MONTREAL, April 3, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - For the month of March, Air Canada reported a record system load factor of 83.5 per cent, versus 81.5 per cent in March 2012, an increase of 2.0 percentage points.  System traffic increased 3.4 per cent on a system-wide capacity increase of 1.0 per cent. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity.

"I am pleased to report a record load factor of 83.5 per cent for the month of March," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Led by traffic increases in the Pacific, domestic Canada and U.S. transborder markets of 5.8, 4.5 and 4.4 per cent, respectively, Air Canada generated greater traffic of 3.4 per cent system wide on a capacity increase of 1.0 per cent.  This is the fourth consecutive month Air Canada has reported a record load factor, underscoring the effectiveness of our capacity management strategy.  Also during the month we successfully implemented a simplified baggage handling process at our Toronto Pearson hub, making Air Canada an even more attractive option for travellers connecting to the United States while leveraging our international route network that offers some of the best elapsed travel times between the U.S. and Asian and European gateways.  I thank our employees whose professionalism and focus on taking care of customers have been instrumental in earning their loyalty while transporting them safely to their destination."

* Australia has been reclassified to "Pacific" from "Latin America, Caribbean & Other."

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 is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best International Airline in North America in 2012 for the third consecutive year.

SOURCE: AIR CANADA