Air Canada drops low air fares

Air Canada quietly withdrew low fares aimed at business travellers last week, hours before announcing a deal that would take a major competitor out of the business market.

On Wednesday, the Montreal-based carrier cancelled its "ACFlex" fares, which were introduced in January to allow business travellers to buy cheap tickets with fewer restrictions.

Air Canada said its decision to get rid of the lower fares was unrelated to last week's demise of Roots Air, which had positioned itself as a lower-cost alternative for business travellers.

"We introduced the ACFlex fares to stimulate economy-class business travel," Air Canada spokeswoman Laura Cooke said. "Obviously market conditions have changed over the course of the last several months."
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