MONTREAL, July 21 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada customers are booking in
record numbers at aircanada.com since the airline introduced simple, low,
permanent online fares in mid-May. The airline announced today that online
bookings have doubled in just two months. Over 30 per cent of Air Canada`s
domestic bookings are now made online, half of which are being generated
through the airline`s dedicated travel agency website at aircanada.com/agents.
In addition, Air Canada announced today a new feature which offers even
easier online travel planning at aircanada.com with the ability for customers
to make their own itinerary changes online. The airline also announced today a
new hotel booking tool which offers accommodation at highly competitive rates
and considerable savings.
“Simple, low domestic fares at aircanada.com have clearly struck a cord
with our customers, who now have more control than ever over their travel
planning,” said Montie Brewer, Executive Vice President, Commercial. “With the
addition today of new self-service tools, our customers have access to more
information and better options than ever for booking travel on Air Canada. We
will continue to add online tools and services that ensure aircanada.com is
where customers come to book their travel as simply and as easily as
possible,” he said.
The new online domestic booking structure proving popular with customers
greatly simplifies travel booking with five new fare categories: Fun,
Latitude, Freedom, Econo and Flash fare products that permanently offer new
low, competitive, best-value one way and return travel. Fun one way web fares
offer deep discounts off full one way fares, while Latitude one way web fares
offer full flexibility and value at an attractive price.
Effective immediately, Air Canada customers can not only book Air
Canada`s value-based domestic web fares online but can also make complete or
partial changes to their reservations on eligible domestic routes.
aircanada.com customers can now change flights and pay online as the new
booking tool automatically re-prices trip itineraries.
Effective immediately, aircanada.com , 4321zip.com and flytango.com offer
the ability to book hotels online at a significant saving. The hotel booking
feature includes a wide selection of value-priced accommodation at 50,000
hotels that may be searched by property type, location, price and hotel
quality or by the top ten Canadian cities. The enhanced hotel booking function
provides customers with prepayment facilities at Air Canada`s most popular
destinations worldwide. Customers will know the total accommodation cost at
the time of booking on this new service that is supported 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
In the coming weeks and months, customers booking at aircanada.com will
enjoy more new or expanded services designed to enhance their web booking
experience.
Effective July 30 Aeroplan Bonus Miles earned by booking online at
aircanada.com will be available for redemption to customers in their account
within 24 hours. One Aeroplan Bonus Mile is awarded for every $3 spent on
airfare for travel within Canada and is credited to the account of the
customer who makes the online booking.
By October customers who travel on multi-leg itineraries, including those
journeys that may involve arriving into one city and leaving from another,
will be able to book these types of itineraries at aircanada.com .
The aircanada.com website will also soon feature group travel booking
capabilities and faster downloading of information. Enhanced user
identification and password administration functions will soon be available to
make travel booking as simple and easy as possible.
The site enhancements are an element of Air Canada`s comprehensive
business strategy focused on providing value and simplicity for customers. The
enhancements are designed to increase customer usage of the online channel,
simplify and automate the customer`s travel experience and further the
airline`s more efficient, lower cost business strategy.
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