Air Canada and Air Jamaica join forces

Air Canada and Air Jamaica are joining forces to improve air service for travellers between Canada and Jamaica. Effective immediately, the two carriers will sell seats on each other's flights on a codeshare basis between Toronto-Kingston and Toronto-Montego Bay. Concurrent with this expanded commercial agreement the two carriers announced improved schedules featuring increased non-stop flights to and from both Kingston and Montego Bay for the first time.

Effective April 5, 2004, Air Jamaica will operate daily Lovebird Service between Kingston and Toronto. Flight JM079 (AC9831) departs Kingston at 2:00pm daily to arrive at the Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto at 7:15pm. On the return, JM078 (AC9830) will depart Toronto at 8:45am daily to arrive in Kingston at 11:50am. The airline's state of the art Airbus A321 aircraft with 12 Top Class and 176 Economy Class seats will operate these flights.

In addition, Air Canada will operate twice weekly flights, Tuesdays and Fridays, on the Toronto-Kingston route with 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft in a two class configuration offering a choice of Executive Class and Hospitality service. This represents a total of as many as nine weekly non-stop flights between Toronto and Kingston offered on a codeshare basis - a substantial increase in non-stop service from five weekly flights offered prior years. In a further improvement to Canada-Jamaica air service, effective April 4, 2004 Air Canada will increase its Montego Bay flights to daily service, offered on a codeshare basis by Air Jamaica. Daily flights will be operated with 140-seat Airbus A320 aircraft versus four times weekly service prior years.

To promote increased services on both their Toronto-Kingston and Toronto- Montego Bay routes, Air Canada and Air Jamaica are offering until April 13, 2004 a special fare starting as low as CAD$499 for travel between April 5 and June 18, 2004.

Deputy Chairman & CEO of Air Jamaica, Christopher Zacca, says the decision to return to Canada after a 13-year hiatus is part of the airline's mandate to fly where there are large Jamaican communities. "For a long time Jamaicans living in Canada have been pressing for Air Jamaica to resume scheduled flights to that gateway and with our new fleet of state of the art Airbus aircraft, we now have the capacity and capability to return to that route," Mr. Zacca said. "We are also pleased to be able to continue our longstanding relationship with Air Canada, thereby giving our valued customers even more convenient schedules between Canada and the Caribbean."

"This is great news for our customers seeking the best choice and value in air service between Canada and Jamaica," said Bill Bredt, Air Canada's Vice President Network and Revenue Management. "Together with our valued partner, Air Jamaica, Air Canada is pleased to continue strengthening the longstanding links between our two companies, and indeed countries, that allow for profitable growth through increased tourism and trade."