MONTREAL, April 27, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) have agreed to re-commence negotiations.

The parties have agreed to a 10-day negotiation period to begin following the appointment of an arbitrator by the Minister of Labour in accordance with the provisions of the Protecting Air Service Act. Air Canada and the IAMAW will ask that the arbitrator facilitate the negotiations process pursuant to section 31 of the Act that allows for negotiations to take place.

The IAMAW represents 8,600 mechanics, baggage handlers and cargo agents employed by Air Canada, and its collective agreement expired on March 31, 2011.

Air Canada and the IAMAW will have no further comments during the course of these negotiations.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 180 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2011 served more than 33 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 57 destinations in the United States and 63 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 1,290 destinations in 189 countries. In 2011, Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.

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