Official airline of Canadian teams for PyeongChang 2018 Games and Tokyo 2020 Games

MONTREAL, Dec. 18, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada announced today that it has renewed its sponsorship as the Official Airline of the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee. The four-year agreement extends through the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

"As Canada's official airline, we believe our country deserves to be celebrated," says Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams represent the best of Canada, showing off the ambition and drive of our people. We're proud to be a piece of home connecting those athletes to their country while they're abroad, and helping to make sure they arrive ready to perform at their very best."

"We're thrilled to be renewing our relationship with Air Canada for another four years," says Chris Overholt, CEO and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee. "Games after Games, our athletes have experienced the world-class comfort and surpassing professionalism that Air Canada offers."

"As a world class travel partner, Air Canada plays an important role in our athletes' care and comfort while travelling to the Games, which has a direct positive impact on their readiness to compete," said Karen O'Neill, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Paralympic Committee.

Air Canada has been a sponsor of Canada's Olympic Team since 1988 and a sponsor of Canada's Paralympic Team since 2007. The partnership builds on Air Canada's commitment to Team Canada from their efforts at 2016's Games, when Air Canada flew more than 690 Canadian athletes, coaches and support staff to Rio.

Through these arrangements, the airline provides special services and transport for competitions. As well, under the renewed agreement Air Canada will:

• Renew its Altitude Podium Program to provide qualified athletes 35K status and access to International Maple Leaf lounges while competing abroad;
• Give athletes individual Care & Share packages for added comfort during the flight and include memorabilia they can share with others at the games;
• Sponsor the outdoor area, available to the public, at the Canadian Olympic House in PyeongChang;
• And host airport celebrations as athletes arrive at and return from the games.

To further show its support, Air Canada has entered into an agreement with five high-profile athletes who will be featured in a campaign beginning in January. They include figure skaters Patrick Chan, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir; freestyle skier (halfpipe) Cassie Sharpe; and Paralympic biathlon skier Mark Arendz.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 60 in the United States and 98 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,300 airports in 191 countries.  Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax, which also named Air Canada the 2017 Best Airline in North America.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com/media, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

About the Canadian Olympic Committee

The Canadian Olympic Committee leads the achievement of the Canadian Olympic Team's podium success and advances Olympic values in Canada. Independent and predominantly privately funded, the Canadian Olympic Committee delivers resources that Canada's elite athletes need to prepare the Team for the Olympic, Youth Olympic and Pan American Games. By sharing our athletes' stories, we inspire all Canadians through the power of sport: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 25 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian high-performance athletes with a disability and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca.

SOURCE Air Canada