MONTREAL, Sept. 21 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has introduced paperless
boarding passes for its customers who check in using their PDA (personal
digital assistant such as Blackberry or Treo) or cell phone. Air Canada's
mobile check-in service, available at http://mobile.aircanada.com, has been
enhanced to now offer customers the option of receiving an electronic boarding
pass in the form of SMS text messages that the customer simply shows to
airport security screening personnel and Air Canada gate agents, in lieu of a
paper boarding pass. Passengers with baggage to check proceed as usual to
baggage drop off points prior to security screening. Air Canada's new mobile
service is currently available for boarding domestic Canada flights and
departures to international (non-U.S.) destinations, including connecting
flights, from 60 airports across Canada served by Air Canada and Jazz.
    "Introduction of the mobile boarding pass is a key element in Air
Canada's initiatives to use the most recent and secure mobile and 2-D barcode
technologies to simplify our customers' travel experience," said Lise Fournel,
Senior Vice President E-Commerce and CIO. "In addition to the simplification
of travel and business processes made possible by the replacement of paper
with electronic documents, we're particularly excited about the expanded
application of 2-D barcode technology that gives our employees better tools to
serve our customers more efficiently."
    How it works: Using a mobile device, the customer logs on to
http://mobile.aircanada.com and enters the required information: last name,
first name, departure city and one of the following: Aeroplan number, credit
card number or booking reference. If the device supports 2-D barcode
technology and the travel itinerary qualifies for an electronic boarding pass,
the customer will be prompted to enter his mobile number to receive the
boarding pass. While 2-D barcode technology works on a majority of mobile
devices, some older phones or PDAs may not be compatible. If this is the case,
it is still possible to use Air Canada's mobile check-in and print a boarding
pass at a self-service kiosk or with an agent.
    Air Canada was ranked in 2007 as the "Best Airline in North America" for
the second time in three years in an independent passenger survey of
14 million air travellers conducted by Skytrax. In 2007, Air Canada was
recognized by the editors of Air Transport World as the airline industry
leader in market innovation, specifically Air Canada's success in implementing
an innovative and transparent pricing structure, its effectiveness in using
online technology to meet consumers' needs and its fleet-wide renewal with a
consistent, market-leading onboard product among North American airlines.

    Montreal-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 14th largest commercial airline in
the world and serves 32 million customers annually with a fleet consisting of
335 aircraft. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, providing the
world's most comprehensive air transportation network.