Air Canada voted top airline in Canada and North America in global survey of
business travelers

Global Traveler Magazine Awards based on survey of more than 25,000 readers

MONTREAL, Dec. 2 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been voted the Best Airline in Canada and the Best Airline in North America by the readers of Global Traveler magazine in an international survey of business travelers.

"We are excited and proud to receive this important recognition from customers who travel most frequently and are in a position to best compare Air Canada's products and services with those of its peers. Clearly customers appreciate our on-board amenities, including our new and refurbished cabin interiors, and our consolidated hub at Toronto, which makes it easy for travelers to connect seamlessly between domestic, transborder and international flights to destinations throughout our global network," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "Mostly, this award is testament to the hard work of Air Canada's employees and their dedication to offering our customers a superior product."

The Global Traveler Reader Survey Awards are based on the responses of more than 25,000 readers of Global Traveler Magazine. Global Traveler readers are frequent premium travelers who average 32 round-trip flights a year, with 96 per cent traveling in first or business class regularly.

Air Canada has renewed its international and North American fleets with new Boeing 777 and Embraer aircraft. Air Canada has completed a major refurbishment program of its existing fleets to offer all customers brand new seats and personal entertainment systems at each seat, fleet wide on North American and international routes. New fleet-wide amenities include digital quality in-seat monitors with touch-screen controls offering a wide selection of audio and video on demand programming, standard in-seat power within reach of every customer and industry leading lie-flat beds in Executive First suites, Air Canada's international business class service.

In addition, Air Canada customers benefit from a simplified airport experience for connecting between U.S.-Canada transborder flights and either domestic Canada or international overseas flights world wide, via new facilities all under one roof at its main Toronto hub.

Montréal-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 13th largest commercial airline in the world and serve s 33 million customers annually. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, providing the world's most comprehensive air transportation network for Canadian domestic, transborder and international travel. Air Canada aircraft offer customers individualized seatback in-flight entertainment systems with hundreds of hours of digital audio-visual entertainment.

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