AUG 31, 1999, M2 Communications - TORONTO -- Air Canada has introduced self-service Express Check-In kiosks at Toronto's Rapidair departure lounge becoming the first airline in Canada to offer the convenience and choice of automated check-in to airline customers.

"This innovation is in direct response to customer demand and offers a fast and convenient alternative for checking in - especially during peak travel periods," said Eileen McCoy, Senior Vice President, Customer Service. "Air Canada is taking a leadership position in developing this technology because it is a priority for our customers and important to maintaining our competitive position in the marketplace."

Effective August 30, kiosks will be available to customers in Toronto's Rapidair departure lounge. More kiosks will be introduced in the Rapidair check-in area in late September along with a special baggage drop-off counter, offering the added advantage of serving customers with checked baggage. Check-In kiosks are also available at Ottawa airport where they were successfully introduced to customers, on a trial basis, last winter. The bilingual check-in kiosks include touch sensitive screens, boarding pass printers and card readers. Any customer who has purchased an electronic ticket or a paper ticket with a valid reservation can use the kiosk by simply inserting their magnetic stripe Aeroplan card or a major credit card. The customer can then navigate through a series of user-friendly screens and can: select a seat through use of interactive seat maps, stand by for an earlier flight, request an upgrade (if eligible), obtain boarding passes for connecting flights and select the Frequent Flyer program he/she wishes to accumulate miles on. The kiosk will display to the customer instructions on how to proceed and will print out a bar-coded boarding pass.

The kiosks are designed to complement existing check-in services and especially help reduce wait times during busy periods. Air Canada agents will be on hand to guide customers through the check-in process. To promote the new service, Aeroplan members will receive 250 Aeroplan miles each time they use Express Check-In kiosks between August 30, 1999 and November 30, 1999. In addition, a virtual Express Check-In kiosk is featured on Air Canada's website (www.aircanada.ca) which demonstrates how the kiosks work.

Kiosk expansion to other areas of Air Canada's Toronto airport operation will continue in the Spring of 2000. Following implementation in Toronto, Air Canada will proceed with introduction of kiosks in major airports across Canada in 2000 and 2001.

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Thanks Anna!