MONTREAL, June 1 /CNW Telbec/ - The departure today of Air Canada flight
AC 892 marks the launch of non-stop seasonal summer service between Montreal
and Rome. The carrier will operate daily non-stop flights linking Canada's
second largest city, and its extensive Quebec and Atlantic Canada network,
with the Italian capital. Air Canada offers connecting flights via Rome to
popular destinations in Italy operated by Air One, a Lufthansa partner
airline.
    "The reintroduction of non-stop Air Canada flights between Montreal and
Rome is great news for Montrealers and consumers in eastern Canada who will
benefit from substantial time savings during the peak travel season to Italy,"
said Daniel Shurz, Vice President, Network Planning. "We look forward to
offering this additional non-stop service to Europe from Montreal, which
complements our year-round Toronto-Rome non-stop flights. Rome is our fifth
European destination with non-stop service from Montreal, joining London,
Paris, Frankfurt and Munich."
    "This new direct itinerary, without connections, will certainly be well
appreciated by the business communities in Quebec and Italy. The increase of
economic, commercial and cultural exchanges between both territories is
certainly one of the major reasons why Air Canada took this strategic
decision. This is excellent news for both Quebec and Italy," confirms
Mr. Emanuele Triassi, chairman of the Board of the Italian Chamber of Commerce
in Canada.
    "This daily flight to Rome is a major addition to our air services at
Montréal-Trudeau," said Aéroports de Montréal President and Chief Executive
Officer James C. Cherry. "Let's hope the Montréal community will
enthusiastically embrace this new direct, non-stop service."
    Air Canada's Montreal-Rome non-stop service will be operated using
207-seat Boeing 767-200 ER aircraft. With an eastbound flight time of eight
hours, travellers will save more than two hours off alternate routings via
Toronto or Frankfurt.Montreal    Rome                      Rome        Montreal
    AC892    17:40       07:40 (+1)       AC893    09:10       12:05Montréal-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 more than 32 million customers annually. Air Canada is a
founding member of Star Alliance providing the world's most comprehensive air
transportation network.