---------------------------------------------------------------
     Amer &   ASMs      734     714    +2.8%       1,568   1,528    +2.6%
     Other    ---------------------------------------------------------------
              LF       82.2%   81.4%   +0.8 pts     82.5%   80.4%   +2.1 pts
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    

%SEDAR: 00001324EF

For further information: Isabelle Arthur (Montreal), [phone]; Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), [phone]; Angela Mah (Vancouver), [phone]; aircanada.com