Codeshare agreement links countries through convenient hubs

    MONTREAL, April 15 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada and fellow Star Alliance
partner TAP Portugal announced today they have entered a codeshare agreement
that will create more travel options and better connections for customers
travelling between Canada and Portugal.
    Under the agreement TAP and Air Canada have begun offering code-share
flights between Canada and Portugal via selected points. Services between
Canadian cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, and the Portuguese
cities of Lisbon and Porto, have been added to both carriers' networks. This
provides significant benefits to both Air Canada and TAP customers, including
simplified booking, reciprocal travel reward accumulation, seamless
connections on a single ticket, and baggage check-through to final
destination.
    "By working more closely and developing our relationship with our Star
partner TAP Portugal, the leading airline in Portugal, Air Canada will be able
to offer customers improved access between Canada and Portugal and broaden its
already extensive network to Europe and beyond," said Marcel Forget, Vice
President of Network Planning at Air Canada.
    "Implementing this code-share agreement with Air Canada, one of the
founding members of Star Alliance, is an important step towards developing
closer commercial ties with one of the leading and most innovative airlines in
the World," said José Guedes Dias, VP Alliances & External Relations, TAP
Portugal. "At the same time we can offer our customers a wide range of direct
and more convenient services between Portugal and Canada that we expect will
particularly benefit the large Portuguese Community in Canada and the business
and tourism segments in general."
    The agreement provides for TAP to place its code, TP, on Air Canada
flights between Canadian cities and international gateways, such as: Newark
(USA), London (UK) or Madrid (Spain). It also allows Air Canada to place its
flight code, AC, on flights operated by TAP Portugal between Lisbon or Porto
and the above-mentioned gateways. Both carriers will thus offer services
between Portugal and Canada, via selected connecting points, each one using
its own code throughout the entire itinerary.

    About Air Canada:
    -----------------
    Montréal-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air
transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 170 destinations on five
continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 14th largest commercial airline in
the world and serves 33 million customers annually. Air Canada is a founding
member of Star Alliance, providing the world's most comprehensive air
transportation network for Canadian domestic, transborder and international
travel. Air Canada aircraft offer customers individualized seatback in-flight
entertainment systems with hundreds of hours of digital audio-visual
entertainment. As well, customers can collect Aeroplan miles for future awards
through Canada's leading loyalty program. In 2008, the readers of Business
Traveler magazine voted Air Canada "Best In-Flight Services in North America,"
"Best Airline for Business Class Service in North America" and "Best North
American Airline for International Travel."

    About TAP Portugal:
    -------------------
    TAP Portugal is the leading Portuguese airline, member of Star Alliance
since March 14, 2005. Its hub in Lisbon is a key European gateway at the
crossroads of Africa, North & South America, where TAP stands out as the
leading European carrier in operation to Brazil. The company's network
comprises 59 destinations in 26 countries worldwide. TAP currently operates
over 1,850 weekly flights in average on a modern fleet of 53 Airbus aircraft,
to which add 16 more aircraft operating in PGA, the European regional carrier
acquired by TAP in 2007. Pursuing its customer focused orientation, TAP
continuously strives to deliver safe, reliable and upgraded product & services
tailored to meet customers' expectations. Retaining the Portuguese character
of the Company's brand and quality service as the basic concept has been the
main driver of TAP strategy in most recent years.

    About Star Alliance:
    --------------------
    The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly
global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel
experience. Star Alliance received the Air Transport World Market Leadership
Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller
Magazine in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines,
Austrian Airlines, bmi, EgyptAir, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian
Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways,
Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United Airlines and US
Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland)
and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Air India, Brussels Airlines,
Continental Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall,
the Star Alliance network offers more than 16,500 daily flights to 912
destinations in 159 countries.