New Destinations, Routes for Summer 2015 also include:

• Double-daily Non-stop Toronto and Montreal-Paris
• New Montreal-Venice
• New Vancouver-Osaka

MONTREAL, Sept. 25, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced today it will introduce year-round mainline service to Amsterdam from Toronto beginning in June 2015 as part of the continuing expansion of its international network. Additions to the summer network also include new Air Canada rouge seasonal service from Montreal to Venice and between Vancouver and Osaka.

"Air Canada will continue its international expansion drive next summer, led by the addition of Amsterdam to its mainline global network. Apart from being a popular tourist destination, Amsterdam is also a key business market with longstanding links to Canada. Air Canada is the only Canadian carrier to offer the route year-round and it will complement our existing service to Brussels, giving customers easier access to the Benelux region," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada. "In addition to Amsterdam, for summer 2015 Air Canada will launch new double-daily, non-stop Air Canada service to Paris from both Toronto and Montreal, and new Air Canada rouge service between Vancouver and Osaka and between Montreal and Venice. It will also offer increased weekly Air Canada rouge frequencies to such popular destinations as Barcelona and Athens."

Highlights of the 2015 summer schedule include:

• Year-round Air Canada service between Toronto-Pearson and Amsterdam operated with a 211-seat, Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 24 International Business Class pods, featuring fully lie-flat seats. Flights begin June 4, 2015 and will be operated up to six times weekly.
  
  
• Double-daily Air Canada service from both Toronto and Montreal-Trudeau to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the additional flights will be offered from June to September and be operated using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 24 International Business Class pods featuring fully lie-flat seats.
  
  
• New non-stop Air Canada services from Toronto to Rio de Janeiro and from Toronto to Panama City introduced for winter 2014-15 will continue to operate during the summer of 2015
  
  
• New Air Canada rouge twice weekly service between Montreal and Venice beginning May 14, 2015, and, subject to government approval, up to five flights per week between Vancouver and Osaka-Kansai beginning May 1, 2015
  
  
• Air Canada rouge service from Toronto to Athens and Barcelona will increase to daily from five times a week in summer 2014, and service from Toronto to Venice increases to four times from three weekly. From Montreal, Air Canada rouge service to Athens will double to four times weekly and service to Barcelona will increase to three-times weekly from twice weekly in summer 2014. Overall, Air Canada rouge service to Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Manchester and Nice will operate a longer season during the summer of 2015 over summer 2014
  
  
• Air Canada rouge will begin operating year-round service between Toronto and Lima, Peru beginning May 2, 2015, subject to government approval, following the transfer of the route from Air Canada.

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.

About Air Canada rouge 

Air Canada rouge is Air Canada's new leisure airline, part of the Air Canada Leisure Group, along with Air Canada Vacations. Together with Air Canada Vacations, Air Canada rouge offers competitively-priced travel to 45 exciting destinations on 61 routes  in Japan, Europe (including Edinburgh, Venice, Athens, Lisbon, Dublin, Nice, Barcelona, Rome and Manchester) and multiple destinations in Mexico, the U.S. and the Caribbean (including Cuba, Costa Rica, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic).

Air Canada rouge offers a unique brand of customer service designed to make every flight a memorable start and end to a wonderful vacation. Aircraft are equipped with player, a next generation in-flight entertainment system that wirelessly streams entertainment to customers' personal electronic devices.  Air Canada rouge's player system has proven popular as customers increasingly bring their own personal electronic devices onboard. For more information and bookings, visit: http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/rouge.html

As a wholly-owned subsidiary, Air Canada rouge is backed by Air Canada's 75-year reputation for safety and reliability and Air Canada Vacations' 30-plus year history of vacation travel excellence. Learn more at www.aircanada.com/rouge or www.facebook.com/aircanadarouge

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Air Canada's public communications may include 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. Forward-looking 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, employee and labour relations, currency exchange and interest rates, competition, war, terrorist acts, epidemic diseases, environmental factors (including weather systems and other natural phenomena, and factors arising from man-made sources), 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.  Any 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.

SOURCE Air Canada