MONTREAL, Sept. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - This winter, Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations will boost capacity and frequency, to offer seven new non-stop routings and an expanded choice of popular holiday sun destinations including 48 additional flights a week to the U.S., the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. Air Canada flights are available now on www.aircanada.com, while all-inclusive holiday packages are available for purchase from Air Canada Vacations at aircanadavacations.com or by contacting travel agents in Canada.

"Our upcoming winter sun schedule offers Canadians a wide choice of popular holiday destinations to escape the winter cold," said Ben Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "Air Canada continues to offer the largest choice of non-stop flights of any carrier between Canada and more than 50 winter sun destinations, with up to 178 flights from Canada to Florida, 69 flights to Mexico, 135 flights to the Caribbean, and 172 flights to California and Hawaii each week. We offer consumers from coast to coast the most convenient scheduled services as well as the best value in package vacation options from Air Canada Vacations."

Highlights of new and expanded Air Canada services to holiday sun destinations this coming winter include:

New service:
    ------------

    Montreal - Cozumel, Mexico - New Air Canada flight departing Thursdays
    onboard 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.
    Montreal-Mexico City, Mexico - Reintroduction of daily service onboard
    120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.
    Montreal - Liberia, Costa Rica - New Air Canada flight departing Mondays
    onboard 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.
    Montreal-West Palm Beach, Florida - New Air Canada flights departing
    Sundays onboard 146 seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
    Montreal - Phoenix, Arizona - New Air Canada flights departing Saturdays
    and Sundays onboard 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.

    Toronto-San Diego, California - New Air Canada flights launched in June
    will continue year-round, departing daily onboard 120-seat Airbus A319
    aircraft.

    Ottawa-Varadero, Cuba - New Air Canada flight departing Saturdays onboard
    93-seat Embraer E90 aircraft.
    Ottawa-Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - New Air Canada flight departing
    Saturdays onboard 93-seat Embraer E90 aircraft.

    Vancouver-Mexico City, Mexico - New Air Canada daily service onboard 120-
    seat Airbus A319 aircraft.

    Capacity increases:
    -------------------

    Montreal-Miami, Florida - Increases to three times weekly, departing
    Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays.
    Montreal-Orlando, Florida -Increases to 13 flights a week with double
    daily departures every day except Tuesdays.
    Montreal-Cancun, Mexico - Increases to 10 times weekly including twice
    daily departures on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

    Toronto-Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Increases from thrice daily to 4
    flights daily.
    Toronto-Fort Myers, Florida - Increases from one to two times daily.
    Toronto- Phoenix, Arizona - Increases from one to two times daily.
    Toronto-Turks & Caicos - Increases from three to four times weekly,
    departing, Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

    Calgary-Maui, Hawaii - Increases from three to four times weekly,
    departing Mondays, Wednesdays Fridays, and Saturdays.

Air Canada offers a choice of Executive or Economy class service, Aeroplan member benefits, Maple Leaf Lounge access for eligible customers, seamless connections to and from more than 60 domestic Canada destinations with thru-baggage check and advance boarding passes, online check-in up to 24 hours prior to departure as well as express check-in kiosks at airports to simplify the travel experience.

Air Canada operates the most flights of any carrier between Canada and sun destinations with up to 612 scheduled non-stop flights per week from Canada serving more than 50 destinations in Florida, Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, the Caribbean, Mexico, Venezuela and Costa Rica including: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa, West Palm Beach; Honolulu, Kona, Maui; San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego; Las Vegas, Phoenix; Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Kingston, Montego Bay, Nassau, La Romana, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Samana, St-Maarten, San Juan, St-Lucia, Turks & Caicos; Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Havana, Holguin, Santa Clara, Varadero; Mexico City, Cancun, Cozumel, Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos; Caracas; San José, Liberia and Fort de France.

In addition, Air Canada Vacations, one of Canada's leading tour operators, offers vacation packages including air transportation, hotel accommodation, car rentals and cruises, to more than 100 destinations.

Air Canada was named Best Airline North America in a worldwide survey of more than 17 million air travelers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax for their 2010 World Airline Awards.

In 2009, the readers of Business Traveler magazine voted Air Canada top airline in the following categories: Best Flight Attendants in North America, Best In-Flight Services in North America, Best Airline for Business Class Service in North America and Best North American Airline for International Travel. In addition, Air Canada was 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.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international full-service airline providing scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and serves 31 million customers annually. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 destinations in Canada, 58 in the United States and 60 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 1,167 destinations in 181 countries. Air Canada customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through Canada's leading loyalty program, and Top Tier members enjoy reciprocal frequent flyer benefits including lounge and priority services.

Air Canada Vacations is a leading holiday provider with over 25 years experience delivering best-value leisure and cruise packages as well as excursions and tours to more and more Canadians every year. Packages include a combination of roundtrip airfare aboard Air Canada, quality hotel accommodations, Aeroplan Miles and more.