Air Canada announces executive appointments

Air Canada announced today the following executive appointments effective immediately.

Daniel Shurz, formerly Senior Director, Air Canada - Airports, responsible for airport operations, is appointed Vice President, Network Planning. Before joining Air Canada in 2005, Daniel held a number of positions in the Planning Division at United Airlines and also worked for the Chicago Transit Authority. Daniel holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.

"Since joining Air Canada, Daniel has proven his exceptional abilities in various areas. His recent focus on airport operations, along with his background in network planning, will bring together a mindset focused on revenue production and operational efficiency. I look forward to Daniel's contribution to our Network Planning division and the entire company," said Sean Menke, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Daniel replaces Benjamin Smith, who had retained responsibility for network planning at Air Canada on an interim basis, following his appointment as President and CEO, Air Canada Vacations in January 2006.

Charlie McKee, formerly Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, is appointed Vice President, Marketing. Prior to this appointment, Charlie was Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, responsible for planning and executing key marketing components of Air Canada's commercial plan, including the simplified fare structure and Flight Pass development, as well as customer loyalty. Charlie joined Air Canada in 2001 as Senior Director, Marketing, responsible for marketing communications. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President, Commercial at lastminute.com, a London-based Internet retailer, and held a variety of senior management posts at Virgin Atlantic Airways in New York, Tokyo and London. Charlie holds a BA from Harvard University.

"As the company continues to change the way it does business, the ability to innovate, manage and implement our strategy requires someone who can see the big picture, yet understand the detail required to be successful," said Mr. Menke. "Charlie has proven that he is capable of successfully fulfilling this role."

These appointments support Air Canada's strategic business objectives and complete the Commercial Division's organizational realignment. In addition to Daniel Shurz and Charlie McKee, reporting to Sean Menke are: Marc Rosenberg, Vice President, Sales and Product Distribution and Yves Dufresne, Vice President, International, Alliances and Regulatory Affairs.

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