One way to show special pride in something you create is to sign it, as painters, sculptors and composers typically do. So, when we recently introduced a new range of outstanding amenities for our premium customers, it was immediately clear we should "sign" it, which is how Air Canada Signature Service was born.
With Air Canada Signature Service, customers in the premium cabin enjoy an elevated experience throughout their journey. We took our award-winning International Business Class, featuring lie-flat suites and meals by celebrated Canadian chef David Hawksworth, and refined it through enhanced airport and on-board offerings. For eligible international customers departing from our Toronto Pearson global hub, this includes chauffeured BMW valet transfers, airport concierge service and access to the Air Canada Signature Suite, an exclusive airport enclave with a complimentary five-star-quality restaurant.
This month, we extended Air Canada Signature Service to North America on select transcontinental flights within Canada as well as transborder U.S. routes. We have dedicated some of our newest wide-body aircraft, such as our Boeing 787 Dreamliner, to these routes, including daily overnight flights to Toronto from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver.
Air Canada Signature Service is part of a larger strategy to provide our growing customer base with greater flexibility. Earlier th is year, we launched a revised menu of economy fares - including a new Comfort Fare with complimentary access to Preferred Seats and early boarding - to give travellers more options to design their journeys. Taken together, these new products better serve discrete market segments.
With other rapid advances, the travel experience is being completely transformed at Air Canada. We're unrolling new mobile channels for customers and a revamped loyalty program in 2020, introducing next¬generation entertainment systems and inflight Wi-Fi access, and renewing our North American fleet with Boeing 737 MAX and Bombardier C Series aircraft.
The finishing touch is an investment in our people, with world-class training to heighten our customers' experience. This way, no matter how you choose to fly with us, you can be assured of superior service if our signature Maple Leaf is on the tail of the aircraft.
Calin’s column appears every month in enRoute Magazine, Air Canada’s award-winning in-flight magazine found onboard all Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express flights. This edition is from the June 2018 issue.
