As Air Canada continues rebuilding its global network in response to increasing travel demand, the airline was recognized for its people, products and services at the recent 2021 Skytrax World Airline Awards with honours for: Best Airline Staff in North America, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class Lounge in North America, and Excellence for COVID-19.

"I am very proud of these recognitions as voted for by our customers, for our service and products as we begin emerging from the pandemic which has impacted travel and our industry for the past 18 months. The two awards for Best Airline Staff in both North America and in Canada are especially significant, as they are a direct reflection of our loyal employees' unwavering dedication and hard work in taking care of our customers and transporting them safely during a challenging and complex period. I thank our employee teams for their tireless efforts, and I thank our customers for recognizing their drive and work," said Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada.

"We continue restoring our global network to meet growing demand and will be introducing new products to further enhance our customers' journey. As people are increasingly making plans to travel again, we look forward to welcoming more customers back onboard and transporting them to their destinations safely," concluded Ms. Guillemette.

Commenting on the Awards for Air Canada, Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax said: "Air Canada has enjoyed great success in the 2021 awards by winning these awards, and of specific note the award for the Best Airline Staff in North America is a great tribute to all their front-line staff who have maintained such good standards through the global pandemic. We all look ahead with optimism for 2022 that air travel may be restored to more normal times."

The Skytrax World Airline Awards are the latest recognitions Air Canada has received for its products and customer service, and the airline remains the only Skytrax Four-star international network carrier in North America. Recent awards include the Global Traveler's Leisure Lifestyle Awards recognizing for multiple consecutive years as Best Airline for Onboard Entertainment, Best Premium Economy Class, Best Airline for Onboard menu, Favorite Airline in North America as voted for by the influential under 40 traveler demographic, Best Family-Friendly Airline in North America and best Family Friendly International Airline.