MONTREAL, July 4 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada today inaugurates the only
scheduled non-stop service between Montréal and Fort-de-France, Martinique.
The weekly service will be initially offered on Saturdays during the summer
between July 4, 2009 and August 29, 2009, and will recommence on a year-round
basis on December 5, 2009.
    "We look forward to offering the only non-stop service between Montréal
and Martinique, a Caribbean island with French flair," Marcel Forget, Air
Canada's Vice President, Network Planning. "We expect this new service to
appeal to Quebecers seeking a wide range of cultural and sporting activities
as well as to residents of Martinique interested in Québec's cultural and
educational offerings."
    "We are pleased that Air Canada is putting in place a direct link between
Martinique and Canada, which will benefit our populations by encouraging the
exploration of our similarities and the discovery of our differences," said
Madeleine Jouye de Grandmaison, President of the Comité Martiniquais de
Tourisme. "I wish Air Canada every success in its service between Montréal and
Fort-de-France."
    Air Canada's Montréal-Fort-de-France non-stop service will be operated on
Saturdays using 120-seat Airbus A319. The aircraft offers Executive and
Economy Class travel and free personal audio-video entertainment at every seat
with a choice of 24 movies and 100 hours of TV programming. Further details
and a virtual tour of Air Canada's new cabin amenities, including personal
seatback entertainment at every seat, are available at:
http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/onboard/cabincomfort.html.
    Flights are conveniently timed to offer travellers a wide range of
connecting flights to and from Montréal throughout the province of Quebec, as
well as to and from Ottawa and Atlantic Canada. This service complements Air
Canada's existing twice weekly flights between Montréal and Pointe-à-Pitre,
Guadeloupe.
    With the addition of three new destinations this year, Geneva, Fort de
France, Martinique and the return of Rome service, Air Canada offers non-stop
service from Montréal to 50 destinations. This summer Air Canada will have
increased capacity across the Atlantic from Montréal by 35 per cent year over
year, with non stop service to five European gateway cities including London,
Paris, Frankfurt, Geneva and Rome.

    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 serves 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. As well, customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future awards
through Canada's leading loyalty program.
    In 2008, the readers of Business Traveler magazine voted Air Canada "Best
In-Flight Services in North America," "Best Airline for Business Class Service
in North America" and "Best North American Airline for International Travel."