Lucie Guillemette, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer for Air Canada and President of ACV, has posted thank you video messages for Air Canada’s travel agents
MONTREAL — Air Canada is expressing its heartfelt gratitude and deepest appreciation to all of its travel agent partners, who have helped sustain the airline throughout the pandemic.
Lucie Guillemette, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer for Air Canada and President of ACV, today posted video messages in English and French to the travel agent community, to say thank you, and to offer inspiration for the months ahead as travel’s recovery gains momentum.
“A warm welcome to all of you from our newly reopened Maple Leaf Lounge here in Montreal,” says Guillemette in the video, released this morning.
“From everyone in Air Canada, our deepest thanks to all our valued travel partners for your incredible dedication and support as we rebuild our industry. So many of our shared customers can’t wait to travel again. And together we’re ready to welcome them back,” she said.
Guillemette notes that Air Canada has extended its flexible booking policy to July 31.
“We are encouraged by the tremendous progress made as an industry, and country, in just a short period of time, following a difficult year of uncertainty,” she said. “As we ready for a safe return to travel, we know that customers want peace of mind when purchasing a ticket, which is why we’ve extended our booking flexibility to July 31 so that customers can change their travel plans, without having to pay change fee.”
She adds that Air Canada is also “proud to offer the most generous pandemic refund policy of any Canadian airline and to support our travel partners, by not recalling commissions for refunds they process going forward.
“If we cancel the flight for any reason, and are unable to rebook customer on a new flight within three hours of the original departure time, they can request a refund. This will give them confidence to entrust their future travel plans with us as part of our ongoing commitment to our customer experience,” she says.
Air Canada is currently in the testing phase with new technologies including Amadeus Traveler ID, which will help passengers save time at the airport by allowing them to upload their COVID-19 test results.
Air Canada has also reopened its Maple Leaf Lounges in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Later this month the airline will reintroduce Air Canada Bistro service on flights within North America, as well as a selection of meals and full bar service on international flights. “We will continue to adapt, innovate, and look to progress with the customer always top of mind,” says Guillemette.
Meanwhile Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program continues to provide flexibility and opportunity for members, such as extending elite status through the end of 2022 and introducing new partnerships with Starbucks and Rocky Mountaineer, “with many, many more to come.”
Starting this month Air Canada will serve 50 destinations in Canada, adds Guillemette, “which is more than any other airline. And we continue to grow our international network with new places like Cairo and Doha and many countries are now welcoming fully vaccinated Canadians, such as France, Greece and Spain.”
With ACV, passengers can take advantage of a full range of packages to Canada, Europe and sun destinations, including Maui: “Travellers can enjoy their dream escape worry free, knowing that we’ve thought of every detail.”
More details about Air Canada’s flights for summer 2021 and beyond, and its health and safety protocols, can be found at aircanada.com/COVID19.
And despite the setbacks from the pandemic Air Canada is continuing to pursue its goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Guillemette ends the 4-minute video with inspiration for agents, and the industry: “Let’s not focus on recapturing what’s been lost, but rather focus on how to build our future growth, and rise higher.”
