| Air Canada, together with its regional airline
subsidiary, Air Canada Jazz, provides scheduled and charter
air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 150
destinations, vacation packages to over 90 destinations, as
well as maintenance, ground handling and training services
to other airlines.
Air Canada has been ranked as the world's safest airline
in an independent analysis of more than 500 airlines. In
a 2002 survey of the world's most frequent air travellers,
conducted by travel information publisher OAG, Air Canada
was voted best airline in North America for the second time
in three years, and Air Canada's frequent flier program,
Aeroplan, was voted best in the world. In addition, the
readers of Business Traveler International have chosen Air
Canada as their preferred airline to Canada for the past
ten consecutive years.
In 2000, Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines International,
Canada's second largest air carrier, thus becoming the world's
twelfth largest commercial airline. During the year 2000,
integration of Air Canada and Canadian Airlines proceeded
with the launch of an integrated commercial operating schedule,
integration of computer systems, consolidation of labour
agreements, harmonization of products and services, and
adoption of a single frequent flier program, Aeroplan, in
January 2001.
Air Canada's predecessor, Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) inaugurated
its first flight on September 1, 1937. By 1964, TCA had
grown to become Canada's national airline, and changed its
name to Air Canada. The airline became fully privatized
in 1989.
Air Canada provides scheduled and chartered passenger jet
service directly to 20 Canadian cities, 35 destinations
in the United States and 47 cities in Europe, the Middle
East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America.
Air Canada operates on average 740 scheduled flights each
day, and serves approximately 23 million scheduled and charter
customers annually.
In November 2001, Air Canada launched a separately branded
no-frills air service called Tango by Air Canada to complement
the mainline carrier's full service operations on many domestic
routes. Tango offers travellers a popular low fare alternative
featuring a unique "all extras are optional" in-flight
service. In April 2002, Air Canada announced that it will
launch ZIP, a low-fare carrier based in Calgary operating
primarily short-haul routes with connections to and from
Air Canada's network.
Air Canada employs approximately 40,000 people worldwide
including 4,400 at Air Canada Jazz.
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