MONTREAL, Sept. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada and Spafax Canada,
publishers of the airline's award-winning in-flight magazine, enRoute, today
announced the launch of a unique entertainment and shopping portal,
www.enroute.aircanada.com.
    The new website, the first of its kind in the aviation industry, will
allow Air Canada customers, enRoute readers, and travelers from around the
world to experience all aspects of enRoute media, including award winning
editorial, a complete summary of all in-flight entertainment choices available
on the airline's fleet-wide seatback entertainment system and a unique retail
environment available 24/7. Anyone can now check out the wide selection of
movies, TV and audio available at every Air Canada customer's personal
seatback entertainment system, shop for that last minute travel item, and
preview enRoute magazine.
    The website contains helpful travel information geared toward providing
planning tools for the frequent or infrequent traveler. The site includes both
audio and video allowing users to watch trailers of upcoming in-flight movies
and television, listen to exclusive audio podcasts, watch exclusive behind the
scenes video, see editors' picks of the top 25 new places to eat, drink and
shop in Air Canada hub cities (Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver) and
read award winning travel and cultural features.
    Air Canada has also established a retail environment within the site,
partnering with well known brands such as Lonely Planet and Hbc, a division of
Hudson's Bay Trading Company, Canada's largest general merchandise retailer,
featuring relevant travel accessories, guide books and Air Canada merchandise
all available in one place. Users will also be able to link directly to the
ticket engine at aircanada.com and access the rest of the site, one of
Canada's leading travel websites.
    "This website moves the enRoute and Air Canada brands to an exciting new
place," says Katrin Kopvillem, Managing Director and Publisher, Spafax Canada.
"Air Canada's award-winning media can now be accessed at any time, any where,
and there will be more features added to the site as it matures."
    "With this new media portal, Air Canada aims to strengthen the dialogue
we have with our customers, within an entertainment and retail environment,"
said Charles McKee, Air Canada's Vice President, Marketing. "We are very
excited to extend our enRoute in-flight entertainment and offer a unique
shopping experience to our customers at home. In today's digital media age,
consumers expect a richer media experience, one that speaks to their
lifestyles, and this site delivers on that expectation."
    enRoute and enRoute Online are published by Spafax, one of the world's
leading custom publishers and providers of in-flight media, with offices in
eight cities around the world. Spafax is part of the specialist communications
division of WPP.

    Montreal-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.
    Air Canada was ranked in 2007 as the "Best Airline in North America" for
the second time in three years in an independent passenger survey of
14 million air travellers conducted by Skytrax. In addition, Air Canada was
recently voted 'Best Airline in North America' and 'Best Airline in Canada' by
the readers of Global Traveler magazine, and 'Best Business Class to Canada'
by the readers of Business Traveler magazine. In 2007, Air Canada was
recognized by the editors of Air Transport World as the airline industry
leader in market innovation, specifically Air Canada's success in implementing
an innovative and transparent pricing structure, its effectiveness in using
online technology to meet consumers' needs and its fleet-wide renewal with a
consistent, market-leading onboard product among North American airlines.