News Releases


Attention Business/Financial Editors:

Air Canada Jazz Boosts Regional Jet Flying Across Canada; Network and Fleet Realigned With Introduction of Bombardier CRJ-705 Regional Jets
MONTREAL, Feb. 24 /CNW Telbec/ - Consistent with Air Canada's previously
announced restructuring plan and in order to achieve its profitability
targets, Air Canada Jazz is boosting regional jet service to communities
across Canada beginning with its summer 2005 schedule. With the addition of 15
Bombardier CRJ-705 aircraft commencing in May 2005, the regional carrier will
grow to include 65 Canadian-built Bombardier regional jets. The new CRJ-705
aircraft, featuring Executive Class service and leading levels of comfort,
form an integral part of its North American fleet strategy to bring more
choice and improved schedules to consumers.
"With the addition of more jet aircraft to the Air Canada Jazz fleet, we
will be able to significantly enhance our customers' travel experience in
communities across Canada," said Ben Smith, Air Canada's vice president
responsible for network planning at Air Canada and Jazz. "An expanded Air
Canada Jazz regional jet fleet will allow us to realign our network to ensure
that we deploy the right aircraft type to meet travel demand in each market we
serve, while offering superior comfort, choice in non-stop markets served, and
more frequencies that get our customers to their destination faster than ever
before. In many cases, Dash-8 turboprop service will be replaced by jet
aircraft. These enhanced Air Canada Jazz services complement Air Canada's
growing network as the mainline fleet expands to incorporate six additional
Boeing 767 widebodies and 60 state-of-the-art Embraer aircraft that will join
the mainline fleet beginning this year."
The expansion of the Air Canada Jazz fleet will allow the regional
carrier to offer customers enhanced schedules with more point-to-point non-
stop flights per day using fuel-efficient, time-saving Canadian-built jet
aircraft. Highlights of improvements to Air Canada's summer 2005 schedule
include:

Charlottetown: Increase from two to three daily CRJ-200 flights to
Montr�al; and from one to two daily CRJ-200 flights to Toronto.

Moncton: Increase from three to four daily CRJ-200 flights to Montr�al.

Qu�bec City: Increase from 17 to 19 daily flights to Montr�al; and from
six to eight daily CRJ-200 flights to Toronto.

Thunder Bay: Increase from six to seven daily CRJ-200 flights to Toronto.
New all-jet service to Winnipeg operated using CRJ-200 aircraft.

Regina: Increase from two to three daily flights to Toronto featuring the
new 75-seat CRJ-705, effective October. Reintroduction of daily non-stop
flights to Vancouver with the CRJ-200 aircraft in April, increasing to double
daily service by June. New all-jet services to Calgary and Winnipeg to be
operated using CRJ-200 jets.

Saskatoon: Increase from three to four daily flights to Toronto featuring
the new 75-seat CRJ-705, effective October. Reintroduction of daily non- stop
flights to Vancouver with the CRJ-200 aircraft in April, increasing to double
daily service by June. New all-jet services to Calgary and Winnipeg to be
operated using CRJ-200 jets.

With this realignment of Air Canada's domestic network using an expanded
Air Canada Jazz fleet of jet aircraft, service will be provided exclusively by
Air Canada Jazz in the following cities effective May 3, 2005: Charlottetown,
Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, Qu�bec City and Thunder Bay; and effective
October 1, 2005 in Regina, Saskatoon and Whitehorse. The transition to
exclusively Air Canada Jazz operations in these cities is designed to be
seamless to customers. Air Canada mainline employees in these cities will be
offered employment options including transfer to other Air Canada bases,
consistent with the provisions in their respective collective agreements.
Joseph Randell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada Jazz
stated, "Jazz has served these important markets for many years and we look
forward to strengthening our service and our presence in these communities.
The realignment of Air Canada's domestic network is a key component in its
business plan. This change increases the efficiency and strengths of the North
American network while Air Canada pursues new international opportunities. The
arrival of these new generation regional jets allows Air Canada Jazz to
revolutionize service in many of our domestic markets just as the first
generation of Bombardier CRJ-100 aircraft allowed Air Canada to do so in the
Canada-U.S. transborder market almost a decade ago."
The CRJ-705 aircraft will be configured in two classes of service with 10
seats in Executive Class featuring three abreast seating offering 37 inches of
legroom, and 65 seats in Hospitality with four abreast seating offering an
industry leading 34 inches of legroom (two inches more than other carriers in
Canada). Both cabins will feature all-leather seating and in-seat audio and
personal television systems. The Bombardier CRJ-705 aircraft has a cruising
speed of 880 km/h and a range of more than 3,500 km with a total payload of
7,778 kg including a cargo payload of 700 kg.
The Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft are configured to provide a single
Hospitality class of service with 50 all-leather seats. The Bombardier CRJ-200
aircraft has a cruising speed of 860 km/h and a range of up to 3,547 km with a
total payload of 5,942 kg.
The ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. family of airlines is one of the world's
largest operators of Canadian-built aircraft with 42 Dash 8-100s,
26 Dash 8-300s, 50 CRJ-100/200s and an additional 15 CRJ-705 aircraft to be
delivered in 2005.

Ex AC where are the 767's coming from ?

also coming soon...

319/320 flying to Europe ex YUL. Planes will be reconfigured ( don't have specifics yet ) to make the journey. You heard it here first folks.

maybe this deserves it's own thread.

I've been hearing thar rumour for 10years. For now I call B.S.

I thought AC had only one 320 ETOPS ???

2 are definitely old AC 767-200's coming back from the desert.
2 are pretty certain to be 763's last flying with Kenya Airways.
2 might be 763's last flown by EVA.

Wow, 34 inches of legroom? I can handle that. Will I be disappointed to board and find they really meant 34 inch pitch? LOL

Also, I know the folks at yxu are anxious to see if any new service comes up with the new small jet fleets. Oh well, maybe when the Embraers start arriving.

I would much rather fly on the Dash 8's that they are currenty using rather than the ERJs.

AC is getting EMB 175/190s - not the little ERJ 135s. Why don't you read the reviews from some of the members of this forum who have actually flown the aircraft.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I have flown on a US ERJ 145, I didn't know that AC was getting the 175's instead. I just thought that from ERJ it would be the same version. Sorry...

EMB 175 and also 190 series. They look like mini 737 and should be quite comfortable.

The 200's should be made illegal as they are torture devices
Some of my most uncomfortable flights have occured on the 200... even worse than BEH's, believe it or not!

I did fly a dash 8 from yul-ytz-yxu once. It was pretty comfortable in the front row, right side, but I did have both seats to myself. Fortunately, I didn't have to pee though, or I probably would have had to stand in the aisle and aim LOL. This was after a leisurly flight from yqm-ysj-yul on a Bae-146. 10 hours to fly from Moncton to London. Only takes 17 hours to drive it LOL

I heard about this about 18 months ago. Since then QR and AF have been flying long ranger A319s for Medium Range Inter continental flights. I have heard AC was interested in the idea as well. However I was not sure if the current AC aircraft could be modified easily into those aircraft. They usually have more fuel tanks and I believe they are designated A319LR.

The YQB-YUL segment is very short for jet service. It's under 1 hours in a DH8. Must be one of the shortest jet segments on schedule... Increased service to YYZ is also excellent.



Also good for increased frequency but is this the doom of the A319 YQT-YYZ service?

Is there any change in frequency between YQT-YWG? A few years ago (2001-2002?), they offered RJ on that leg.