MONTREAL, Dec. 21 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada advises that the ongoing effects of winter conditions in England continue to strictly limit its operations to and from London and are expected to persist for several days. Passengers are urged to consult the company website www.aircanada.com for flight schedule updates before travelling or going to the airport.

"Airport imposed restrictions at London Heathrow mean Air Canada will once again only be able to operate one-third of its normal flights today, so customers should expect cancellations and delays for the next several days. Although we realize the importance of travel during the holiday season, we are advising those with flexible travel schedules to defer their travel and we are facilitating this by waiving change and cancellation fees. Air Canada is doing its best to transport customers as soon as we can safely do so, however slot constraints at Heathrow and the fact our flights are already fully booked for the period means we have very limited ability over the two weeks to re-book customers whose flights have been cancelled," said Duncan Dee, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Air Canada is currently planning to operate four flights from London to Canada and one flight from Toronto to London on Tuesday, December 21, in addition to three flights that arrived from Canada this morning. Today's flights include: AC868 Toronto-London, AC857 London-Toronto, AC851 London-Calgary, AC855 London-Vancouver and AC859 London-Toronto.

On the evening of December 21, Air Canada plans to operate the following flights from Canada to London: AC864 Montreal-London, AC858 Toronto-London, AC854 Vancouver-London and in addition there will be an extra flight from London to Toronto, AC2059.

Air Canada will update its website www.aircanada.com as information becomes available.

Customers with confirmed tickets for flights to or from affected areas are advised to check on the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport by consulting the Air Canada website at aircanada.com, or by calling Air Canada's automated flight information system at 1-888-422-7533, or by using a web-enhanced cell phone.

Due to increased call centre volume, wait times are longer than usual.

Air Canada encourages customers who have been affected by cancelled flights:

• To postpone non-essential travel if at all possible; fees have been waived to facilitate changes and refunds are also available.
• Customers who purchased their ticket through a travel agency should contact their original point of sale for re-booking options.
• Customers booked on flights between December 18 and December 23 can either apply for a refund or change their bookings through the Delayed and Cancelled Flights Service at aircanada.com, or through an Air Canada Call Centre.
• Those customers wishing to make alternate travel arrangements can do so without penalty, space permitting, by contacting Air Canada Reservations toll free in Canada and the U.S. at 888-247-2262; TTY: 1-800-361-8071 or Air Canada Reservations worldwide.
• However, customers are reminded that seat availability is currently very limited for the next two weeks.
• Customers are reminded that as operations resume and previously booked passengers change their plans, seat availability is subject to change on an on-going basis, and therefore it is important to check back online regularly.
• The same seat availability information is provided through Call Centres.  However, due to increased call centre volume, wait times are longer than usual.
• Customers should consult their flight status online at aircanada.com before proceeding to the airport with their confirmed booking.

Air Canada appreciates the importance of travel during the holiday season and is making its best efforts to safely transport customers as soon as possible. It will continue to provide updates at www.aircanada.com as information becomes available