MONTREAL, Feb. 1, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - With today's departures of Air Canada Express flights AC8371 from Calgary to Fort McMurray, AC8430 from Calgary to Regina and AC8586 from Calgary to Saskatoon, Air Canada introduced new Q400 service in Western Canada.  Concurrent with rolling out new, state-of-the-art Bombardier Q400 Next Generation aircraft in these markets, Air Canada announced it is boosting capacity on key regional routes this spring and summer in response to demand.

"Today, we are delighted to introduce the newest, ultra-quiet regional aircraft for customers in Alberta and Saskatchewan," said Marcel Forget, Air Canada's Vice President, Network Planning. "This spring, Air Canada will strategically increase capacity by either scheduling larger aircraft or adding flights to meet strong demand in Western Canada and we will continue to roll out the Q400 aircraft on additional routes in BC, Alberta and the Northwest Territories in the coming months. Air Canada Express flights are scheduled to enable convenient, point-to-point, same-day business travel, as well as convenient and easy connections to Air Canada's extensive domestic, US and international network at Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver."

Increased capacity this spring and summer compared to last year include the following routes:

Following today's launch of the Q400 aircraft in Calgary, Fort McMurray, Regina and Saskatoon, the aircraft, featuring all-leather seats, spacious overhead bins and comfortable 31-inch legroom, is scheduled to be deployed in the coming months on the following routes:

The made-in-Canada Bombardier Dash 8 Q-400 NextGen aircraft with 74 seats replaces 50-seat CRJ-100/200ER aircraft, and are operated by Jazz Aviation LP under the Air Canada Express brand.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 175 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2012 served close to 35 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 59 Canadian cities, 56 destinations in the United States and 63 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,329 destinations in 194 countries.  Air Canada customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future rewards through Canada's leading loyalty program, and Top Tier members enjoy reciprocal frequent flyer benefits including lounge and priority services.

In 2012, Air Canada was ranked for a third consecutive year "Best International Airline in North America" in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.  According to the 2012 Canadian Business Travel Survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, Air Canada was the preferred airline for more than 79 percent of frequent business travellers in Canada.  In 2012, readers of Global Traveler magazine voted Air Canada "Best Airline in North America," the readers of Business Traveler voted Air Canada "Best North American Airline for International Travel" and "Best In-Flight Services in North America," and the readers of Premier Traveler voted Air Canada "Best North American Airline for Business Class Service," "Best North American Airline for International Travel" and "Best Flight Attendants in North America."

For more information on Air Canada visit aircanada.com and follow @AirCanada on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE: AIR CANADA