Air Canada and Air China expand cooperation agreement

MONTREAL and BEIJING, CHINA - Air Canada and Air China are pleased to announce the expansion of their long-standing commercial cooperation agreement. The expanded agreement further enhances the carriers' interline and codeshare services offered via their respective hubs, making it more convenient for customers to travel between Canada and China while extending the Star Alliance partners' international networks. Now available for purchase, these new codeshare flights enable seamless bookings and connections for customers and their bags via the carriers' Vancouver, Toronto and Beijing hubs to six new China destinations and six new destinations in Canada throughout their respective networks.

"Air Canada is delighted to strengthen its relationship with Air China, China's leading airline and our valued Star Alliance partner since 2007. This expanded agreement provides our customers with seamless connections on a single itinerary for travel to six of the most important commercial, transportation and communication centres in Western China, six cities with millennia of history, each an exciting travel and cultural destination in its own right," said Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Air Canada's unprecedented 21 weekly flights from Toronto and Vancouver to Beijing this summer confirms the importance of this key market and the growing numbers of customers travelling between China and Canada. With China being Canada's second largest trading partner, we look forward to providing customers with more convenient travel options to Chinese destinations by working closer with our Star Alliance partner, Air China. We also look forward to welcoming travellers from China's major urban centres onboard our flights to six Canadian cities."

"There has been a rapid growth in the Chinese outbound travel market over the past few years. Working together with Air Canada, our Star Alliance partner and Canada's flag carrier, expanding our code-share cooperation will provide more travel options, ?and more convenient and seamless travel for both carriers' customers," said Cai Jianjiang, Air China's President and Chief Executive Officer.

The carriers currently codeshare on flights operated from Vancouver and Toronto to and from Beijing and Shanghai. With the expanded codeshare agreement, Air Canada will place its code on Air China-operated flights to six new destinations in China, enabling Air Canada customers to conveniently access via Air China's Beijing hub: Guanghzou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan and Xi'An to the south and west of Beijing and Shenyang to the northwest.

Air China customers will in turn have convenient access from Air Canada's Vancouver hub, with Air China's code being placed on Air Canada-operated flights to six of Canada's major cities - Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. These codeshare flights are now available for purchase on aircanada.com and airchina.com, as well as through travel agencies.

Air Canada-Air China codeshare flights provide customers with benefits such as a single itinerary, through-checked bags and mutual Star Alliance status recognition including lounge access and other premium services for eligible members.  In addition, Aeroplan and PhoenixMiles members can redeem reward miles and accumulate mileage that counts towards top tier status.